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Jeremiah (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Jeremiah is an American
television series starring Luke Perry
and Malcolm-Jamal Warner
that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic
future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus
.
Developed by Babylon 5
creator J. Michael Straczynski
and executive produced by Straczynski and Sam Egan
, the series is loosely based on Belgian
writer Hermann Huppen
's comic book
series, Jeremiah. Aside from the names of the two main characters, the general personality of the protagonist, and the post-apocalyptic setting, there are no other similarities between the comics and the series.
The series ended production in 2003 after creative differences emerged between MGM
and Straczynski. Episodes for the final half of the second season did not begin airing in the United States until September 3, 2004.
The series was filmed in Vancouver
, British Columbia
, Canada
.
has killed nearly everyone over the age of puberty
(both the event and the virus itself are referred to as "The Big Death" and "The Big D"). The children who survived are now grown, and find themselves faced with two choices: either continue to scavenge off the diminishing remains of the old world, or begin trying to rebuild.
results in Jeremiah teaming up with another lone traveller named Kurdy, before being imprisoned by the town's warlord in a cell with a man named Simon, who wants to recruit Jeremiah for a vague and mysterious organization. With Kurdy's help, Jeremiah and Simon escape, but Simon is fatally wounded in the process.
Following the instructions given to them by the dying Simon, Jeremiah and Kurdy take Simon's truck back to "Thunder Mountain," the remains of the NORAD complex, where they discover a well organized and equipped group operating out of the base, led by the former child prodigy Markus Alexander. Markus chooses to employ Jeremiah and Kurdy as a recon team to replace the now dead Simon and his partner, sending the two men back outside to gather information in preparation for the time when the mountain will need to start rebuilding the world.
Over the course of the first season, the group increasingly encounters threats originating from Valhalla Sector, which they discover to be a sealed and heavily armed bunker complex in West Virginia, used to house the remains of the US government and military leadership during the Big Death. The survivors there plan to rebuild the world in an authoritarian mold, combining their military power with attempts to control the "Big Death" virus itself in order to wipe out resistance by slaughtering non-compliant populations. The second half of Season 1 primarily deals with the efforts of Jeremiah and Thunder Mountain to stop Valhalla Sector.
After the final defeat of Valhalla Sector in the opening episodes of Season 2, a new threat emerges in the form of a crusading army from the East, led by a mysterious prophetic figure known as Daniel. Season 2 deals with the impending conflict between the unifying survivor communities under Thunder Mountain, and the advancing Army of Daniel.
Although a third season was considered, series creator J. Michael Straczynski made it clear that if the show ran a further season he would have nothing to do with it. The show concluded with the end of the second season resolving most plot threads.
released Season 1 of Jeremiah on DVD. Season 2 has been released on DVD as a "burn on demand" from Amazon (available to US addresses only - note it is available to Canadian addresses as of March 2011 at least), and is also currently available on Apple's iTunes and Netflix's "Watch Instantly."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series starring Luke Perry
Luke Perry
Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
and Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American television actor, film director, and musician. He is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Additionally, he appeared as Malcolm McGee on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. He is currently starring as Dr...
that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
.
Developed by Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
creator J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
and executive produced by Straczynski and Sam Egan
Sam Egan
Sam Egan is a journalist, and a writer/producer for television.His credits include writing and producing for such shows as: Quincy, M.E., The Incredible Hulk, The Fall Guy, Northern Exposure, The Outer Limits, Sanctuary and Jeremiah...
, the series is loosely based on Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
writer Hermann Huppen
Hermann Huppen
Hermann Huppen is a Belgian comic book artist. He is better known under his pen-name Hermann. He is most famous for his post-apocalyptic comic Jeremiah which was made into a television series.-Biography:...
's comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series, Jeremiah. Aside from the names of the two main characters, the general personality of the protagonist, and the post-apocalyptic setting, there are no other similarities between the comics and the series.
The series ended production in 2003 after creative differences emerged between MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
and Straczynski. Episodes for the final half of the second season did not begin airing in the United States until September 3, 2004.
