User reviews

When I read this show was very much Philip K Dick inspired, using many of his ideas, rather than just a spin off, I knew I had to see it.

Total Recall 2070 shows a futuristic world dominated by multinational corporations, many of them operating on Mars as well. While crime has reduced spectacularly, there are still many problems in society. The show deals with a lot of cyberpunk topics: brain manipulation, androids, genetics, virtual reality, viruses etcetera. The CPB, a type of independent police force, often competing with other jurisdictions, has their hands full on it.

Visually the show is literally very dark with sparse lighting and often a foggy, rainy scenery whenever things take place outside. Clearly the show had a tight budget, often repeating the same cgi imagery transiting between scenes to show parts of the city, but it was very cleverly used. The backgrounds show us but a glimpse of a grim world that is rebuilding itself on technology, nature having been destroyed mostly.

Unfortunately the show is not addictive at all and there are some important elements missing to make it great: humor, a clear direction of storyline, well- motivated and consistent emotions. It too often feels as just another bland cop show, just set in the future, although it's really much deeper than your average police fare. Some characters, like David Hume's wife, or the female lab researcher,Olan Chang, are underdeveloped. But Hume and Farve, his android partner, are excellently casted. Hume is the cool, but emotional and aggressive agent, while Farve is the brilliant investigator, looking for his unknown origins.

The ambient synth music fits very well with the whole Blade Runner feel. It would be unfair to compare it all with what Vangelis and Ridley Scott did for atmosphere: for a TV show they've done a good job transferring the script to a very watchable programme.

Total Recall has occasional swearing and some sex but it is all functional, not just for the heck of it. Overall a very smart show with a lot of conspiracy, cover ups, tensions, but most importantly very relevant issues regarding humanity's fate in a world where technology can be one's friend or worst enemy, depending who is using it, who wants to have it, who owns it and who decides what is legal to do with it.

So, there's some good and some bad. I didn't mind the lower production values but compared to this show, writing has dramatically improved for so many shows these days and so has their addictiveness. I hope to see a nice new cyberpunk/futuristic show soon, right now Westworld is the best one to watch.

In particular avid Philip K Dick and sci fi fans should give this show a shot but you may get bored after an episode or 6.

If you like The man in the High Castle, Black Rain, Blade Runner, Alien, Prometheus, WestWorld and Total Recall, this show is for you.

You don't mind a little stiff acting, as long as there is a great sci-fi story and cool special effects.

You can accept some clumsy blocky stating the obvious and spilling the beans storytelling, to get you where you want to go.

You almost like, that the main character looks like Christian Bale and sounds like young Keanu Reeves, while he delivers his stiff Raymond Chandler sounding lines.

Clichés like "that is out of your jurisdiction" and "let's go downtown fo a little chat" makes you smile.

If someone tries to put a little Hannibal Lecter or Roy Batty into their character, that just makes things better, according to you.

You have missed that glossy nineties ad agency way of shooting things, with hard light directly from the side.

And if you can get all of the above, and even some R rated skin exposure too, wrapped in classic cop buddy series form, you don't want to leave until you have consumed the whole thing!

This show was great, although everyone who sees it is reminded of another P.K. Dick Movie Bladerunner. The look and feel of the show was such. And the whole thing was very compelling. Lots of plot twist and decent dialogue. But since the name of the show was based on a movie that I would rate at best as a two on the scale of 1-10 the audience was not drawn to it. It is a shame that it was taken off the air after only two seasons. If you have the chance to see this pilot movie try it out and cast a vote. Lets get them to release the entire show on DVD, once again its more like Harrison in Bladerunner than Arnold in Total Recall

(pee ewe).

Sadly, most people have never read any of Philip K. Dick's novels and short stories and only connect him with the movie Blade Runner. This is unfortunate because PKD's stories were more entertaining, layered and intellectually versatile than what is offered in Blade Runner. Total Recall 2070 is less of an amalgamation of Blade Runner and Total Recall, and more a mix of their literary sources: 'We Can Remember It For You, Wholesale' [short story] and 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' [novel], both by PKD. Both of these have very real, flawed characters with a quirky, inventive mood that always entertain.

