LA BREA LA PREVIEW

A giant sinkhole in the middle of Los Angeles? Sign me up! Or at least, count on me to tune in. NBC’s new show LA BREA looks action-packed and I’m a sucker for adventure-type tv shows that look positively mediocre. When it comes to the marketing behind this show, it would seem NBC, to quote John Hammond, “spared no expense.” The trailers have been on constantly. The Olympics made it impossible for you to forget that a series called LA BREA was coming this fall. Hopefully, all that work pays off.

There is always a place for shows like this. Family-friendly science fiction can be a forgotten art form. It is rarely taken seriously but seems to be a genre that sticks with people for life. I remember being a youngster and watching Land of the Lost (1991-1992) with my sister. I remember sitting in the den when I was eleven watching the mini-series Dinotopia (2002) with my dad. Those memories are important to me. I hope that a series like LA BREA can create more of those types of memories for families.

I’m not really sure how family-friendly this show will be, but I can’t imagine it being too violent, graphic, or adult on prime-time NBC. Unlike the science fiction adventure show from my childhood, this show looks to have much better CGI and a much heftier budget. Although, I don’t mind sketchy CGI every once in a while. I’ve gotten used to it over the years. It almost makes me feel a little nostalgic.

Not too long ago, my family and I visited the LA Brea Tar Pit Museum in Los Angeles. We were looking for a fun family outing that wouldn’t take up too much of the day. I hadn’t been to the pits in years and years, so I was excited to be back. There is something about remembering how old the land in North America is. The idea that large animals roamed present-day LA is kind of awesome. Large Saber-Toothed Cats, Dire Wolves, Mastodons, and Mammoths have all left evidence of living in pre-historic Los Angeles!

I don’t know what will happen in the show, but I do know that I will be disappointed if there are no dinosaurs, pterosaurs, or plesiosaurs at all. Mastodons! Pterodactyls! Triceratops! Saber-Tooth Tigers! Tyrannosaurus Rex! I want to see them! At least sometime in the first season. I want to see dynamic characters, beautiful scenery, awesome action sequences, and a strong story… but I also want to see some monsters. Surely falling into a giant pit near the La Brea Tar Pits means that some large creatures will show up sooner or later?! Only time will tell.

I look fowrd to the journey.… the journey…into the pit!