Prey (1998) User Reviews

Too Short to gain popularity!

[corvin-6 · 8/10 · 10 February 2008]

'Prey' should be on everyone's watch list. Strong performances, intriguing plots, and little something for everyone whether it be Sci-Fi, action, drama or even a little comedy. 'Prey' had it all.

The concept of an evolved species wanting total dominance is very intriguing and a possible reality. The idea of this threat definitely hits home when one begins to see that being different can bring about change that leads to a struggle of dominance and/or acceptance. The science utilized throughout the program could have been more fleshed out and given more attention. Audiences are much more intelligent than what the entertainment industry believes. The evidence of the new species was the backbone to the whole story and the key to the story's success. With this new discovery; we must understand and we must learn more....That curiosity is what would drive most of us to desire answers and explore the possibilities from there, like life, like evolution.

The core characters were interesting and the overall tone was somewhat dark. Adam Storke did a wonderful job in his role as Tom Daniels, even when the writers seems to lack. Debra Messing also performed just as beautiful as Sloan Parker, and doing drama is definitely more to her class. Larry Drake was brilliant and kudos to the rest of the cast for such strong and provocative performances. The quality in production was very good as was the cinematography. The soundtrack was awesome. Lest I forget to mention the opening credits; not only provided the insight one would need to follow the plot, but also moved you into the tone and atmosphere of the entire program.

The show only aired for a mid-season in 1998 and didn't garner the ratings the network desired, hence its cancellation. Not to mention that the writing began to be somewhat in contrast and out of sync with the overall story and feel of the show. I believe this was due to the demands of the powers that be wanting more action etc. 'Prey' had great potential and should be re-visited. It could easily be revamped and brought back with a 'new' vision that I feel the audience now would appreciate more than they did before. I also agree with others here that syndication would have and still could work for this type of program.

'Prey' is one of the foremost programs that broke new ground for Sci-Fi and the like. Introducing more thought provoking ideas layered by intrigue and suspense...this was very innovative for its time, perhaps too much so. So I Pray that 'Prey' shall reincarnate again.... :)

A great loss

[ClarkF1 · 8/10 · 19 October 2002]

Prey was one of the programmes that was kept you hooked and I managed to catch every episode even though it was screened late at night it a slot it never deserved. It kept me away from my study books.

I would love to see it revived just to find out the conclusion to the cliff-hanger but unfortunately it's now 4 years and Debra Messing (Sloan Parker) has moved onto "Will and Grace" which is passable.

Oh well.....it's a shame I didn't get to video it.

Great show, let down by TV being hostage to ratings

[BritGirlJay · 9/10 · 11 March 2012]

This was a wonderful show from 1998. I remember hanging off the edge of my seat each week, wanting more. At the time I lived in the UK, so we got it after the US, and I was devastated to hear it had been cancelled due to low rating and poor marketing. I also heard that the lead actor (Debra Messing) left the show (or planned to leave) due to another commitment, and while I enjoyed her performance, I always thought they could've drafted in another actor to replace her and continue the show. For some reason SciFi shows have to be nurtured and allowed to grow, in spite of ratings, in order to succeed in the US (see Stargate, and its offshoots)and this one, like FireFly seemed to gain cult status after it was cancelled. Why this never made it to DVD is beyond me. If you want to see another awesome show also from 1998, then Ultraviolet (from UK channel 4) is worth a look - and you CAN get that one on DVD.

*spoiler* Discovering a new species of human, one that seems sociopathic towards us regular humans (and indeed sees us as 'prey')was the premise of the show.One of the new species, Tom, ends up helping Dr Sloan and together they try and find out as much as possible on the origins and plans of the 'new' people.

Wonderful...Insightful...Missed

[TheSorcererBard · 11 June 2001]

Prey was a wonderfully insightful programme with grest acting, terrific stories and a brilliant plot that makes the watcher go "Hmmm what if...?". Despite the fact it took two years for one of New Zealands TV channels to buy and screen Prey (by which time it had already been cancelled) it was a great programme, I just wish they had continued making it. If you can see it I highly recommend it.

Trip down memory lane

[saprater · 10/10 · 24 November 2007]

I remember watching this several years ago, though I think I caught the episodes as reruns on the USA Channel. Excellent premise and wonder cast chemistry. Even though I wasn't a scifi buff back then, I found myself pouring through the TV guide (hey, it was before the age of TiVo) to watch them all.