The story of Total Recall 2070 was nearly that of '...Sheep.' For the benefit of the movie going masses' recognition, the names of things from the movie version of Total Recall were used. The story was about the philosophy behind automated sentiency, mechanized religion and the need for humanity to regain its sense of purpose above the machine, while also living beside it. This is something the series was only beginning to touch before it was canceled.

The lack of knowledge about the show's true roots has led to a complete misunderstanding of it. It is a near perfect representation of PKD's wonderfully strange and murky imagination. People call Total Recall 2070 a rip-off of the movies when in reality the movies were a pale shadows of their sources. Total Recall 2070 is the most genuine incarnation of Philip K. Dick's worlds to date.

While this show probably shined in its debut, in 2021, it is goofy where it was mysterious and spooky in its original production

Where time has diminished its splendor, it still stands quite brighter than many sci-fi renditions within the past 5 years.

I found it pleasurable to have it playing in the background while doing another task. It was interesting, but didn't quite pair to what I expected from the movies; however that may be its charm. With exploring new ground.

This is a a textbook case of how a title can negatively affect the reception of a show. People tuned in expecting something like Total Recall (Mars, action, Arnold) and what they got was something that's only connection to the movie was the recall corporation. If this show had been called like "Blade Runner: Memories" and just called the androids replicants, I imagine it would have been much better received. If you are looking for a nice, cyberpunky neo-noir base on the writings of Phillip K Dick, this should do nicely. The CG is a bit rough but the sets are nice and the acting is enjoyable, though the main character leans a weee bit too hard into the gruff cop character imo.

This is a great show, with underrated production values and subtlety. People who watch movies, unfortunately do not always read books. Some complains that it does not follow the Total Recall novel. But in fact it is a loving and exciting recreation of the world of Philip K. Dick--his future dystopias. It owes a lot to "Flow My Tears the Polceman Said"--with its mysterious hierarchy of androids. No, this is not an "action" series like the "Ahnold" movie "TR" was. It's a mixture of sci-fi, mystery, police procedural and a lot of Red-Serling like philosophizing and speculating about the future and human nature. Somebody who judges this series based on one episode seems to be a bit short-tempered. By the way, there are now DVDs of this episode available on the 'net.

This above average television movie is a good sequel to "Bladerunner." While containing the basis elements of "Total Recall" in terms of virtual reality and brain-washing and the red tone color of Mars, this android-like movie (replicant isn't used in the movie) has many of the trappings of Bladerunner, the music, the rain, the Asian population, the outside, neon advertising. The plot is decent, the special effects credible. Except for loose ending (as if the producer ran out of money or there was hope for a television series), this movie is tight, intelligent and steers away from the usual stereotypes. The law enforcement administration plays it straight for the most part (a big change, a refreshing change), the forward movement of plot development from "Bladerunner" makes this movie a good sequel, building on "Bladerunner" instead of just copying it. Seven out of ten stars. (January 25, 2019 update: This review possibly refers to the first and second episode of what eventually turned into a Canadian television series).

As far as TV series go, this one is perfect in every detail. I particularly appreciate the way relationships between the main characters are explored and developed. At last someone has created characters that are flawed and full of insecurities; nobody is a jock or a superhero.

I have tried to participate in a "Save the Program" campaign, along with others who have enjoyed the series, but it seems that our efforts have been unsuccessful so far.

It was unbearable, I could not stand watching this show with such lame acting from that Easton guy, but also the directing of him in the scenes and dialogs he engaged.

It is more like a caricature of a cop, exaggerating a bad mood stance ALL THE TIME... it is horrible, bothering , annoying and does not add anything to the story, nothing at all.

