Joshua Lawrence Pike
Odyssey Five is a sadly short lived series (just one season). It starts on the space shuttle, then suddenly the earth is destroyed (sort of implodes). Just when they are running out of air a large aliens ship appears. The alien tells them that they are far from the first that had their planet imploded, he has spent centuries going from one system to another. He detects radio waves, then by the time he gets there the planet is gone. This included his home. However there is hope, he can send their minds back, five years back in time. He knows nothing about what is causing it (and one of the five people still alive is dying so time is short) He sends their minds five years back in time, with little more then the bare knowledge of what will happen.While it was rough in spots, the show had interesting plot lines, and interesting characters. There very much is a fish out of water element. Three astronauts, a science writer, and a reporter are not the group you would pick to investigate aliens destroying the earth. That is not the say they are not capable, they are, but they very have to make it up as they go.Its very good, if you like sci-fi you will like this.www.JoshuaLawrencePike.com
Leigh1566
I've only just watched this series after being told by my "elder" "less science fiction" fan friends not to, and I really think this series so deserves at least another season. Why start with the fantastic episode of seeing the earth explode and the idea of going back to prevent it from devastation, and end without answering it? OK I agree that there may have been moments during the season when you thought the story was off the point, and that the Odyssey 5's personal stories got in the way of what we wanted to see. And I agree that they certainly made a few continuity/paradoxical errors along the way, but as a whole I think it kept people wanting to know more. And certainly in the 20th episode (fossil), the revelation that the Cardrai are actually trying to use the "Bright Sky" project to beat the Centrients surely redeems the show. If only to see Tamara Craig Thomas again!! Come on Peter Weller and Manny Coto, you have a large following that wants more :) If I had the money I'd produce and direct it myself!! (Sorry if I spelt Cardrai and Centrients wrong, but they looked right to me) :)
liberalgems
This is absolutely one of the best series I have ever seen in my 40+ years of watching television! It's obvious why the executives at Showtime panicked: The series was way too subversive for a politically conservative medium like cable t.v.! The political and philosophical statements Odyssey 5 were literally making in each episode were just too much for the spineless creatures that rule the cable airwaves!My favorite genre is science fiction & fantasy. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly over the years. Nothing, except for Star Trek, Farscape and Babylon 5 comes close to the genius and passion of Odyssey 5! I can think of few television series where I cared so much for each main character, or the extensive range of emotions felt. The series was like theater! There's no other way to describe it! Had those responsible at Showtime kept Corporate at bay, instead of canceling the series literally in mid-sentence, the eventual controversy Odyssey 5 might have generated would've been good for business!The only drawback the series had was the importance of watching each episode in sequence. But with all the recording technology now available, this minor obstacle would not have been very difficult to overcome! The loss to science fiction was incalculable by the obnoxious cancellation of this unique series. Perhaps, someone soon will have the courage to pick up the pieces and write a book, or make a movie, and finish the series with the same amount of passion and subversiveness as the creators of Odyssey 5 did! One can only hope!
nrotic
What happened to this series? Why did it die, great characters , great stories, I recently watched the 5 disc series with a friend of mine and I agree with the other comments. I liked the cast they all had their substories and their interactions, demons, etc.. I thought the casting agent did a great job joining these people that jelled so well on screen. Manny Coto is a name I will be looking for in future projects as the same for the writers on this series. Like it was coming together and the characters we were seeing more of them, I know with a show that gets these great reviews they should Bring it Back !!!! The fans are demanding it :) Even though I have seen the actors on several other shows looks like they were enjoying it as well.