Hard Sun [BBC]

Mr E

Coming in January from Luther creator Neil Cross. Sounds excellent. There will be 6 one hour episodes (and I expect maybe 5 seasons?)

Hard Sun is a pre-apocalyptic crime show set in contemporary London. The protagonists are two police officers, Charlie Hicks and Elaine Renko who, whilst investigating what appears to be the routine death of a hacker in London, stumble upon proof that the world is facing certain destruction - in five years.

https://twitter.com/hardsuntv/status/935118703888347136

Harry Palmr

He does like his "high concepts" does Neil Cross.

Btw he has written the remake of Escape from New York so I may not like him very much soon.

JP Liz V1

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Jim Sturgess (Feed the Beast) will star in the Hulu drama Hard Sun, per The Hollywood Reporter. Created by Neil Cross (Luther), the series follows two detectives (Sturgess and British actress Agyness Deyn) who seek to enforce the law and protect their loved ones in a world that every day slips closer to certain destruction.

Starting January on BBC 1

Mr.Nice Guy

Sounds interesting, although I tend to feel the Americans do better with this type of storyline. Maybe they'll surprise me though!

political analyst

It starts this Saturday at 9:35.

I find it hard to believe that a drama series set in a world that is going to end in five years will get high ratings, to be honest.

political analyst

political analyst wrote: »

It starts this Saturday at 9:35.

I find it hard to believe that a drama series set in a world that is going to end in five years will get high ratings, to be honest.

Yes, everyone knows that shows set 5 years from now never do well. If only he had set it 10 years from no doubt be a huge hit.

Mr E

political analyst wrote: »

I find it hard to believe that a drama series set in a world that is going to end in five years will get high ratings, to be honest.

Weird comment. It's fiction. Story telling.

That's like saying "I find it hard to believe that a drama series set in a world about a power struggle for an iron throne will get high ratings".

political analyst

Mr E wrote: »

Weird comment. It's fiction. Story telling.

That's like saying "I find it hard to believe that a drama series set in a world about a power struggle for an iron throne will get high ratings".

But the setting of Hard Sun is very depressing because there's no chance of the human race being saved in the story - unlike in the films Armageddon and Deep Impact.

political analyst

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes, everyone knows that shows set 5 years from now never do well. If only he had set it 10 years from no doubt be a huge hit.

What I meant was that a show set in a world in which there is no chance of saving the human race is not going to do well in the ratings.

political analyst

political analyst wrote: »

What I meant was that a show set in a world in which there is no chance of saving the human race is not going to do well in the ratings.

Am, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Plenty of TV shows and films have done well and portrayed a world in which humanity has no chance. Films such as The Road spring to mind, as does .Dr. Strangelove, Soylent Green, The Last Man on Earth, The Quiet Earth and so on.

political analyst

Deleted User wrote: »

Am, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Plenty of TV shows and films have done well and portrayed a world in which humanity has no chance. Films such as The Road spring to mind, as does .Dr. Strangelove, Soylent Green, The Last Man on Earth, The Quiet Earth and so on.

The difference is that the success of a TV show produced for a channel that is available to all viewers in a particular country (e.g. BBC One in the UK) is measured in terms of ratings - unlike the success of a film in the cinema. Surely, most viewers would prefer a show in which the human race stands a chance of survival or in which the hero stands a chance of success. After all, the good guy in SS-GB (not an apocalyptic drama but an alternate history drama in which Britain was defeated in 1940 - and being under Nazi occupation would feel like the end of the world!) stands a chance of success but the BBC didn't commission a second series. So how would Hard Sun stand a chance of success?!

By the way, Soylent Green didn't involve the human race being wiped out!

political analyst

political analyst wrote: »

The difference is that the success of a TV show produced for a channel that is available to all viewers in a particular country (e.g. BBC One in the UK) is measured in terms of ratings - unlike the success of a film in the cinema. Surely, most viewers would prefer a show in which the human race stands a chance of survival or in which the hero stands a chance of success. After all, the good guy in SS-GB (not an apocalyptic drama but an alternate history drama in which Britain was defeated in 1940 - and being under Nazi occupation would feel like the end of the world!) stands a chance of success but the BBC didn't commission a second series. So how would Hard Sun stand a chance of success?!

By the way, Soylent Green didn't involve the human race being wiped out!

Soylent Green hints at the end of the human race given what it is. It takes place in a world where there is no hope, where homelessness is pandemic and where the only food source left is other humans.

Your argument is completely and utterly ridiculous, it's based on the idea that people only will watch a show if the main character has some hope of winning. Do you think part of the problem with SS-GB was the fact that many viewers didn't bother with the second issue due to the numerous complaints in regards the sound in the first episode and not that it was a show in which not much hope remained?

Dinosaurs the much-beloved 90s sitcom takes place in a world where we know there is no hope for no matter what they do they are all destined to die. The last episode of dinosaurs is all about their world being destroyed.