There are many other revenge seeking characters are are way happier than this lame-gray guy.

This show had a great premise, was very promising , but the execution was really poor.

I hope that Michael Easton never gets another Sci-Fi job; he will screw it just like he did to this one.

Easton & Pruner play a perfect pair of cops who work off each others strongpoints and makes for enlightening scenario of the future mental battles of crime. Easton keeps his character as dark and moody as he has in the past. Pruner is great as an android partner who craves human traits and feelings so he can fit in with his human counterpart Easton. Great series set with a toned down "BladeRunner" motif. Brings back memories of "Mann & Machine". Hopefully this series will last longer than "M&M" CDB

I never saw this show on cable. I only saw it as a filler show when t.v. stations would show cancelled productions as filler. However, I was working second shift and would get home after 11p. This actually made the show work for me even more.

What it seems like some people don't understand about this show is the creators didn't want to make just another spin-off. This was made by fans of Philip K. Dick's questioning of what it means to be human. The show takes the themes and style of Dick's writing and builds a unique story around it. It may be intended to be in the same universe as "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep," however, in a way that is irrelevant. The show desires to have a unique richness all its own while paying homage to its inspiration.

I would have the lights low to add to the moodiness. Having grown up immersed in the genre, I totally became enthralled with the plot. I still have memories of loving this show. If taken to its fullest production, this would have been a top notch worthy edition to the science fiction. Every episode lends to the greater texture of the overall story. Pure gold.

I just finished re-watching "Total Recall 2070" after seeing it for the first time in re-runs around 2000. As everyone knows, the show is basically a low-budget riff on Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner". So right off the bat that knocks off points for creativity but it also gave the show some great concepts to work with. So how did the series develop these Big Ideas? Not that well...

Frankly most of it is filler. If you just watch the pilot, "Machine Dreams" (which was broken up into two eps for tv) and the last ep, "Meet My Maker", you won't miss anything important. A few of the other 19 eps have interesting ideas but the writers invariably bury them under the same old television tropes you've seen a thousand times already. The two main characters, David Hume and Ian Farve, have Abrams tank-level plot armor.

The character of Ian Farve, the sentient android, is central to the show but because he's just a robot, it's hard to make him interesting. Karl Pruner is an okay actor, and he has strong presence, but he isn't given much to work with.

The character of David Hume is a bunch of dumb "cop on the edge" cliches and the actor who plays him, Michael Easton, is mediocre at best. I could not get interested in this guy.

The character of his hot blonde wife, Olivia Hume, goes from between being too sweet and good to be true in the early eps to being a mentally unstable pain-in-the ass in the later eps. Cynthia Preston, the actress who plays Olivia, is quite skilled but she couldn't save this character from being unbelievable in the beginning and then annoying as the series went on.

The character of Olan Chang is ridiculous. She's a forensic pathologist, a practicing MD, a CSI field technician, a coding expert, an android expert, plus she's never too tired to do another shift, or too busy to drop everything and spend hours babysitting her flaky bff, Olivia Hume. Is Olan Chang an android? Did anyone check? If she is human, what is the CPB paying this chick? Whatever it is, it isn't enough.

Seriously, every time the writers of the show needed an expert as a plot device, they added another skill to Olan's resume. Although the character is credibly played by Judith Krant, the overall effect is unintentionally funny.

I notice the reviews of "Total Recall 2070" are divided between people dumping on the show and fans bemoaning it's cancellation. Twenty years ago, I'd have been in the latter group. I remember thinking at the time how much it sucked that this fascinating show had been cancelled. After re-watching it now, with twenty years of experience under my belt, TR 2070 is just not as good as I remembered.

I give TR 2070 a '5' on the IMDb scale. If you're really into the Cyberpunk and/or Future Noir genres, it's okay. Otherwise you can safely skip it.

