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Production Information

First Aired : September 1996

Last Aired : May 1997

Network : UPN

The Burning Zone - a programme which earned itself the dubious accolade of being selected as one of TV Guide's "Top 10 Worst Shows of 1996", is an amalgam of medical paranoia and science fiction that could best be described as Outbreak meets the X Files on acid. One of the numerous microbially inspired doom scenarios that proliferated in the wake of Richard Preston's book "The Hot Zone," the programme concerns a covert team of government virologists, assigned to tackling outbreaks of obscure and usually fatal diseases, both in the US and in other areas of the world. The Burning Zone was developed by Coleman Luck, former creator and executive producer of The Equalizer, in response to a comment by UPN's president Mike Sullivan, that the station was interested in producing a show involving "medicine, and the mystical or supernatural." The Burning Zone was intended to fulfil these criteria, by focusing on escalating disease outbreaks caused by environmental destruction, natural disasters, genetic modification, biological weaponry, as well as more mysterious eruptions directed by alien or other arcane agents. Although The Burning Zone was the only new dramatic enterprise commissioned for UPN in the autumn of 1996, it failed to meet with any spectacular success. Halfway through it's first and only series, Coleman Luck relinquished his position as executive producer, following some unspecified dispute with UPN, and two of the show's regular cast - Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Tamlyn Tomita, were also dispensed with. The format was revamped, shifting its emphasis away from "Outbreak of the Week" scenarios, in which disease was usually employed as a metaphor for evil, towards an overarching conspiracy involving "The Dawn", a shadowy organization devoted to the destruction of mankind, which it hoped, would somehow secure the future of life on Earth. The changes failed to revive interest in the programme, and in May 1997, after only 19 episodes The Burning Zone was mercifully abandoned.

Cast and Crew

Michael Hailey - James Black

Dr Daniel Cassian - Michael Harris

Dr Edward Marcase [eps 1-11] - Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Dr Kimberly Shiroma [eps 1-11 - Tamlyn Tomita

Dr Brian Taft [eps 12-19] - Bradford Tatum

Creator/ Executive Producer - Coleman Luck

Executive Producer - James D McAdams

Executive producer - James G Hirsch

Executive Producer - Robert A Papzian

Producer - Ed Ledding

Infectious Disease Consultant - Dr Kimberly A Schriner

Director of Photography - Bradford May

St Michael's Nightmare

Series 1, Episode 3

First Aired - Sept 17th 1996

Guest Cast:

Father Stephen - Ray Abruzzo

Dr Dicketts - Rene Auberjonois

Old Priest - Theodore Bikel

Marion - Jaqueline Obradors

Danny - Joshua Cox

Synopsis and Ranting

Following two previous incidents in Chicago and some other city, the name of which escapes me a the moment, the bio-crisis team investigate a mysterious outbreak of violent activity in Philadelphia. As with the prior events, the mystery seems to revolve around a brace of priests, and coincide with the festival of St Michael - the celebration of good's triumph over evil. The matter is eventually traced to an unspecified flowering plant, the pollen of which induces a hallucinatory state, causing those exposed to believe themselves capable of divining the evil intentions of others. This, quite understandably provokes them to acts of murder, brutality and a whole range of other less than pleasant behaviour

The plant was first introduced to the area in question, by the murky figure of Dr Dickett - charlatan, showman, purveyor of dodgy miracle cures, and all round corporeal incarnation of Him Downstairs. Dickett selects as his first victim a vulnerable priest, tormented by his inability to prevent a young parishioner (none other than our own dear Josh) from committing suicide, persuading him to distribute seeds from the plant around his residence. This obviously increases his exposure to the pollen, and renders him all the more susceptible to the instruction of the dubious Dr D. After the priest has wandered about for a while accusing members of his flock of whoredom, assaulting various passers by, and almost strangling a member of the investigating team, Dickett urges him to serve the plant's fruit - which he refers to as having come from the biblical tree of knowledge, in lieu of communion wafers at a midnight mass, as part of a ritual "purification." There's a bit of a punch up, the church almost burns to the ground, and once the whole affair has been exposed, both Dickett and the plants vanish without trace. Nobody knows why.

What can I say? If this is representative of the Burning Zone's overall standards, then it's little wonder it never made it into a second series. It's just a *terrible* programme!! Words simply *cannot* describe how truly bad this programme was. It's doesn't even posess the redeeming feature of unintended humour. Usually at this stage, I'd try to give some reasons why it was so awful, but if the above synposis doesn't do it, then nothing will. On the up side, Theodore Bikel is as bearded and cuddly as ever, and Josh does a wonderful job of shooting himself neatly through the head. On the other hand, Tamlyn Tomita still posesses of the warmth and charisma of an MFI wardrobe. I'm sorry I can't say any more on the subject. There just *isn't* anything more to say.

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