The basic storyline of a superior race evolving and competing with modern day man has been redone a couple of times since. Threshold was one such show...also prematurely canceled before it could gain a foothold among the gamut of reality shows and crime scene spin-offs. I think the reason Prey featured foremost in my memory was because of the character of Tom. He brought such a alternate view of the evolving species and exuded a quiet and humble strength. Watching him struggle with his increased feelings for humanity (and in particular, Sloan) versus his instinct for his race's survival was mesmerizing. I hated the series finale and how it left audiences clueless about his fate.

very very very good! want it back!

[applenia88 · 10/10 · 5 October 2010]

I don't usually watch sci-fi series, but I was told Debra Messing was in a good show before "Will & Grace" so I searched for it. Well...Prey actually is a good programme! I managed to have all of the episodes of the only series and I really enjoyed watching them. It's a shame they didn't make other seasons. This show had a lot of potentials ad was very gripping! And I didn't like they interrupted it so brutally either! Wander how they make their choices at ABC.... I'm from Italy and we didn't even have the chance to have it aired on TV. What if they made a sequel now? Would it be so weird? I just want to know what happened right after!

We need a conclusion to the cliffhanger!!!

[SilverChex · 10/10 · 13 September 2000]

Prey was left with the lead character Tom Daniels kidnapped by a faction of the government, locked in a cage in a dark room, Dr. Ed Tate knocked out with a drug by Tom's kidnappers and Dr. Sloan Parker driving up as Tom is being forced into a van. The romance, mystery, intrigue and intelligence of this show can never be duplicated. We would like to see a TV Movie with some sort of resolve. So often this is the way TV series end on a major network. They could at least give us an ending. I hope to see Prey on television again. The SciFi Channel has been airing the reruns but we want to see something new. Prey is the only show I have ever watched that kept my on the edge of my seat week after week.

Great series!

[littledevil71 · 9/10 · 12 June 2004]

As usual on can always rely on American shortsightedness to cancel a series that actually had something interesting to say. Maybe Americans are more unintelligent than other people. They certainly are if they couldn't see the greatness of this series.I suppose the thought that we could actually find ourselves not being on the top of the (food-)chain can be a bit overwhelming if you don't want to have to think. A series that indeed takes the side of peace and understanding instead of just blowing your enemies to pieces may be a bit much. Great actors, good scripts and a budget that actually will get the job done in an excellent way. Thank God the British broadcasts THEIR excellent work.

Why it only lasted a season

[BobHatesSpam · 7/10 · 9 April 2005]

My wife and I enjoyed this show, but what a challenge it was to keep track of it.  It seems that ABC kept moving it around, pre-empting it with other shows, and generally making it very difficult to keep track of when the next episode was to be aired.  You had to really want to watch this show in order to find it worth the trouble of doing so.  Of course it got very poor ratings.  How could it do otherwise, when it was made so difficult for the audience to keep up with it?   I have to think that someone at ABC very much wanted for this show to fail.  They did the same thing to TimeCop (1997), a TV series based on the movie of the same name.

Absolutely fantastic!!!!!

[knowzee · 10/10 · 1 November 2000]

The most original concept for a TV series. The character development was spot-on and completely unpredictable and the plots were punched-in-the-belly exciting. Looking at some of the hackneyed, ho-hum series currently being aired, I cannot believe that a show with such potential for good ratings could be cancelled!!!

It's about time that studio executives listened to the demands of the viewers and gave us what we wanted.

Bring it back!

[Smirnoff_Ice · 10/10 · 25 January 2000]

The 13 episodes of Prey have just been broadcasted in Greece! They were on at 1:00 am (!) but I used to stay up and watch them. It is simply the best series I've ever seen! The idea was different (I had grown a bit tired of watching aliens over and over again) and the acting was great! I wish they had filmed more episodes!

a very silly show

[symbolt · 3/10 · 9 December 2007]

I can't believe how silly this show is. Don't get me wrong, I am a sci fi fan, and I am not one of those nerds who will dismiss a show just because it is scientifically inaccurate. Also, I am a fan of the superhuman theme in science fiction. So I approached this show expecting to be delighted, and instead, it made me cringe at every mention of science it presented, since all the omni-present science in it was not only bogus, but also insanely ignorant.

