'The Tomorrow People' review: On the run
From left, Aaron Yoo as Russell, Peyton List as Cara, Robbie Amell as Stephen and Luke Mitchell as John on The CW 's "The Tomorrow People." Credit: The CW
THE SHOW "The Tomorrow People"
WHEN | WHERE Premieres Wednesday night at 9 on CW/11
WHY TO WATCH They teleport. They stop time. They have a serene-speaking supercomputer. And a supercool lair.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT They call themselves "the tomorrow people" because they're the next step in species evolution. You might call them 27-year-old teenagers -- that familiar TV-casting species. They've got latent powers that show up about the age of high schooler Stephen (played by Robbie Amell of "True Jackson" and cousin of "Arrow" star Stephen Amell) who suddenly hears voices and wakes up in unfamiliar places ("Strange things have been happening to me").
Then he meets fellow telepaths (Peyton List, Luke Mitchell), who hang in Lair No. 1, an abandoned subway station 100 feet beneath Manhattan. They're hiding from the shady organization that runs Lair No. 2, an uber-modern facility from which they hunt people like Stephen. They want to "help" him. Like they helped his MIA dad? Their leader (Mark Pellegrino, "Supernatural") offers to make Stephen "normal" again. Which side to choose?
MY SAY The "Tomorrow People" pilot apes every touchstone of sci-fi cool. Adapted from a '70s British series, it also speaks to the meaning of family. From "The Mod Squad" to "Being Human," TV's young misfits find it where they can, and "Tomorrow" is that next step, too. Scripter Phil Klemmer wrote for "Chuck" and "Veronica Mars," good arguments for promise here (and "Undercovers," a bad one). Danny Cannon doesn't direct dull pilots, so Wednesday night's feels sharp.
BOTTOM LINE The tomorrow question: What's up next episode?
GRADE B
