''ReGenesis'' is a Canadian
science-fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...
television series produced by
The Movie Network
Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Television in Canada, Canadian premium television network and Streaming service provider, streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc.
Launched in 1983 as the national service ...
and
Movie Central
Movie Central (occasionally abbreviated as "MC", mostly in program guides) was a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. Movie Central was designated to operat ...
in conjunction with
Shaftesbury Films. The series, which ran for four seasons from 2004 to 2008, revolves around the
scientist
A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...
s of NorBAC (North American Biotechnology Advisory Commission), a fictional organization with a
lab based in the city of
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. The organization investigates problems of a scientific nature, such as
bioterrorism
Bioterrorism is terrorism involving the intentional release or dissemination of biological agents. These agents include bacteria, viruses, insects, fungi, and/or their toxins, and may be in a naturally occurring or a human-modified form, in mu ...
, mysterious diseases, or radical changes in the environment throughout North America. NorBAC is headed by David Sandström (played by
Peter Outerbridge
Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the The CW, CW action series ''Nikita (TV series), Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the The Movie Network, TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Han ...
), the chief scientist, and
molecular biologist
Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...
. Through this character, the show often addresses topical social, political, and ethical issues related to the science at hand.
The series was originally broadcast on
The Movie Network
Crave (formerly The Movie Network or TMN) is a Television in Canada, Canadian premium television network and Streaming service provider, streaming service owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc.
Launched in 1983 as the national service ...
and
Movie Central
Movie Central (occasionally abbreviated as "MC", mostly in program guides) was a Canadian English language Category A premium cable and satellite television channel that was owned by Corus Entertainment. Movie Central was designated to operat ...
, with rebroadcasts on
Global
Global may refer to:
General
*Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies
*Earth, the third planet from the Sun
Entertainment
* ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003
* ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007
* ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...
and
Showcase in Canada. Internationally it can be seen on
FX in the United Kingdom,
The Science Channel,
Halogen TV, and in syndication at
CW Plus in the United States, and
FX Latin America in Mexico; as well as numerous broadcasters in Europe and Asia. International distribution is handled by Oasis International. , the show can also be seen on
Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
. , ''ReGenesis'' is available on The Roku Channel.
Aled Edwards, the scientific consultant for the series, is a noted Canadian molecular biologist, and the director of the
Structural Genomics Consortium
The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) is a public-private-partnership focusing on elucidating the functions and disease relevance of all proteins encoded by the human genome, with an emphasis on those that are relatively understudied. The SGC pl ...
.
Interactive and other media
''ReGenesis'' has been an international pioneer in integrating interactive media elements into the series. The first successfully deployed
alternate reality game paired with a major television broadcast is called the ''ReGenesis'' Extended Reality and was created by Xenophile Media in association with Shaftesbury Films. It won the Canadian New Media Award for Best Cross-Platform Project of 2004 and an FITC Design & Technology Award for Excellence in
Convergence
Convergence may refer to:
Arts and media Literature
*''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen
*Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics:
**A four-part crossover storyline that ...
. In 2006 the alternate reality game won the
Banff World Television Festival Award for
Interactive Television
Interactive television is a form of Technological convergence#Media, media convergence, adding data services to traditional television technology. It has included on-demand delivery of content, online shopping, and viewer polls. Interactive TV i ...
, a Gemini Award for Best Cross-Platform, and in 2007, an International Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Program. An exploratory game, the ''ReGenesis'' Extended Reality draws viewers into a conspiracy and mystery that weaves in and out of the TV series, using the internet, email, and other media to immerse the viewer, blurring the line between fiction and reality. ''ReGenesis'' Extended Reality harnesses the power of enthusiastic fans that seed the site with discussion content and collaborative investigations. Extensive knowledge of various chemistry and biotechnology issues is required to find out why the plot in many episodes can't be true (if it can't).