The main characters of this show are brilliant scientists, there is lab work being done in every single episode and the science is always crucial to the plot. This is the case in many sci fi shows, some of which disregard scientific fact completely (like Lexx or most of Star Trek), but at least they do not pretend to be scientifically accurate. But in Prey, the creators based a lot of the plot on scientific discovery, like the central gimmick of a new species of human having recently evolved. Now I only know highschool-level biology - vaguely - but still, I wonder if most scientists would really agree that it is conceivable that a new species would evolve in the course of 40-odd years due to global warming. Also, if the new species is a species of human, are humans a new species of monkey? The basic premise is also that the new species of human (sic) is bent on eliminating the old species of human (us), just like the homo sapiens eliminated the homo neandertalis - which is just another glaring misconception of evolution as we know it - including the fact that, by the same token, humans should be driven by one single motivation - exterminate all the monkeys. Are we? I know I'm not.

Apart from the tons of silly technobabble that anyone who has read a 5-page article about genetics in a children's encyclopedia would be able to discredit, there is also a lot of bad things going on with the characters. Both humans and super-humans are very inconsistent, and not convincing. The female lead is always trailing and aiding some guy, being helped and/or rescued by some guy, or being assaulted by some guy, and she is always back on her feet and smiling within 3 seconds of having been rescued. The superhumans seem just not super enough, and often turn out to be very bad planners or simply sociopathic. By the end of the first (and only) season, you sort of wish that all of the cast be replaced, or all of the main characters be rewritten (the supporting actors and background characters are a lot less annoying and have more integrity, which, along with the presence of my favorite superhuman theme, is the reason why I gave this show such a high rating).

If this show had taken itself less seriously and tried to provide more entertainment and less pseudoscience, and if the characters had been more consistent, it might have been a better watch - as it is, although there are worse shows out there, I think I see why it was canceled (although in reality it was probably caused by something totally unrelated to the show itself). It's sad that such a nice idea was carried out so badly.

supportive; loved the series

[maggien · 6 September 2000]

I watched Prey from the beginning. It has a very timely, interesting topic. Well written, well acted. Badly treated by the network that first showed it, and not doing so well with network that is supposed to be running it now. It was cancelled at the end of a cliffhanger, leaving a key character locked in a cage. It has a strong lead female character with a brain, strong, honorable men (Human and not so Human), intriguing plot lines, great acting. Highly recommended.

Prey

[SilverChex · 10/10 · 12 July 2006]

This was one of the best series I ever saw on TV. Yes it had flaws but I know that if it had been allowed to continue it would have become stronger in it's plots and story lines. There was strong chemistry between characters as well as the sci-fi aspect of it. I mean come on it was on the cutting edge of what we are experiencing on earth. Global warming. What if global warming had caused a shift in a certain area of earth to change mankind. That people could be stronger, smarter and be able to sense others emotions and thoughts. It had a scary aspect to it as well. I miss Prey and the fact that it never really got to blossom. ABC really didn't give it a chance by constantly preempting it for 'America's Funniest Videos' and putting it up on Thursday nights against 'Friends' the highest rated show at that time. It did extremely well with the test audience. I for one wish ABC had given Prey a better chance.

Why stop a good series?

[Willow-18 · 9/10 · 15 March 1999]

This series arrived to Israel too, where I was able to watch it. It was quite good compared to the average American shows, because it managed to combine sci-fi, tension and romance fairly well. Apparently someone decided it's not good enough and stopped it right in the middle of a cliff-hanger. Needless to say that I like many others around the world still hope it will be renewed.

Horrible science, unrealistic plot, no depth, but entertaining ... why?

[akovac · 4/10 · 19 August 2003]

I have no idea why I continued to watch this. The scientific basis of this show is pseudo-science of the worst kind, distorting the theories of evolution, the way the story and the characters develop is completely unrealistic and unbelievable, the character development unconvincing, the acting shallow, the dialogs silly and the fight scenes ridiculous ... I could go on and on, just about nothing seems to make sense here and the intelligence of the viewer is continuously insulted. But still I wanted to know how the story would develop, and in spite of all these shortcomings I watched up to episode eight. I guess this is because the whole thing starts like a mystery, there is just so little known about the new species, who and what they are and what they want and how it all fits together, so one just wants to fill these gaps. However, each consecutive discovery just seems to make things more silly and unbelievable. But I don't want to go over the top in my criticism, there's worse on TV, so one might give it a try. The show has a way entertaining and keeping one guessing in spite of all the shortcomings. But better not to expect anything of any value or validity in this. 5 out of 10

A Very Good Series

[imeijer00 · 23 November 2002]

I enjoyed the series very much, it is a shame that Prey was canceled. The cast showed exceptional talent along with all involved in the production of Prey. The re-runs are well worth your time. I hope very much that executives decide to make a good film from it.