The series was filmed in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Premise
The year is 2021, 15 years after a plaguePandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
has killed nearly everyone over the age of puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
(both the event and the virus itself are referred to as "The Big Death" and "The Big D"). The children who survived are now grown, and find themselves faced with two choices: either continue to scavenge off the diminishing remains of the old world, or begin trying to rebuild.
Synopsis
The eponymous Jeremiah is a semi-loner who has spent the last 15 years travelling back and forth across the United States, seeking out a living and looking for a place called "Valhalla Sector," (the remains of Raven Rock) which his father—a viral researcher—had mentioned to Jeremiah as a possible refuge shortly before disappearing into the chaos of "the Big Death." A stop in the trading town of Clarefield, ColoradoColorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
results in Jeremiah teaming up with another lone traveller named Kurdy, before being imprisoned by the town's warlord in a cell with a man named Simon, who wants to recruit Jeremiah for a vague and mysterious organization. With Kurdy's help, Jeremiah and Simon escape, but Simon is fatally wounded in the process.
Following the instructions given to them by the dying Simon, Jeremiah and Kurdy take Simon's truck back to "Thunder Mountain," the remains of the NORAD complex, where they discover a well organized and equipped group operating out of the base, led by the former child prodigy Markus Alexander. Markus chooses to employ Jeremiah and Kurdy as a recon team to replace the now dead Simon and his partner, sending the two men back outside to gather information in preparation for the time when the mountain will need to start rebuilding the world.
Over the course of the first season, the group increasingly encounters threats originating from Valhalla Sector, which they discover to be a sealed and heavily armed bunker complex in West Virginia, used to house the remains of the US government and military leadership during the Big Death. The survivors there plan to rebuild the world in an authoritarian mold, combining their military power with attempts to control the "Big Death" virus itself in order to wipe out resistance by slaughtering non-compliant populations. The second half of Season 1 primarily deals with the efforts of Jeremiah and Thunder Mountain to stop Valhalla Sector.
After the final defeat of Valhalla Sector in the opening episodes of Season 2, a new threat emerges in the form of a crusading army from the East, led by a mysterious prophetic figure known as Daniel. Season 2 deals with the impending conflict between the unifying survivor communities under Thunder Mountain, and the advancing Army of Daniel.
Although a third season was considered, series creator J. Michael Straczynski made it clear that if the show ran a further season he would have nothing to do with it. The show concluded with the end of the second season resolving most plot threads.
Characters
Most of the characters are survivors of the virus who are now in their late twenties or younger.| Character | Actor | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah | Luke Perry Luke Perry Luke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his... |
While roaming the country on a quest to locate a mysterious place called Valhalla Sector, which his father claimed might hold some hope for the survivors of the big death, Jeremiah comes in contact with a group who not only has information on Valhalla Sector, but also the resources to rebuild the world. In Season Two Jeremiah is put in charge of rebuilding the town Millhaven. |
| Kurdy Malloy | Malcolm-Jamal Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American television actor, film director, and musician. He is best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show. Additionally, he appeared as Malcolm McGee on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie. He is currently starring as Dr... |
Jeremiah's partner, a tough and cynical man, yet also passionate. He and Jeremiah discover the secrets of Thunder Mountain. |
| Markus Alexander | Peter Stebbings Peter Stebbings Peter Stebbings is a Canadian veteran actor who started practicing his trade at the Vancouver Youth Theater when he was just 12 years old. He worked at various odd jobs growing up, including bus boy and bike courier, before making the serious move to acting... |
The leader of Thunder Mountain, a colony located inside the former NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado... headquarters in Cheyenne Mountain Cheyenne Mountain Cheyenne Mountain is a mountain located just outside the southwest side of Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., and is home to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and its Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center .Throughout the Cold War and... . He seeks to form alliances with other survivors and to forge a new world. |
| Mister Smith | Sean Astin Sean Astin Sean Astin is an American film actor, director, voice artist, and producer better known for his film roles as Mikey Walsh in The Goonies, the title character of Rudy, and Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In television, he appeared as Lynn McGill in the fifth season of 24... |
