"Millennium" (1996/I)TV series 1996-1999

Creator:

Chris Carter

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

25 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

We don't want to scare you. We want to terrify you. (1997 Advertisement)

Plot:

A former FBI profiler with the ability to look inside the mind of a killer begins working for the mysterious Millennium Group.

Plot Keywords:

Good Versus Evil | Disturbing | Surreal | Apocalypse | Religion

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Lance Henriksen	...	Frank Black (67 episodes, 1996-1999)
Brittany Tiplady	...	Jordan Black (40 episodes, 1996-1999)
Terry O'Quinn	...	Peter Watts (40 episodes, 1996-1999)
Megan Gallagher	...	Catherine Black (32 episodes, 1996-1999)

Also Known As:

2000 (USA) (working title)
MillenniuM (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

45 min (67 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | France:U (some episodes) | Ireland:15 (some episodes) | Ireland:18 (some episodes) | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 (some episodes) | UK:18 (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Chris Carter named the main character Frank Black after the former lead singer of Indie/Rock band The Pixies.

Quotes:

Agent Devlin: Everybody's got a theory on the increasing violence in our society.
Agent Emmerich: My wife thinks it's the artificial hormones in beef.
Agent Devlin: What's your take?
Frank Black: I don't think it's the beef.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inside 'Harsh Realm' (2004) (V)

This show does try to say something....

I'm just not sure I get it completely. On the surface it's a standard cop vs. another serial killer. A real gem in season 1: The Wild and the Innocent. Then Chris Carter's plan goes into second gear. The thing that hooked me was the fact that there was a real war between good and evil. Lucifer was coming ring the bell at 2000 and Frank Black was witnessing all kinds of signs. Could he stop it? Season 2 Wong and Morgan took over the show and ran with it. Pretty far I have to say. At the first viewing I felt cheated. This was not why I bought the DVD. But after the initial shock I went back for a second viewing, I became to appreciate what Wong and Morgan were trying to do. I guess it's pretty out there and I really don't think that making the Millennium Group a dark conspiracy group was the best move (come on... this isn't the X-files!!). But the division within the group was something I could believe. Like most religions, this does happen. I do like the "weird" shows (Somehow Satan Got Behind Me). Again, only after the initial shock I saw the brilliance. Also there are some funny references in this season to other shows (X-files and Space: Above and Beyond). But I guess people think that this show must not have humor or black comedy and I tend to agree.

I am halfway through Season 3. The episodes are good, not great. And I still get the feeling that these episodes require multiple viewings. The best so far is I think The Sound of Snow. The worst: Forcing the End. I still think it would have been more interesting if the line of Season 1 was followed and The Millennium Group was a force of good people (perhaps a cult) fighting evil. Now it's more like the X-Files: evil conspiricies and stuff.

Wong and Morgan declined being interviewed on the extra's, I guess they were not amused being dogged like that by the others.

To wrap it up: despite all its flaws, this show is still better than 80% off the other crap (CSI anyone?) that's out there. I give it a 7 out of 10.