The Crossing premieres April 2nd, 10pm on ABC.
The latest sci-fi show to grace our screens has quite the hook. The Crossing‘s pilot begins with refugees from a war-torn country washing up a small American town’s shore, claiming they seek asylum. Alright, so far so good. Here’s the catch: the country these people are from is America. The war they are fleeing is 180 years in the future.
As for the premiere episode, it’s decent enough. The story is intriguing and definitely ropes you in. Character-wise is where the show lacks. Neither of the leads are anything special and you can’t really get a feel for the side characters in these 42-minutes. A couple of potential relationships are set up but I really only cared about the conspiracy plotline.
There are just enough twists here to get you to watch the second chapter. Unfortunately a couple of the reveals were predictable, such as the head of Homeland security being a time traveler. Still, if you aren’t looking for prestigious drama and get invested in stories easily, check out The Crossing.
Long term, I can’t see this show remaining watchable. This is network television after all, and network executives will no doubt stretch the central mystery out over the course of several seasons. And that is of course assuming the show does well in the ratings. If not enough people watch, The Crossing will be cancelled and viewers will never have proper closure.
I give The Crossing‘s pilot a B-.
TV and City 