Tomorrow a summer full of new sci-fi begins with a new series on ABC Family. In the series Stitchers, a woman is recruited into a secret government agency to be “stitched” into the minds of the recently deceased, using their memories to solve murders. It sounds a bit like a sci-fi version of the story in the current CW Network series iZombie, where a woman eats brains to survive, and each brain passes the memories of the deceased along to help her solve murders.
But it’s not. The pilot for Stitchers delves right in with just enough world building to entice but not bore. Plenty of classic sci-fi tropes blend together nicely–so far–enough to prompt adding this series to our summer DVR recording profile. The sci-fi elements flow from Minority Report and Source Code, with the crisp production quality of recent shows like Almost Human and Continuum. Stitchers appears to have less hi-tech special effects, but maybe it won’t need it. It also shares much with the vibe of Bones, Fringe, and Numbers–most of the cast looks young, too young to have these complex skills and careers, but it doesn’t detract much.
Emma Ishta plays Kirsten, a woman with temporal dysplasia (a real malady that doesn’t quite jibe with how it’s used in the series). Kirsten cannot recognize time–here it’s something like Asperger syndrome–Kirsten has trouble relating to others and apparently can’t feel emotions like others. When she jumps into the memories of the recently deceased, she learns she can feel for the first time. As with Lt. Commander Data and his new emotion chip, her first instinct is to walk away, but a piece of her past helps her to decide to forge ahead. Her condition puts this character into a rare class of characters on TV. Most shows with an odd lead follow the Sherlock Holmes model–a quirky male lead detective sleuths about with a more normal partner keeping him on the straight path. Think Monk, Psych, Eleventh Hour, Doctor Who, Fringe, or Life. Stitchers is like Bones–it places a woman in that quirky lead role.
After the break below, you can preview the entire first episode of the series–now.
Stitchers stars Emma Ishta, Kyle Harris, Warehouse 13’s Allison Scagliotti, Sola Bamis, and Ross Kurt Le. You may not recognize Scagliotti–she plays the lead’s roommate.
Here is the series preview:
And, available for a limited time, you can watch the entire pilot episode here:
If you want to try something new and different, check out this new series. Stitchers airs Tuesday nights beginning tomorrow June 2, 2015, at 8 p.m. Central on ABC Family.
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com
