CBS’ ‘Salvation’ is no disaster, but it’s hardly original
Show recycles tired plots and figures
The world is ending in 186 days. What do you do?
That’s the central conceit of CBS’ new disaster series Salvation (Wednesday, 9 ET/PT, out of four), in which a group of people discovers that an asteroid, heading toward Earth, will wipe out the planet in six months. Do they trust the government to handle it? Do they make their way to the nearest rocket heading for Mars? Do they party with their loved ones until they’re doomed? Or do they try to save the world? Obviously, the heroes of Salva
tion choose the last option, because that’s what makes them heroes. Most of the time, Salva
tion, created by Elizabeth Kruger and Craig Shapiro ( Necessary
Roughness), is predictable. The story focuses on four people trying to save the planet. Darius Tanz (Santiago Cabrera) is a tech magnate who already was planning for the end of the world before the news of the asteroid. Liam Cole (Charlie Rowe) is an MIT grad student who discovered the asteroid while doing research and is recruited by Tanz.
Deputy Defense Secretary Harris Edwards (Ian Anthony Dale) is trying to maintain calm and order while prepping for the asteroid. Grace Barrows (Jennifer Finnigan) is the Pentagon press secretary, who is blindsided by the news and determined to make the world safe for her daughter, Zoe (Rachel Drance).
The show is stocked with stock figures: the eccentric billionaire, the distrustful bureaucrat, the intrepid young reporter. And it focuses on well-worn situations, such as an affair between a boss and employee, or a young genius who sees something older people miss.
Its planet-killer asteroid plot is reminiscent of Armageddon and
Deep Impact, which tackled the same subject in 1998.
The dialogue is clunky, and it’s often hard to imagine the broadly sketched characters making the choices they do.
Its sci-fi premise may differ from other CBS summer adventures Under the Dome and Zoo, but the story beats feel the same.
But as routine as Salvation is, it’s also zippy and engaging enough to sustain interest, at least in the two episodes made available for review.
The character development may be ham-handed, but it’s wellpaced and the plot is genuinely intriguing. Whether its concept can be sustained for a whole season — or several — remains to be seen.
Salvation is one of those series where what you see is exactly what you get, so for viewers seeking unchallenging thrills, it works. The world may be ending, but at least it’s doing so in a comfortingly familiar way. And that feels fine.