The Premise: It’s 2070. We have colonized Mars, androids are available to perform any job you set them to, and several large conglomerates have control over most businesses, the biggest being Rekall, purveyors of living memories. In charge of policing these organizations and others is the Citizens Protection Bureau (CPB), one of whom is David Hume. When his partner is killed, Hume is partnered with android Ian Farve and the two build a friendship.

Background:
Not that it isn’t obvious, but Total Recall 2070 was based on the Arnold Schwarzenegger film. In appearance and set-up, however, it owes more to Blade Runner.

First Run: The US Showtime network began airing episodes on 12 March this year. Sky snapped it up and it’s currently showing over here.

Number of Episodes: 22 to the end of Season One, counting the double-length pilot as two episodes.

Good Guys :David Hume (Michael Easton), badass sweary cop; Ian Farve (Karl Pruner), polite almost-Canadian Mountie-style android; Olivia Hume (Cynthia Preston), hot babe and wife of David; Martin Ehrenthal (Michael Anthony Rawlins), chief of police and man who keeps an eye on David; Olan Chang (Judith Krant), forensics expert and friend to Olivia.

Bad Guys: Cally (Matthew Bennett), head of the Assessor’s Office, involved in all cases involving a major company and not a nice chap; Vincent Nagle (Peter Firth), Rekall representative who knows many of the company secrets.

And Isn’t That... Anthony Zerbe, veteran actor and recently the baddie in Star Trek: Insurrection plays Tyler Hume, David’s father; David Warner clocks up his umpteenth genre appearance as Dr Philip Latham, a brain implant specialist; the very recognizable Henry Gibson plays Belasarius, head of a robot-hating company; and Damon D’Oliveira who plays almost-regular background ’tec Moralez had a stint on Earth: Final Conflict as Sahjit Jinnah.

Overdone Clichés: An android goes rogue in some way and Hume and Farve have to blow it to pieces. Someone makes mysterious comments about another character’s hidden secrets. Rekall manage to escape prosecution by their rep being extremely smug.

Fashion Statements: Grey suits usually. In 2070 there will also be a surfeit of rickshaw drivers. Be warned.

Feature © Visual Imagination Ltd 1999. Not for reproduction.