Jeremiah is an American-Canadian television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.
Developed by Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski and executive produced by Straczynski and Sam Egan, the series is loosely based on Belgian writer Hermann Huppen's comic book series, Jeremiah. Aside from the names of the two main characters, the general personality of the protagonist, and the post-apocalyptic setting, there are no other similarities between the comics and the series.
The series ended production in 2003 after creative differences emerged between MGM and Straczynski.[1][2] Episodes for the final half of the second season did not begin airing in the United States until September 3, 2004.
The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Contents
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Premise 1
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Synopsis 2
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Series overview 3
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Season 1 (2002) 3.1
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Season 2 (2003–04) 3.2
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Characters 4
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Locations 5
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Production 6
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Cancellation 7
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DVD release 8
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Games 9
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See also 10
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References 11
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External links 12
Premise
The year is 2021, 15 years after a plague has killed nearly everyone over the age of thirteen (both the event and the virus itself are referred to as "The Big Death" and "The Big D"). Two of these children, Jeremiah and Kurdy, meet up and join forces with those inside "Thunder Mountain" and help rebuild civilization. Jeremiah is searching for the "Valhalla Sector" where his father may still be alive.[3]
Synopsis
The eponymous Jeremiah is a semi-loner who has spent the last 15 years travelling back and forth across the United States, seeking out a living and looking for a place called "Valhalla Sector," (the remains of
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Head writer
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Comics
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External links
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^ "JMS to Quit Jeremiah?". 2003. link broke
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^ "JMS to Quit Jeremiah?". 2003. alternate link
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^ a b c Frank Garcia, Mark Phillips, Science Fiction Television Series, 1990-2004: Histories, Casts and Credits, December 10, 2008.
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^ Jeremiah- Thunder MountainThoughtHammer.com:
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^ http://www.hulu.com
References
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Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
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Mad Max (franchise)
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Survivors (1975 TV series) & the 2009 remake.
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Star Trek: The Original Series (October 27, 1966), Episode 08: "Miri". The Enterprise discovers an exact duplicate of Earth, where the only survivors of a deadly plague are the planet's prepubescent children.
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South Park (December 13, 2000), Episode 16: Season 4: "The Wacky Molestation Adventure". Due to Eric Cartman convincing the other kids to falsely accuse their parents of molesting them, the adults are all imprisoned and the town's children are left to run South Park where they split into three factions.
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Logan's Run (1967), the book and its sequels (Logan's World and Logan's Search) depict a world where 'The Little War' has killed all the adults and suicide is mandated at age 21
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Logan's Run (1976), the movie and its derivative television series (1977–1978) depict a post-apocalyptic City of Domes where murder, in the guise of a 'Renewal' ritual, is mandated at age 30
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The Girl Who Owned a City (1975), young adult novel set in Chicago, USA
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Empty World (1977), young adult novel set in England
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The Odyssey (1992–1995), television series filmed in Canada
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The Tribe (1999–2003), television series filmed in New Zealand
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Andromeda (2000), Episode 03-103 "To Loose the Fateful Lightning" is set in a space station where all the teenagers die of radiation poisoning before they reach adult age.
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On The Beach (2000), a two part television series filmed mainly in Australia
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2030 CE (2002–2003), television series filmed in Canada
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Gas-s-s-s (1971), movie set in the United States
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Shade's Children (1997), an award-winning young adult novel by Garth Nix
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Gone (2008), a young adult supernatural novel by Michael Grant
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Hunger (2009), the sequel to Gone
See also
After having been designed by Morrigan Press, Mongoose Publishing published Jeremiah: The Roleplaying Game in 2005.
Games
On January 1, 2004, MGM Home Entertainment released Season 1 of Jeremiah on DVD. Season 2 has been released on DVD as a "burn on demand" from Amazon (available to US and Canadian addresses only), and is also currently available on Apple's iTunes and is streaming on Hulu.[5]
DVD release
Straczynski had such a difficult time with the MGM executives that he publicly declared that he would not return for a third season, as long as that administration was in place. Had Jeremiah been renewed for a third season, other show runners would have replaced Straczynski. Including Grant Rosenberg, the second season's co-executive producer. Everyone on cast and crew were willing to have continued.[3]
Scott Rosenberg said "Fortunately, all 35 episodes got aired, and told a complete story. We call it a 35-hour maxi-series."
Straczynski had prepared a five-year series. But Jeremiah was not renewed because a change in personnel in Showtime's upper management decided to stop producing science fiction programming. Showtime decided to unofficially cancel Jeremiah before the second season had its debut in November 2003. Fans wrote, faxed and phoned executives at Showtime, MGM and Platinum Studios in an organized effort to continue with a third season.