Other interactive elements include ReGenesis: ReMixed, a 14-episode series of
podcasts
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device or stream to listen to at a time of their ...
hosted by series Music Supervisor Andrea Higgins and produced by Arpix Media, featuring the music of ''ReGenesis'', as well as exclusive interviews with some of the people involved in putting the show together. However, neither of these was continued for the third or fourth season of the series.
Characters
Main characters
* David Sandström (
Peter Outerbridge
Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the The CW, CW action series ''Nikita (TV series), Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the The Movie Network, TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Han ...
) – A
molecular biologist
Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...
, he is NorBAC's chief scientist.
* Carlos Serrano (
Conrad Pla
Conrad Pla (born October 24, 1966) is a Spanish-Canadian actor and former professional kickboxer. He is best known for founding Tristar Gym and starring in the Canadian television series ''ReGenesis''.
Early life
Pla was born in Madrid and moved ...
) –
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic process ...
and Medical Doctor at NorBAC. Revealed to be gay after seeking to prevent his first lover's progression from
HIV-positive
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
status to
AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
(Season 1, Episode 7).
* Caroline Morrison (
Maxim Roy) (seasons 1–2) – NorBAC's Executive Director. Speaks at least four languages: English, French, Spanish, and
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...
.
* Jill Langston (
Sarah Strange) (seasons 1–2) – first replacement to NorBAC's original lead
virologist
Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, the ...
, Hira Khan.
* Bob Melnikov (
Dmitry Chepovetsky) –
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
at NorBAC, and a former student of David Sandström. He is deemed a genius, with an
IQ score of 162 (Season 1, Episode 5), and has attained two
Ph.D.s (Season 1, Episode 11). He has been diagnosed with
Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...
.
* Rachel Woods (
Wendy Crewson) (seasons 3–4) – Second replacement as lead
virologist
Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, the ...
at NorBAC and estranged wife of Carleton Riddlemeyer.
* Mayko Tran (
Mayko Nguyen) – Canadian.
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field of science that develops methods and Bioinformatics software, software tools for understanding biological data, especially when the data sets are large and complex. Bioinformatics uses biology, ...
Researcher and later NorBAC's second replacement as executive director.
* Weston Field (
Greg Bryk
Gregory Michael Bryk (born 19 August 1972) is a Canadian Film actor, film and television actor. He has appeared in numerous films and television series and is best known for his reoccurring roles in ''ReGenesis'' (2004–2008), ''XIII: The Ser ...
) – Assistant to NorBAC's executive director, Caroline Morrison. Later first replacement as executive director.
* Carleton Riddlemeyer (
Geraint Wyn Davies
Geraint Wyn Davies ( , ; born 20 April 1957) is a British-American stage, film and television actor. Born in Wales and educated in Canada, he became a citizen of the United States on 13 June 2006, having been sworn in by then Associate Suprem ...
) (seasons 3–4) – Science advisor to the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
and estranged husband of Rachel Woods.
* Enuka Okimba (
Karen LeBlanc) (season 4) – Third replacement as lead
virologist
Virology is the scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host cells for reproduction, the ...
at NorBAC.
Recurring characters
* Hira Khan (Mishu Vellani) (season 1) – Original lead virologist at NorBAC.
* Lilith Sandström (
Elliot Page
Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor, producer, and activist. He is known for his leading roles across Canadian and American film and television, and for his outspoken work as an activist for LGBTQ righ ...
) (season 1) – David's 15-year-old daughter.
* Mick Sloane (
Mark Rendall) (season 1) – A boy Lilith's age who believes he was cloned. He was created as part of an in vitro procedure and was an identical twin to Cal, whose single embryo was implanted in Dr. Sloane's wife. The twin embryo - Mick's - was frozen, and after it was discovered that Cal had bone cancer, Dr. Sloane began manipulating Mick's DNA to remove the defective gene that caused the cancer. In the process, he ended up making other, unintended changes, which is what led to Mick's illness. It is known that Mick is 2 years younger than Cal and that Mick was born 2 years after his mother died (which is part of what had led him to believe he was a clone in the first place), but it's unclear if the 2 events are directly related.
