The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 13, 2012 2 coverstory True fi ction Escaped convicts resurface in 'Alcatraz' By Dee Wright TV Media ilm and television writers are great at writing fic- tional people into histori- cal events -- characters like Jack and Rose in 1997's "Ti- tanic" and Cullen Bohannon in AMC's "Hell on Wheels" are inspired by stories that may or may not have really existed, but there is a lot of historical accuracy to general plots and timelines. Though the stories may not be based on hard fact, "Titanic" won 11 Oscars, and "Hell on Wheels" has already been re- newed for a second season before the first has even end- ed. F In a similar fashion, Fox's new series, "Alcatraz," fea- tures fictional characters with a historical concept. Premier- ing on Monday, Jan. 16, the new series stars Sarah Jones, Sam Neill and Jorge Garcia. Another big name behind the series is executive producer J.J. Abrams, who was also be- hind "Lost," "Fringe" and the 2009 revival of "Star Trek." The island of Alcatraz has become a tourist attraction for visitors to San Francisco since the prison closed in 1963, but not many know what really went on within the walls of the facility. Surrounded by more than a mile of cold salt water, the Rock, as it was often called, was deemed impossible to es- cape from because even if an inmate got out of the gates, he would never survive the swim to land. The facility housed thousands of crimi- nals over the course of almost 30 years, and there are con- flicting reports about whether or not anyone successfully es- caped. Several movies have been made about escape at- tempts, and though many of them are based on real peo- ple, evidence supporting their stories is limited. The most famous of these is likely "Escape From Alca- traz" (1979), which profiles four inmates who managed to dig through their cell walls and get out of the facility. None of the men were later found, either dead or alive, and there is little proof that they survived the water that foiled many other escape at- tempts. In Fox's new series, the dra- ma revolves around a police detective who is searching for an inmate who had been pre- sumed dead during his incar- ceration at Alcatraz more than 30 years ago. Based in present day, the police scram- ble to figure out who else es- caped 30 years ago and where they are now. Hard-working Det. Rebecca Madsen (Jones) has risen to the top of her game in the San Francisco police department, and she is assigned a high- are bound to strike before they are caught. Sam Neill in "Alcatraz" profile homicide case. Evi- dence suggests that the mur- derer is Jack Sylvane (Jeffrey Pierce), who was an inmate at Alcatraz and had been pre- sumed dead more than 30 years ago. Madsen tries to put togeth- er the pieces of Sylvane's es- cape, but she's not sure who she can trust. Government agent Emerson Hauser (Neill) is assigned to help Madsen in her investigation, but Madsen suspects that Hauser is actu- ally trying to stop her from learning what really hap- pened. Hauser's assistant, Lucy, is just as conniving as her boss, and Madsen grows more and more leery of what they are up to. When it becomes clear that Sylvane is still alive and get- ting his revenge on those who locked him away, Madsen teams up with Alcatraz expert Doc Soto to fill in the gaps in the stories she's getting, and they learn there are several other former prisoners who A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 Madsen is played by Jones, who has a limited resume compared to some of her co- stars. Her biggest role to date has put her on the other side of the law from her "Alcatraz" character -- in her recurring role in the hit FX series "Sons of Anarchy," she played Polly Zobelle, who was the narcot- ics dealer responsible for set- ting up the rape of the main character's mother. Jones also had a minor but recurring role in the HBO series "Big Love," as well as "Huff" and "The Riches." The thorn in Madsen's side, Hauser, is played by Neill, who most people will quickly recognize for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the "Jurassic Park" films. Over the course of his 30-year career, the New Zealand-born actor has fo- cused mostly on the silver screen, but "Alcatraz" is hard- ly his first small-screen role. He starred in "Crusoe," "Hap- py Town" and "The Tudors," and he was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his role in the 1998 miniseries "Merlin." Garcia stars as Soto, who seems to be the only one who can help Madsen find her an- swers. Garcia has had few roles since his big-ticket se- ries, "Lost," went off the air. His role on the ABC series was little more than comic relief, but "Alcatraz" offers him a strong shot at becoming a se- rious dramatic actor. hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What happened to the TV show about a front-line hospital in Iraq that aired last season? Also, what about the show on USA about the FBI agent taking out the prisoner to help him solve cases? A: I've got some good news and some bad news. Or, to match the order of your question, bad and good. "Combat Hospital," the Canadian-produced military medical drama (which was actually set in the other war zone of the time, Afghanistan) aired on ABC (and in Canada on Global, the network that produced it) from June to Sep- tember of last year. ABC announced in late October that it would not be picking up the show for a second season. But you can take heart from the fact that USA Network is bringing back the other series you're worried about, "White Collar," premiering the second half of its third season this very week. The series follows convicted con artist Neal Caf- frey, who convinces FBI agent Peter Burke to give him limit- ed release from prison in exchange for help catching thieves, embezzlers, counterfeiters and other white-collar criminals like himself. The series has proven to be a hit for the network, built on the same template as the network's flagship series, "Burn Notice" -- a glamorous team dealing with a weekly, often light-hearted case at the same time as an ongoing and much darker background plot. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com.