I gave up on the Walking Dead a few years back but there was a show where there was no hope. Rick was someone just waiting to eat a bullet and one of the shows best elements was how devoid of hope it was.

Let's not forget Threads, a show that to this day is remembered for just how bleak and lacking in hope it was. People were shook by it but they watched it and it's rightly celebrated to this day.

political analyst

Deleted User wrote: »

Soylent Green hints at the end of the human race given what it is. It takes place in a world where there is no hope, where homelessness is pandemic and where the only food source left is other humans.

In that scenario there would be an extremely high mortality rate but not necessarily the extinction of the human race.

Deleted User wrote: »

Do you think part of the problem with SS-GB was the fact that many viewers didn't bother with the second issue due to the numerous complaints in regards the sound in the first episode and not that it was a show in which not much hope remained?

Point taken.

Deleted User wrote: »

Dinosaurs the much-beloved 90s sitcom takes place in a world where we know there is no hope for no matter what they do they are all destined to die. The last episode of dinosaurs is all about their world being destroyed.

The difference is that, although the characters were portrayed with human characteristics, we know that dinosaurs were not human!

Deleted User wrote: »

I gave up on the Walking Dead a few years back but there was a show where there was no hope. Rick was someone just waiting to eat a bullet and one of the shows best elements was how devoid of hope it was.

I only watched the first series of it but, to be fair, there was still some hope of survival and the preservation of order because the protagonist is a cop.

Deleted User wrote: »

Let's not forget Threads, a show that to this day is remembered for just how bleak and lacking in hope it was. People were shook by it but they watched it and it's rightly celebrated to this day.

The difference is that Threads was a one-off drama and was never intended to lead to a series. Furthermore, it was very relevant at the time because, at the time, there was a significant risk of nuclear war (Actually, the year before Threads was broadcast, there nearly was a nuclear war - the public just didn't know it!)

pixelburp

political analyst wrote: »

But the setting of Hard Sun is very depressing because there's no chance of the human race being saved in the story - unlike in the films Armageddon and Deep Impact.

Why set any story in any extreme, dramatic or outlandish situation, if not to explore what it means to be human, and how people as individuals react to these stresses? After all, why else do writers spend so much ink penning broken marriages; they're relatable human stories.

Besides, as with most things in life, it's not the destination to fixate upon, it's the journey. If the end of the world was to arrive after X amount of time, how would people react? You say it's depressing (and it most certainly is on the face of it), but I can immediately imagine scenarios and context for people where it might bring a certain relief and liberation; life could come into very sharp focus for folks that would make for good stories.

pixelburp

Here's a trailer of this, if anyone's interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD8V6FdJyLU

Mr E

That looks terrific (and exciting, not depressing)

political analyst

political analyst wrote: »

In that scenario there would be an extremely high mortality rate but not necessarily the extinction of the human race.

The whole point of the film is that humanity is doomed, there is no silver lining to be found.

political analyst wrote: »

The difference is that, although the characters were portrayed with human characteristics, we know that dinosaurs were not human!

So if a show has humans and is about the end of the world it is depressing and doomed to flop but if it's about the end of the world and has human surrogates such as puppets then it is less likely to flop. What nonsense.

political analyst wrote: »

The difference is that Threads was a one-off drama and was never intended to lead to a series. Furthermore, it was very relevant at the time because, at the time, there was a significant risk of nuclear war (Actually, the year before Threads was broadcast, there nearly was a nuclear war - the public just didn't know it!)

Hard Sun may very well be a one-off and is actually quite relevant at this time due to the fears over the end of the world. We have a world leader using the threat of nuclear war on a weekly basis and plenty of scaremongering about the sun killing us all.

Your argument is nonsense and based on nothing. The only show that you used to back up your point was SS-GB which was canceled for sure, but not for the reasons you are implying.

political analyst

pixelburp wrote: »

Why set any story in any extreme, dramatic or outlandish situation, if not to explore what it means to be human, and how people as individuals react to these stresses? After all, why else do writers spend so much ink penning broken marriages; they're relatable human stories.

Besides, as with most things in life, it's not the destination to fixate upon, it's the journey. If the end of the world was to arrive after X amount of time, how would people react? You say it's depressing (and it most certainly is on the face of it), but I can immediately imagine scenarios and context for people where it might bring a certain relief and liberation; life could come into very sharp focus for folks that would make for good stories.

Well, the end of the world certainly wouldn't bring relief or liberation for me. Furthermore, marital breakdown doesn't have a huge impact outside the lives of the spouses and their relatives.

By the way, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss the issue. To be honest, why people read and watch apocalyptic literature and drama is something that has been on my mind for a very long time.

political analyst

Deleted User wrote: »

So if a show has humans and is about the end of the world it is depressing and doomed to flop but if it's about the end of the world and has human surrogates such as puppets then it is less likely to flop. What nonsense.

