Tricia Helfer
Brian Van Holt
Gil Bellows
Andrea Roth
Brandon P. Bell
P.J. Boudousque
Jacqueline Byers
Brad Carter
Tiffany Lonsdale
Ellie O’Brien

Created by:
Philip Levens
Adrian A. Cruz

Miniseries
2014
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Syfy
TV-MA

“Ascension” has the look, writing, and acting that you would expect from Syfy: just good enough for sci-fi TV. The keys to anything on this network are the story and the pacing. The execution of the story must be good enough to overcome the budgetary restrictions. And, of course, nothing must be as it seems. The first of this miniseries’ three parts, each of which contains two episodes, has a story that’s interesting enough and a pace that doesn’t lag. So far, so good.

Ascension is the name of a spaceship that supposedly launched, in secret, 51 years ago. 51 years later, the ship still houses things that are very ’60s: the wardrobe, for instance. But there are things that aren’t: their lack of overt racism, for instance. The writers explain those choices, in a way, the further you get into the series. The explanations aren’t fully plausible, though. No matter. There’s a point to their choices, and, to be fair, there is value in depicting the onboard characters as members of a society that’s stuck within a ’60s cocoon. However, they could have gone all the way: Make it a true period piece in space. Now that’s an idea.

So there’s enough to the story, which is shrouded in mystery and toggles between depicting events onboard the Ascension and on Earth, despite its lack of originality. How they develop those story lines will make or break this series. I hope that they connect the dots in a way that keeps you watching. After all, that’s always the point. …

Once “Ascension” enters its final two hours, the curtain is lifted. Everything they did to mask the suspect writing and acting falls away, and we’re left with the truth: This is not good. For any mystery, sci-fi or not, the way that the pieces come together in the end will determine how good it is ultimately. But the way that this miniseries’ writers end things is laughably bad. They connect the dots in boring yet ridiculous ways, and the actors are unable to deliver the lines convincingly. A lot more restraint would have worked better. The B-movie take goes too far in the end. It’s not fun to watch, but it should be. Actually, “Ascension” turns out to be a waste of time. And they were on to something fairly good, too.

Verdict: OK at First, Somewhat Bad Overall

About: (Source: ascension)

In 1963, the U.S. government launched a covert space mission sending hundreds of men, women and children on a century-long voyage aboard the starship Ascension to populate a new world.