I'm a huge fan of "Total Recall" (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone so I was interested in this TV show too. To be honest, I wasn't disappointed at all. They changed the story a little bit and added some new interesting moments here. First of all, I love the visual effects that were really great, especially for TV level. Second, the acting was great except for Cynthia Preston who played Olivia Hume. She was the only weak actor in this series. Anyway, Michael Easton, Judith Krant and Karl Pruner were brilliant. I don't understand why this wonderful series lasted for only one season - it deserved much more and had a big potential.

In the first time I watched Total Recall 2070 I was just thinking "Blade Runner". The backgrounds, the style, the futuristic look of the sets and the technology, all of them look like "Blade Runner". A nice show in overall, not only due to it's looks but also to it's story and sub-stories in each episode.

I have to say that I am quite enjoying watching this. 3 Episodes seen so far. Its not nearly as good as the movie but that is mostly because of budget and some of the non-main actors are B-level but the overall show is great for Cyberpunk Fan.

By no means am I saying this was bad series or anything, but it copied alot. It did have a neat sense of techno style that to me seemed taken from Phillip K. Dick's other famous movie adaptation: Blade Runner, and not entirely from the movie Total Recall. It also reminded me alot of the series TekWar with its future cops trying to thwart criminals that use the future's techno devices to commit their crimes and spread chaos in the uncertain times of the 21st century. Its a shame it was cancelled so early when we have bonifide sci-fi crap hogging our screens. This show at least proved refreshing in the old cops and robbers game can be dressed up to look new.

The new offering from Showtime for their Sci-Friday lineup has promise - their sets live up to the hype and were shamelessly showcased a few times in the premiere, but overall the look is radical and consistent but not intrusive. So far it is engaging and well-made, with the exception of some pointless nudity which seems to be there simply because, well, they could put it in on Showtime. The CG is smooth and the world convincingly complete. Not exactly groundbreaking, but hopefully it will be and definitely can. You may recognize Easton (Hume) from the somewhat obscure series "Two" on UPN and the even more short-lived show "VR-5". The actor who portrays Hume's android partner does it flawlessly.

Based on glowing 'must see' IMDb user comments (and in turn wanting to like it), I watched about half of the first season before giving up on this problematic series.

The biggest problem stems from the distant, restrained writing which leaves us with the shell of a typical cop show that's been relocated to a corporate-controlled future. Flat characters and low production values seal the series' fate, removing whatever potential might have otherwise remained.

As others have noted, comparisons to Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990), and Star Trek: The Next Generation (at least as far as the Data-Farve android connection goes) are hard to avoid (and I am a fan of all three). The series has far more in common with the android-laden themes Blade Runner offers than with the Schwarzenegger movie with which it shares little more than a title and a few images. Thanks to user comments, I avoided comparing this series directly with the 'Recall' movie (as should you).

Poor writing remained the series stumbling block. Contention between man and machine (or android) gets touched on, but never gets fleshed out or fully explored. Det. David Hume and his wife Olivia both start the series out having deep-seated feelings against trusting androids, yet Hume's android partner Farve gets accepted by both with only a whimper, after which the issue gets shelved. In particular, Hume occasionally brings up trust issues with Farve, but moments later is willing to act as if he trusts him with his life. We briefly see Olivia deal with her android-related issues, but this seems to be largely forgotten in favor of relegating her to the typical 'cop's wife' role. Their relationship, including why they love each other and questions involving their history, is never expanded upon. The result is that Olivia's presence distracts from the plot, as opposed to revealing something about their respective characters. In another character switch, Assessor agent James Calley at first seems to support Hume (allowing him to keep an illegal weapon), only to later set up Hume to clean up his dirty work (when he kills 'The Technician'). Questions of whether androids are sentient beings are mentioned occasionally, but are never the focus, only serving as a plot smokescreen. Farve is taunted as being 'only a machine', but this question is forgotten before the next scene.