This quirky, colorful character partners with Kurdy in Season Two. He claims to be a messenger from God God God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism.... . |
| Erin | Ingrid Kavelaars Ingrid Kavelaars -Early life:She graduated high school from in London, Ontario Canada.-Career:Ingrid moved to New York City from London, Ontario at the age of 19 to pursue a career as an actress. She has mostly done work on television shows and most notably three episodes in Stargate SG-1 between 2003-2004. In... |
Markus' second-in-command at Thunder Mountain. |
| Lee Chen | Byron Lawson Byron Lawson Byron Lawson is a Canadian actor. He recently portrayed gangster Eddie Kim in the 2006 film Snakes on a Plane. His ethnic mix is Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.... |
The humorless and paranoid head of security at Thunder Mountain. His loyalties may lie elsewhere. |
| Meaghan Lee Rose | Suzy Joachim | Meaghan is a survivor of "The Big Death" and a carrier of the plague. She lives in a biohazard containment room in Thunder Mountain. |
| Ezekiel | Alex Zahara Alex Zahara Alex Zahara is a Canadian actor & a voice actor.Alex was born in Northern Alberta, and, according to his mother, has always enjoyed performing for others. He grew up loving the classics in acting, Bogart, Cagney, etc. Got involved with theatre while still in school, performing in a stage version of... |
A mysterious figure who gives Jeremiah cryptic prophecies about his future and protects him from danger. |
| Theodora "Theo" Coleridge | Kim Hawthorne Kim Hawthorne Kim Hawthorne is an American actress.Hawthorne was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Arts in musical theatre from Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama... |
Theo rules Clarefield, Colorado Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... as a ruthless warlord, until her reign is overthrown. However, she will still become a strong voice in the new world. |
| Elizabeth Munroe | Kandyse McClure Kandyse McClure Kandyse McClure is an actress, best known for playing Anastasia Dualla on the Sci Fi Channel's television program Battlestar Galactica.- Biography :... |
Elizabeth is a resident of Thunder Mountain, and Jeremiah and Kurdy first arrived there to bring news of her boyfriend Simon's death. Kurdy becomes attracted to her after comforting her in her grief over Simon's death. |
| Devon | Robert Wisden Robert Wisden Robert Charles Wisden is a British actor who has an extensive career in Canadian and American television. In 2000 he won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for The Sheldon Kennedy Story .-Career:Wisden moved with his... |
Jeremiah's father and a resident of Valhalla Sector. Jeremiah thought he died in the Big Death, but he was taken to Valhalla Sector and survived. He is a scientist who understands the Big Death and may hold the key to its cure. |
| Liberty "Libby" Kaufman | Joanne Kelly Joanne Kelly Joanne Kelly is a Canadian actress, known for her appearances in films such as Going the Distance and in TV series such as Warehouse 13, in which she plays Secret Service agent Myka Bering.- Career :... |
Libby is Devon's assistant in Valhalla Sector and appears to fall in love with Jeremiah. Her loyalty to the Western Alliance, however, is questionable. |
Locations
| Name | Locations | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Mountain | Cheyenne Mountain Cheyenne Mountain Cheyenne Mountain is a mountain located just outside the southwest side of Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., and is home to the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and its Cheyenne Mountain Directorate, formerly known as the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center .Throughout the Cold War and... in Colorado Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... |
New America Alliance (Western Alliance) |
| Valhalla Sector | Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... or West Virginia West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... |
United States of America, remnants of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Executive Branch |
| Milhaven | Colorado Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... |
Valhalla Sector, later Western Alliance |
| Clarefield | Colorado Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains... |
New America Alliance (Western Alliance) |
DVD release
On January 1, 2004, MGM Home EntertainmentMGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-History:The home video division of MGM started in 1979 as MGM Home Video, releasing all the movies and TV shows by MGM. In 1980, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS television...
released Season 1 of Jeremiah on DVD. Season 2 has been released on DVD as a "burn on demand" from Amazon (available to US addresses only - note it is available to Canadian addresses as of March 2011 at least), and is also currently available on Apple's iTunes and Netflix's "Watch Instantly."
See also
- Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fictionApocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fictionApocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
- Mad Max (franchise)Mad Max (franchise)The Mad Max franchise refers to a series of futuristic films, taking place in the "Mad Max Universe", that tell a story of breakdown of society, murder, and vengeance. The first Mad Max was an Australian action film directed by George Miller and written by Miller and Byron Kennedy, released in 1979...
