Something Is Out There is the title of a 1988
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
television
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
that aired on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
, and a short-lived weekly series that followed in the fall of 1988.
The miniseries starred Joe Cortese as Jack Breslin, a police officer investigating brutal murders in which organs have been removed from the victims. He learns that the crimes are being committed by a monstrous alien prisoner known as a xenomorph who has escaped from an alien prison
starshipA starship is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
passing by the solar system, and he teams up with a beautiful medical officer from that ship, Ta'Ra (
Maryam d'AboMaryam d'Abo is an English film and television actress, best known as Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights.-Early life:...
), to track the villain down.
Something Is Out There is the title of a 1988
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
television
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
that aired on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
, and a short-lived weekly series that followed in the fall of 1988.
The miniseries starred Joe Cortese as Jack Breslin, a police officer investigating brutal murders in which organs have been removed from the victims. He learns that the crimes are being committed by a monstrous alien prisoner known as a xenomorph who has escaped from an alien prison
starshipA starship is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
passing by the solar system, and he teams up with a beautiful medical officer from that ship, Ta'Ra (
Maryam d'AboMaryam d'Abo is an English film and television actress, best known as Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights.-Early life:...
), to track the villain down. Ta'Ra has assorted superhuman abilities, including
telepathyTelepathy is supposed to be the transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five senses . The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H...
and superhuman agility, which come in handy during the mission.
Despite similarities to films such as
Alien NationAlien Nation may refer to:* Alien Nation , the 1988 motion picture, and several spin-off properties:** Alien Nation , the 1989–1990 television series, and five made-for-TV movies that continue its story:...
and the TV series
VV is a science fiction franchise created by American writer, producer and director Kenneth Johnson about aliens known as "The Visitors" trying to take over Earth, and the human Resistance group attempting to stop them....
,
Something is Out There was a major ratings success, with critics and viewers enjoying the relationship between Jack and Ta'Ra which reminded many of that between Nick and Nora Charles in
The Thin ManThe Thin Man was the first of six comic detective films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they solve crimes with ease. Nick is a hard drinking retired detective and Nora a wealthy heiress...
film series of the 1930s.
A weekly series was quickly commissioned, in which Ta'Ra, who was later revealed to be from a distant planet called Zeton, chooses to stay on earth with Jack. Posing as his cousin, she and Jack team up to solve cases with a
supernaturalThe term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others...
bent in which her superpowers come in handy. By the time the series came to air, however, the novelty had worn off the premise, and the series was cancelled due to low ratings after only six one-hour episodes were broadcast, with two additional episodes not shown at the time.
Due to its short run, the series is not often found in syndication, but the
Sci-Fi ChannelSyfy is an American cable television channel launched on September 24, 1992, that specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. It is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBC Universal...
did include it as part of a rotation of short-lived series, including broadcasting the previously unaired episodes. An edited down version of the miniseries has aired as a syndicated television movie.
Episodes
- Something Is Out There: (Two-part miniseries)
- Gladiator: An escaped criminal goes gunning for Jack, using armor and a gun stolen from Ta'ra.
- Don't Look Back: Jack and Ta'ra try to help a child on the run from government agents and something darker.
- In His Image: A woman finds her missing brother's head as an exhibit in a wax museum.
- Night of the Visitors: Ta'ra thinks she may have a way back home when she recognizes an author's description of his encounter with aliens.
- A Message from Mr. Cool: A psychotic thinks he's getting messages from a ventriloquist's dummy.
- Good Psychics Are Hard to Come By: Jack is assigned to work with a psychic on a kidnapping case, but is the man truly psychic or does his information come from a more criminal source?
- A Hearse of Another Color: (Originally unaired) Jack's cousin begs the officer to help him track down a corpse missing from the mortuary he works at.
- The Keeper: (Originally unaired) A seaside town becomes paralyzed by terror after one of its residents finds wreckage from Tara's spacecraft, creating a threat which could doom the Earth.