Nevertheless, the 'human surrogates' in that sitcom were still dinosaurs, who ceased to exist long before humans began to exist. Therefore, the deaths of the characters in 'Dinosaurs' was much less likely to cause sadness than if the death of a protagonist would have if it had taken place in a series in which present-day animals are portrayed as having human characteristics, e.g. The Raccoons, The Animals of Farthing Wood and the film Cats & Dogs and its sequel, the Revenge of Kitty Galore.

Deleted User wrote: »

Hard Sun may very well be a one-off and is actually quite relevant at this time due to the fears over the end of the world. We have a world leader using the threat of nuclear war on a weekly basis and plenty of scaremongering about the sun killing us all.

The likelihood of nuclear war is still lower now than in 1962 or 1983. Even if there was a nuclear conflict on the Korean peninsula it probably wouldn't spread beyond that area.

Is the mention of scaremongering about the sun killing us all a reference to droughts, the melting of polar ice, heatwaves and skin cancer?

Deleted User wrote: »

Your argument is nonsense and based on nothing. The only show that you used to back up your point was SS-GB which was canceled for sure, but not for the reasons you are implying.

Actually, I mentioned SS-GB as a contrast because its story has hope for victory over totalitarianism - while Hard Sun is about the end of the human race.

Skid X

I see Nikki Amuka-Bird in that trailer who was also in the remake of Survivors in which 99% of Earth's population gets killed in the first episode.

Looks like a gripping show, Saturday Night seems like an odd place to put it.

political analyst

A fictional weather forecast recorded as a trailer for Hard Sun was shared on BBC One's Twitter account and can be watched on the following page:

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/900856/BBC-weather-Carol-Kirkwood-disrupted-Hard-Sun-BBC-One-Twitter-Agyness-Deyn-Jim-Sturgess

Harry Palmr

Skid X wrote: »

I see Nikki Amuka-Bird in that trailer who was also in the remake of Survivors in which 99% of Earth's population gets killed in the first episode.

Looks like a gripping show, Saturday Night seems like an odd place to put it.

BBC One made a decision two years ago to get away from light soap-fluff drama on Saturday all year round - Taboo, Gunpowder and now Hard Sun are all part of that change.

Slydice

political analyst wrote: »

A fictional weather forecast recorded as a trailer for Hard Sun was shared on BBC One's Twitter account and can be watched on the following page:

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/900856/BBC-weather-Carol-Kirkwood-disrupted-Hard-Sun-BBC-One-Twitter-Agyness-Deyn-Jim-Sturgess

we can embed those here now:
https://twitter.com/hardsuntv/status/949303275400155136


(just click on the date/time part of the tweet to get the individual tweet and then copy the link for the web browser address bar)

political analyst

Starting in a few minutes (after a factual weather forecast!).

Basq

The last 20 minutes were entertaining, in a far fetched sort of way, especially the bit of Bowie.

Dodgy acting from the two leads, and an often slipping accent from Aisling Bea hurt it for the most part.

It's no Luther, but definitely has room to improve!

PS - oh, and all 6 episodes are now on iPlayer.. god forbid we only have the option to watch it week after week, like we used to!

political analyst

Basq wrote: »

The last 20 minutes were entertaining, in a far fetched sort of way, especially the bit of Bowie.

Dodgy acting from the two leads, and an often slipping accent from Aisling Bea hurt it for the most part.

It's no Luther, but definitely has room to improve!

PS - oh, and all 6 episodes are now on iPlayer.. god forbid we only have the option to watch it week after week, like we used to!

The DVD is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Slydice

Cons:
The tech felt a bit.. csi cyber
Some of the character interaction story bits felt weak. The M15 chase scene felt weak

Pros:
The shock of the violence is delivered.. shockingly
Some graphics and special effects looked good
The overall stories (the sun and the families.. I think is what they are going for) have hooks to make you wonder where they are going

My 1st impression was it felt a little daft

gmisk

That first episode was solid I thought will watch the next one but then again I am a bit of a sucker for these kind of shows.
I do think Jim Sturgess is kind of useless in it to be honest though...maybe a bit of a hangover from being truly appalling in geostorm as well...

political analyst

Basq wrote: »

The last 20 minutes were entertaining, in a far fetched sort of way, especially the bit of Bowie.

Dodgy acting from the two leads, and an often slipping accent from Aisling Bea hurt it for the most part.

It's no Luther, but definitely has room to improve!

PS - oh, and all 6 episodes are now on iPlayer.. god forbid we only have the option to watch it week after week, like we used to!

Bea's character could be an Irishwoman who has been living in England for a very long time and so the Irish accent has faded.

Basq

political analyst wrote: »

Bea's character could be an Irishwoman who has been living in England for a very long time and so the Irish accent has faded.

It wasn't so much slipping into an Irish accent.. as slipping into practically 1 of 20 accents in the midlands!

Tom Mann Centuria

Basq wrote: »

It wasn't so much slipping into an Irish accent.. as slipping into practically 1 of 20 accents in the midlands!

It was a bit all over the shop.