Lesser irritations surface throughout the series. Why is Det. Hume allowed to openly keep an illegal weapon? Why does he actively desire to keep such a weapon? With such prevalent communications, why don't the CPB officers contact Captain Ehrenthal when questions arise (the 'unauthorized surgery' scene from 'Brain Fever' comes to mind)? We hear about 'calling for backup', but rarely see more that Hume/Farve on screen. Farve seemed resilient to some weapons, but he avoids getting in the line of fire (as opposed to Data, who had a willingness to sacrifice himself so that humans might live). Sometimes we go wildly afield of any semblance of plot. Witness the superfluous sex scenes complete with nudity that established nothing other than a cheap grab for attention.

Scene footage reuse was fairly high. Several times I recognized an elevator CG shot, as well as the outside shot of CPB headquarters where the same two people enter the building. A reverse angle of a street scene previously shown would have slipped by had it not been for a rather recognizable extra in a dark tank top.

Scene retakes to avoid errors were not taken advantage of. Someone scanning a corpse accidentally catches the victim's collar. Elsewhere, a person's shadow moves in the background of an otherwise empty room. Other errors added to the sloppy feeling. In one scene, Farve's gun lights up but no CG shot comes out, an error that could have easily been edited out given that the previous several shots worked. Similarly, a spoiled voice-over for a reverse shot of Rawlings sounded jarringly different. These are errors that shouldn't have made it near the final edit.

Acting was mostly reasonable. The one big question in my mind came from casting Rawlings as Capt. Ehrenthal. His 'soft-spoken' approach just didn't seem to fit his character. His diminutive height was another issue, especially when standing next to Pruner. Based on other production shortcuts that were taken, the sporadic dips in acting quality could be attributed to not allowing for necessary retakes to enable the actors to hit their marks. Karl Pruner's interpretation of Farve captured almost completely Brent Spiner's Data of 12 years previous. In a continuation of the Farve-Data comparison, the series quickly focused on Farve trying to find his 'maker', just like Data did in 'Next Generation'.

I wanted to like this series - honest. I was hoping for one of those little-known gems that catches you off guard. Unfortunately, no amount of polish will bring any real shine to this series. The writers just didn't tackle any big issues, not to mention the low production values. This isn't to say that the series is completely without merit - it just doesn't warrant going to any great lengths to see. If you want to see a Sci-Fi series done (nearly) right, try Battlestar Galactica (2003).

Having just seen the first episode of the series the overwhelming impression was that it was a remake of Blade Runner. The the gloomy sets, the constant advertising hoardings, the evil companies (Rekall is no longer a minor holiday company but is the equivalent of the Tyrell Corporation)were all more Blade Runner than Total Recall. Infact the plot itself whereby androids are trying to extend their life was that of Blade Runner. There was a minor plot involving fake holidays and an unnecessary trip to Mars to keep a link with the movie but throughout there was a sense that this was not the movie the producers wanted to make a series of. Having recognised this however it was enjoyable enough. The production values were good and if the plots become more original then it could be promising. Oh..It did answer the question left hanging at the end of the movie ...was it reality or an implanted memory? The movie ended with an atmosphere being restored to Mars but in the series there are still BioDomes and a red sky. So I guess Arnie is really strapped into a chair dreaming his life away.

Although it tries to be "Blade Runner", Michael Easton is no Harrison Ford. Probably due to the lifeless direction of Mario Azzopardi, et. al., the series is a cure for insomnia. Karl Pruner's "Farve" tries hard to be ST:TNG's Mr. Data, but his character lacks Data's depth and 'humanity'.

Having seen every episode so far, I still have no idea what the show is about, other than that this amoral company has some insidious plan to take over the world. But there is no life in the show. And no humor. The one character we, the audience, care about - Olivia Hume - has almost nothing to do, which is a shame because the lovely and talented Cynthia Preston is the best thing about the show.

Although the sets are interesting in a Blade Runner-esque sort of way, the lighting is so overdone that everything looks flat and fake. I could go on for pages, but I think I've made my point.