Cancellation
Shooting began in Vancouver, Canada in the fall of 2001. Actors Luke Perry, from Beverly Hills 90210, and Malcolm Jamal-Warner, from The Cosby Show, were cast in the leads.[3]
The inspiration for the television show came from a European graphic novels by Belgian artist Hermann Huppen, first published in 1977, which was translated into 26 languages. Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, the CEO of Platinum Studios, a company that specializes in comics-to-film properties translations, brought the books as a television series. Executive Producer J. Michael Straczynski stated it was a "road show" with Jeremiah and Kurdy traveling around the country in a military Jeep.
Production
Name
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Locations
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Group
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Thunder Mountain
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Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado
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New America Alliance (Western Alliance)
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Valhalla Sector
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Virginia or West Virginia
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United States of America, remnants of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Executive Branch
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Milhaven
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Colorado
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Valhalla Sector, later Western Alliance
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Clarefield
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Colorado
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New America Alliance (Western Alliance)
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Locations
Character
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Actor
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Description
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Jeremiah
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Luke Perry
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While roaming the country on a quest to locate a mysterious place called Valhalla Sector, which his father claimed might hold some hope for the survivors of the big death, Jeremiah comes in contact with a group who not only has information on Valhalla Sector, but also the resources to rebuild the world. In Season Two Jeremiah is put in charge of rebuilding the town Millhaven.
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Kurdy Malloy
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Malcolm-Jamal Warner
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Jeremiah's partner, a tough and cynical man, yet also passionate. He and Jeremiah discover the secrets of Thunder Mountain.
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Markus Alexander
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Peter Stebbings
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The leader of Thunder Mountain, a colony located inside the former NORAD headquarters in Cheyenne Mountain Complex. He seeks to form alliances with other survivors and to forge a new world.
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Mister Smith
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Sean Astin
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This quirky, colorful character partners with Kurdy in Season Two. He claims to be a messenger from God.
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Erin
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Ingrid Kavelaars
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Markus' second-in-command at Thunder Mountain.
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Lee Chen
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Byron Lawson
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The humorless and paranoid head of security at Thunder Mountain. His loyalties may lie elsewhere.
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Meaghan Lee Rose
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Suzy Joachim
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Meaghan is a survivor of "The Big Death" and a carrier of the plague. She lives in a biohazard containment room in Thunder Mountain.
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Ezekiel
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Alex Zahara
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A mysterious figure who gives Jeremiah cryptic prophecies about his future and protects him from danger.
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Theodora "Theo" Coleridge
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Kim Hawthorne
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Theo rules Clarefield, Colorado as a ruthless warlord, until her reign is overthrown. However, she will still become a strong voice in the new world.
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Elizabeth Munroe
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Kandyse McClure
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Elizabeth is a resident of Thunder Mountain, and Jeremiah and Kurdy first arrived there to bring news of her boyfriend Simon's death. Kurdy becomes attracted to her after comforting her in her grief over Simon's death.
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Devon
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Robert Wisden
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Jeremiah's father and a resident of Valhalla Sector. Jeremiah thought he died in the Big Death, but he was taken to Valhalla Sector and survived. He is a scientist who understands the Big Death and may hold the key to its cure.
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Liberty "Libby" Kaufman
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Joanne Kelly
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Libby is Devon's assistant in Valhalla Sector and appears to fall in love with Jeremiah. Her loyalty to the Western Alliance is questionable.
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Most of the characters are survivors of the virus who are now in their late twenties or younger.
Characters
Season 2 (2003–04)
Season 1 (2002)
Season
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Episodes
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Season premiere
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Season finale
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1
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20
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March 3, 2002
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July 19, 2002
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2
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15
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October 10, 2003
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September 24, 2004
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Series overview
Although a third season was considered, series creator J. Michael Straczynski made it clear that if the show ran a further season he would have nothing to do with it. The show concluded with the end of the second season resolving most plot threads.
After the final defeat of Valhalla Sector in the opening episodes of Season 2, a new threat emerges in the form of a crusading army from the East, led by a mysterious prophetic figure known as Daniel. Season 2 deals with the impending conflict between the unifying survivor communities under Thunder Mountain, and the advancing Army of Daniel.
Over the course of the first season, the group increasingly encounters threats originating from Valhalla Sector, which they discover to be a sealed and heavily armed bunker complex in West Virginia, used to house the remains of the US government and military leadership during the Big Death. The survivors there plan to rebuild the world in an authoritarian mold, combining their military power with attempts to control the "Big Death" virus itself in order to wipe out resistance by slaughtering non-compliant populations. The second half of Season 1 primarily deals with the efforts of Jeremiah and Thunder Mountain to stop Valhalla Sector.
[4]
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