This series is a cross between a prequel and a reboot for the 'Taken' films; instead of being about a retired CIA operative fighting to protect it his wife and child we get a series centred on a much younger Bryan Mills. This one is single, has no children and is much younger.
In the opening episode his sister is murdered; inevitable he sets about finding those responsible. Shortly afterwards he is recruited by a government agency run by Christina Hart. Over the course of the first season this agency tackles various terrorists and villains leading up to a cliff hanger ending where Mills is captured and ends up in a Mexican prison. The second season is almost a whole new show... by the time Mills gets free the agency is no more and Hart is setting up a new private security firm that does similar work. She and Mills are the only characters remaining; they are joined by a Hacker named Kilroy and another operative, Santana. Once again they take on threats to the United States, many involving a shadowy, rival organisation.
I can understand why the creators would want to associate this with the successful films... unfortunately as it has to be toned down for television and clearly doesn't have as large a budget it will draw negative comparisons. This is a pity as it wasn't a bad show. The episodes are mostly of the villain-of-the-week variety but they do provide some solid action in every episode. Clive Standen does an impressive job in the role of Mills and the rest of the cast are pretty good too. The way most of the cast were cleared out at the start of season two was a bit of a surprise to say the least but the new characters did seem more important to the show. One can accept that TV series that are set in global locations won't actually film where they are set but this frequently didn't even try to hide the fact that it was made in Canada but set in the US... at one point Mexican villains supposedly flying from the US to Mexico use a float plane that doesn't only have a Canadian registration; it also has a large maple leaf and the word 'Canada' painted on it! The conclusion to the second season suggested the creators were hoping for more but at least it concluded the main on-going plot arc. Overall I'd say this series was entertaining enough; fun to watch once but I doubt I'll ever re-watch it.
In the opening episode his sister is murdered; inevitable he sets about finding those responsible. Shortly afterwards he is recruited by a government agency run by Christina Hart. Over the course of the first season this agency tackles various terrorists and villains leading up to a cliff hanger ending where Mills is captured and ends up in a Mexican prison. The second season is almost a whole new show... by the time Mills gets free the agency is no more and Hart is setting up a new private security firm that does similar work. She and Mills are the only characters remaining; they are joined by a Hacker named Kilroy and another operative, Santana. Once again they take on threats to the United States, many involving a shadowy, rival organisation.
I can understand why the creators would want to associate this with the successful films... unfortunately as it has to be toned down for television and clearly doesn't have as large a budget it will draw negative comparisons. This is a pity as it wasn't a bad show. The episodes are mostly of the villain-of-the-week variety but they do provide some solid action in every episode. Clive Standen does an impressive job in the role of Mills and the rest of the cast are pretty good too. The way most of the cast were cleared out at the start of season two was a bit of a surprise to say the least but the new characters did seem more important to the show. One can accept that TV series that are set in global locations won't actually film where they are set but this frequently didn't even try to hide the fact that it was made in Canada but set in the US... at one point Mexican villains supposedly flying from the US to Mexico use a float plane that doesn't only have a Canadian registration; it also has a large maple leaf and the word 'Canada' painted on it! The conclusion to the second season suggested the creators were hoping for more but at least it concluded the main on-going plot arc. Overall I'd say this series was entertaining enough; fun to watch once but I doubt I'll ever re-watch it.