Great Show!

[pixie_mischief · 9 May 2005]

I though the series was great and that it was a very sad thing it got canceled :( I been trying to find the dvds to the series but no luck ;( I though it was quiet original, much better then the series Dark Angel.Its one of the only sci fi shows that actually makes you think. Makes you ponder what if this happened, and the possibility. After all we don't really know what all the chemicals we release in the atmosphere will do in the future. I feel that this series had great potential, but sadly the writers didn't get to explore it further. Here's hopping that next time such a great series comes on air, it will be given the chance of at least proving itself.

Did I mention the series had a few cuties? :) Awesome series!

Please let Prey come back again

[barbro-johansson · 9 September 2000]

This show was one of the best I have see for a long long time it was different, intelligent and had high class of acting and of the story and was believale, but I didn´t enjoy the cliff-hanger in the last episode so I was very disappointed and couldn´t believe that this was the end of this great show. So all I`m asking for is this, let Prey come back with some more episode or a TV-Movie so that this great show could have a proper end.

Please bring it back! It needs a movie!

[Laury_L_Carter · 7 June 2002]

This was a terrific series with great potential & was cancelled all too soon! It needs a follow-up movie, at least! It would also be terrific as a mini-series. Adam was wonderful as Tom Daniels...one of the new species of man who may be superior to us but wants to help bring about co-existence if possible. The love story between Tom and Dr Sloan Parker was slowly being expanded on & it needs further expansion! Please bring it back!

Another in a long line of TV shows the abandoned by their networks

[douglasp · 8 August 2002]

This is exactly the kind of show that doesn't belong on network TV. After the Dark Shadows revival, Stephen King's Golden Years and a few other great series that get moved around, then dropped, then practically forgotten, ABC should have known better.

For some reason, these types of shows just work better in syndication. They show them a couple of times a week. The audience usually knows when to find them. And sometimes they are on multiple cable channels.

This show had an attractive cast, an interesting mystery/sci-fi concept, and its story was executed quite well for the most part. Of course it was going to fail on a major network!

Stick to the stupid reality/game show format guys. Nobody wants quality. But if you are going to make another one of these, then for Pete's sake, promote the Hell out of it. Give the production team a three year contract. And have a back-up outlet to sell it to when it bombs in Prime Time. And it will bomb in Prime Time.

Please bring it back - it is an excellent series !

[jaric · 3 November 1999]

I have already seen all 13 episodes of Prey, but it ended so abruptly and there is so many unanswered questions. Just to get answers on these questions will at least take another 15 or more episodes? There is a lot of people here in South Africa that would love a follow up on the Prey series. Please take our plea into consideration.

Thank you for listening !

Tell us the rest of the story...

[shadow_man000 · 7 September 2000]

Prey was a terrific series. A great story with a cast that was incredible together. I highly recommend it. Though, one season to end with a cliffhanger was not a fair shot, fans are fighting for the series. The cast, the fans and the series deserves a chance to prove itself.

Please bring it back.

[feather-2 · 15 January 1999]

I loved the series and I was wondering why they took it off the air. I like it because it was different from the other sit-coms. I wish they would continue the series, especially since they stopped it at a very important time for Tom and all the Dr's. Please finish what you started and put Prey back on the air.

Typical!, Another Series Bites the Dust

[Jase53 · 9 April 1999]

I'm currently watching this in the UK, so I'm a little irked that it's been axed, though it seems absolutely typical that all the decent US drama series never run their full term, the fickle finger of ratings destroying them before the full story is committed to film for posterity. Dark Skies, American Gothic, Crusade, My So Called Life, Roar (though that was actually rubbish, so no loss there), but it's really frustrating in the UK because just as you get really involved in a series, boom, it's gone, no matter how well the ratings were doing over here.

Having said that Prey is not in the same league as Dark Skies, and JT Walsh will be missed.