The premise of Sanctuary feels a bit like a Canadian version of Men in Black, primarily because it is a Canadian production (although not explicitly set in Canada) but also because the group rounding up the “abnormals” does so to protect and study them (and occasionally kill them, but only when they have to). And they take care of all of the creatures – both good and evil. How’s that for universal healthcare?
The show (which began as a web-series before being picked up by the Sci-Fi Channel - excuse me, the Syfy Channyl) follows super-empathetic super-psychological profiler Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) - who has the perceptive-powers similar to James Roday on “Psych”, although with 100% less Corbin Bernsen - being recruited by Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), a scientist and founder of the Sanctuary. Her goal is to study and protect the “abnormals” – mutated/unusual creatures that have strange abilities (think low-rent X-Men) while contending with evil mutants, a shadowy conspiracy, and her own dark past. Joining them are Ashley Magnus (Emilie Ullerup) as Helen’s daughter/Will’s requisite love interest, Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins) as the comic relief tech guy, and Bigfoot (Christopher Heyerdahl) as the legendary Sasquatch who moonlights as a butler.
The show mostly consists of “Monster of the Week” plots that follow a structure familiar to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel – a relatively straight-forward procedural plot sprinkled with tiny bits of character development. When Sanctuary does this, it is at its weakest and blandest, mainly because these episodes tend to focus on Will and his unstoppably-dull psychology-powers. There are some truly painful, go-nowhere episodes (e.g. the Furby-like "Nubbins"). The big bad of Sanctuary is a shadowy organization known as “The Cabal,” and while nothing about them seems particularly different or innovative from the innumerable cookie-cutter shadowy conspiracies on other shows (see also: Heroes, Prison Break, 24), at least they have a more interesting name. However, the deeper mythology hinted at in the pilot concerning the past of Helen Magnus proves to be interesting and more engaging than anything else on the show. Part of this is that Amanda Tapping exudes maturity and gravitas (assisted by a British accent) as Helen, while Will and Ashley don’t bring much depth to their roles nor make much of an impact. Helen’s contemporaries, particularly John Druitt (the show’s not-so-secret weapon), bring energy and meaningful menace to the show in their smaller roles. Thankfully, the end of the season brings Helen and her past squarely into the focus, and hints that this is the direction the show will be taking for the foreseeable future.
An interesting aspect of the show is its cheesy (but occasionally effective) use of CGI. Most of the actual Sanctuary itself and several exotic locales are comprised of CG backgrounds. While the transition between real settings and obvious green-screen is glaring and awkward at first, the effects department gets a better hold of things as the series goes on. Unfortunately the first introduction to the supposedly “awe-inducing” Sanctuary is made less effective by the Windows ’95 screensaver graphics surrounding Will and Helen, along with the fuzzy glow around their bodies. Given the sheer number of effects used per episode though, some of the lesser effects can be forgiven (particularly in need of forgiveness are the creatures, such as mermaids and a particularly unconvincing werewolf).
At its heart, Sanctuary is a fun show that may have some interesting ideas up its sleeve, but don't expect an incredibly deep mythology supporting the whole thing. It suffers from the same first season growing pains that Buffy the Vampire Slayer went through – trying to juggle one-off episodes that make new viewers feel welcome while trying to develop its own mythology (which also relies heavily on vampires) in fits and starts. The writing isn’t as clever or layered as that show was, but with Amanda Tapping is a strong lead and the writers have built themselves a universe with a great amount of potential.
DVD Bonus Features
There are three featurettes (“Welcome to the Sanctuary”, “Sanctuary Residents”, “Sanctuary Visual Effects") that aren't particularly in-depth, but give a good sense of how the show is put together, particularly the visual effects featurette, which documents the green-screen process to an appreciative degree. The commentaries have a variety of cast and crew in them, providing a few anecdotes and some nice background information, with very little dead air. The original webisodes on which the show was based are included, but they more or less follow the exact same plot as the first three episodes. Also included are a blooper reel, a preview for the second season, and a photo gallery.
"Sanctuary: The Complete First Season" is on sale September 15, 2009 and is rated NR. Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Television. Directed by James Head, Martin Wood. Written by Damian Kindler, Sam Egan. Starring Amanda Tapping, Christopher Heyerdahl, Emilie Ullerup, Robin Dunne.