* Owen (
Michael Seater) (seasons 2–3) – A homeless 17-year-old living in the subway of New York City, who shows David Sandström to his subway home after stealing David's bag. He lives with David for a while but leaves after he gets arrested for
criminal negligence
In criminal law, criminal negligence is an offence that involves a breach of an objective standard of behaviour expected of a defendant. It may be contrasted with strictly liable offences, which do not consider states of mind in determining c ...
, after a 14-year-old girl he was involved with dies of a drug overdose. David defends him in court during his bail hearing, but Owen is incarcerated for detention until his trial. Having a hard time in jail, he tries to hang himself, and then he agrees to a treatment that should alter his brain chemistry in order to overcome his addiction and possibly get him free. However, he suffers from side effects of the experiment, leaving him mentally damaged and physically handicapped.
* Dr. Gordon Petras (
James Allodi) – Therapist to whom the NorBAC team consults after traumatic events.
* Dr. Simon Jessup (
Darren Boyd) – British
neuroscientist
A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist specializing in neuroscience that deals with the anatomy and function of neurons, Biological neural network, neural circuits, and glia, and their Behavior, behavioral, biological, and psycholo ...
visiting NorBAC. He assists Mayko with a case in Texas involving
mad cow disease
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and always fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of th ...
and IQ spikes, and later assists Caroline and Bob with Caroline's nephew Glenn.
Music
The main title theme song for ''ReGenesis'' is "Anywhere But Here" by the
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
band Behavior. Behavior is an alias for producer / composer
Michael McCann. The show's score is primarily composed by
Tom Third, with numerous contributions throughout by film/TV composer
Robert Carli, and was supervised by Ron Proulx and Andrea Higgins of Arpix Media.
Home releases
On November 11, 2008, Season 1 was released in North America on DVD by
Entertainment One
Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series.
The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
. The four-disc set includes all 13 first-season episodes presented in a
letterboxed format. Special features include a making of, photo gallery, and "The Facts Behind the Fiction" (the white papers published by the Ontario Genomics Institute). Shaftesbury Films claimed that Seasons 2, 3 and 4 would follow throughout 2009 and 2010, but as of February 2013 no such releases have emerged.
The first season has also been released in the UK through Universal Studios UK. The second season was later released to European countries by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, though it was presented in a
pan and scan
Pan and scan is a film editing technique used to modify widescreen images for display on a fullscreen screen. It involves cropping the sides of the original widescreen image and panning across it when the shot's focus changes. This cropping c ...
format. Seasons 3 and 4 have been released on DVD in Japan—Season 3 in
letterboxed format and Season 4 in 16:9
widescreen
Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...
. The Japanese Season 3 boxset includes a 20-minute Making of video and the Season 4 boxset a 20-minute Peter Outerbridge interview titled "Pretending With Conviction".
On January 30, 2015, Season 1 was released in Europe on Blu-ray by
Entertainment One
Lionsgate Canada is a Canadian entertainment company and a subsidiary of Lionsgate Studios. Based in Toronto, the company is primarily involved in the acquisition and production of films and television series.
The company began on June 1, 1973 ...
. The three-disc set includes all 13 first-season episodes. Season 2 will be released on Blu-ray March 23, 2015.
International broadcasts
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Regenesis
2004 Canadian television series debuts
2008 Canadian television series endings
2000s Canadian drama television series
2000s Canadian science fiction television series
LGBTQ speculative fiction television series
Global Television Network original programming
Television series by Shaftesbury Films
Television shows set in Toronto
Television shows filmed in Toronto
Television series by Lionsgate Canada
Television series by Bell Media
Television series by Corus Entertainment
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Biopunk television series
Television series about viral outbreaks
Transmedia storytelling
Autism in television
The Movie Network original programming
Movie Central original programming