Not Silo, Not Fallout: This Dystopian Sci-Fi Series Deserves More Attention

Today, everything from standout Apple TV shows such as "Silo" to Prime Video's stellar video game adaptation "Fallout" are feeding the sci-fi-obsessed masses — especially those with a penchant for post-apocalyptic stories. But many a sci-fi series has come and gone throughout the history of TV, and several have flown under the radar, including the 2010s cult hit sci-fi series "Continuum." But don't forget about the TV version of "12 Monkeys," which, like "Continuum," ran for four seasons before fading into obscurity.

You may be familiar with Terry Gilliam's 1995 film of the same name, which starred Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt. It was based on Chris Marker's 28-minute 1962 short film "La Jetée," which consists mostly of still photos and follows the survivors of a nuclear explosion in Paris. The survivors are determined to re-establish their society via time travel and send man to the past and future. He eventually acquires a device capable of re-constituting Paris prior to the nuclear explosion. But the scientists responsible for his time travel adventures ultimately turn on him, prompting the man to escape to the past where he makes a shocking discovery.

Gilliam's "12 Monkeys," based on a script from screenwriting couple David and Janet Peoples, uses several concepts from "La Jetée" but diverges from the original narrative in major ways. Rather than being set in a post-nuclear world, for example, the film sees Bruce Willis' James Cole sent back through time to try to determine the origin of a man-made virus that almost caused the extinction of the human race. It's this version of the story from which the lesser-known TV series took most of its cues. Unfortunately, the show didn't get anywhere near the amount of attention the film received.

"12 Monkeys" put a new spin on time travel movies and became a cult classic, earning a "certified fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and making $168.8 million on a $29 million budget. All in all, it was a success — a good thing considering "12 Monkeys" nearly got Terry Gilliam trampled by a horse. The series, however, never managed anything like the success of the film, but it at least deserves a little more attention than it got.

Like the movie, "12 Monkeys" the series revolves around the release of a plague-causing virus. In the show, it's known as Kalavirus and is responsible for wiping out seven billion humans in the year 2017. Picking things up in the year 2043, Aaron Stanford plays a version of Willis' character, James Cole, who's recruited by scientists from a group known as "Project Splinter" to travel back in time. Once again, the aim is to prevent the release of the virus, but rather than being sent to the 1990s, this version of Cole is sent to 2015, where the mysterious group "Army of the 12 Monkeys" is supposedly preparing to unleash the deadly pathogen.

In 2015, Cole seeks out virologist Dr. Cassandra "Cassie" Railly (Amanda Schull) due to the fact that she makes a recording that mentions Cole in 2017. Together, the pair search for an enigmatic individual known as "The Witness," who leads the Army of the 12 Monkeys and proves surprisingly adept at evading his pursuers.

"12 Monkeys" debuted on Syfy in 2015 and was met with a mixed reaction among critics. But audiences must have liked it well enough as Syfy renewed the series a further three times, resulting a four-season run that, unfortunately, not many people remember today.

Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett, who earned their stripes on shows such as "Nikita" and "Terra Nova," wrote the TV adaptation of "12 Monkeys," with "Heroes" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" producer Natalie Chaidez serving as showrunner for the first season. Clearly, then, there was some serious small screen sci-fi pedigree involved in "12 Monkeys." Unfortunately, that didn't add up to the most auspicious debut.

"12 Monkeys" Season 1 arrived to mixed reviews, earning itself a not-terrible 60% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Brian Moylan of The Guardian found the storytelling to be "tremendously slow-paced" and summed up the series' attempt at expanding upon Terry Gilliam's film as "the same old story retold. But with way more detail." Emily St. James of Vox, however, gave the series four out of five stars and commended it for being "haunted and sad, riven with grief, as befits a show set in part after an apocalyptic plague." What's more, the series' RT scores improved in subsequent seasons, which adds yet more evidence in favor of this being one of the best sci-fi shows nobody talks about anymore.

"12 Monkeys" was unapologetically devoted to its time travel sci-fi premise, and as such didn't cater to casual sci-fi fans less eager to follow the complexities of the timeline-hopping plot. Perhaps that's part of the reason it never became a breakout hit for Syfy. It did, however, run for four seasons, delivering a total of 47 episodes — which is sort of impressive given the original source material started as a 28-minute short. Those interested in seeing how the show pulled off such a trick can see the entire series on Prime Video, where it's available for subscribers at no extra cost.