This fall, CBS will premiere a new, semi-sci-fi series in which one man (with some help, of course) thwarts mad scientists (sort of, anyway). Entitled Eleventh Hour, the series is actually a remake of a British series of the same name.
Currently available on DVD, the British version stars Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Ashley Jensen (Extras). Stewart takes the role of Professor Ian Hood and Jensen is his police protector, Rachel Young.
Consisting of four independent episodes, Eleventh Hour sees Hood investigate human cloning, global warming, fake miracles, and pox-like viruses. All in all, it's a pretty diverse set of things Hood tackles, and, as it's a television show, he's something of an expert in each area. However, Patrick Stewart still somehow manages to remain believable in exploring each area. A lot of this is due to the fact that he's not presented as super-human; he is clearly a fallible individual who doesn't know everything about everything, but rather just enough to be considered an expert in all things science.
While much of what happens as it relates to the science is worst case scenario/beyond the scope of possibility today, Hood seems relatively unfazed and ever curious no matter what is taking place. And, for her part, Young functions as the perfect stand-in for the average viewer. She is not a scientist and consequently Hood gets to explain to her (and therefore the viewer) exactly what is taking place and what he thinks can, or should, be done about it.
The viewer is never truly given much background into Hood and how he ended up in government employ. His relationship with Young is clearly a new one, and one with which he is not entirely comfortable. She is his "minder," and clearly relatively new to the experience as well. Perhaps due to the series' short length, the audience is never fully given the scope of Hood's work and both his and Young's reasons for ending up where they are.
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