- Other post-apocalypse fiction based on the death of all adults:
- Star Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
(October 27, 1966), Episode 08: "Miri". The EnterpriseStarship EnterpriseThe Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various television series and films in the Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. It is considered a name of legacy in the fleet...
discovers an exact duplicate of Earth, where the only survivors of a deadly plague are the planet's prepubescent children. - Logan's RunLogan's RunLogan's Run is a novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. Published in 1967, it depicts a dystopic ageist future society in which both population and the consumption of resources are maintained in equilibrium by requiring the death of everyone reaching a particular age...
(1967), the book and its sequels (Logan's WorldLogan's WorldLogan's World is a science fiction novel by William F. Nolan. It is a sequel to Logan's Run , written by Nolan and George Clayton Johnson.-Plot:...
and Logan's Search) depict a world where 'The Little War' has killed all the adults and suicide is mandated at age 21- Logan's Run (1976), the movie and its derivative television series (1977–1978) depict a post-apocalyptic City of Domes where murder, in the guise of a 'Renewal' ritual, is mandated at age 30
- The Girl Who Owned a CityThe Girl Who Owned a CityThe Girl Who Owned a City is a novel by O. T. Nelson, first published in 1975. This book, sometimes taught in schools, is considered to be best suited for those between the ages of 10 and 15. The graphic novel adaptation by Dan Jolley with art by Joëlle Jones and Jenn Manley Lee has a scheduled...
(1975), young adult novel set in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, USA - Empty WorldEmpty WorldEmpty World is a science fiction novel written by John Christopher aimed at an adolescent audience. It was Christopher's eleventh such novel. The German station ZDF produced a TV adaptation of Empty World in 1987...
(1977), young adult novel set in England - The OdysseyThe Odyssey (TV series)The Odyssey is a Canadian-produced half-hour adventure-fantasy television series for children, originally broadcast 1992-95 on CBC Television...
(1992–1995), television series filmed in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - The Tribe (1999–2003), television series filmed in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
- AndromedaAndromeda (TV series)Andromeda is a Canadian-American science fiction television series, based on unused material by the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Barrett Roddenberry. It starred Kevin Sorbo as High Guard Captain Dylan Hunt...
(2000), Episode 03-103 "To Loose the Fateful Lightning" is set in a space station where all the teenagers die of radiation poisoning before they reach adult age. - On The BeachOn the BeachOn the Beach is a post-apocalyptic, end-of-the-world novel written by British-Australian author Nevil Shute after he emigrated to Australia. It was published in 1957....
(2000), a two part television series filmed mainly in Australia - 2030 CE2030 CE2030 CE is a Canadian children's TV series that aired for two seasons on YTV in 2002. It aired in the U.S. on HBO. The series was created by Angela Bruce, Dennis Foon and Yan Moore...
(2002–2003), television series filmed in Canada - Gas-s-s-sGas-s-s-sGas-s-s-s is a 1971 motion picture produced and released by American International Pictures. It was producer Roger Corman's final film for AIP, before leaving to found his own New World Pictures...
(1971), movie set in the United States - Shade's ChildrenShade's ChildrenShade's Children is a young adult science fiction/fantasy novel written by Garth Nix. It was first published in 1997 by HarperCollins.-Background:...
(1997), an award-winning young adult novel by Garth NixGarth NixGarth Nix is an Australian author of young adult fantasy novels, most notably the Old Kingdom series, The Seventh Tower series, and The Keys to the Kingdom series. He has frequently been asked if his name is a pseudonym, to which he has responded, "I guess people ask me because it sounds like the... - GoneGone (series)Gone is a young-adult dystopian science fiction book series written by Michael Grant. The first novel in the series, also entitled Gone, was originally published in 2008. The second book, Hunger, was released a year later, followed by the third book, Lies, on May 4, 2010. Book four, released on...
(2008), a young adult supernatural novel by Michael GrantMichael Grant (young adult author)Michael Grant is the co-creator and co-author of the Animorphs and the Everworld book series, and also the creator and author of Gone and The Magnificent 12 series. Michael was raised in a military family, attending ten schools in five states, as well as three schools in France...
- Hunger (2009), the sequel to Gone
- Star Trek: The Original Series