I got into The Tomorrow People because of the inclusion of Christian Tessier (Megabyte). He came across so well in You Can't Do That on Television that I wanted to see more of him. He basically did well here in the second banana comedic foil role, but now, these many years later, I hate to admit he wasn't as strong an actor as I had expected. Basically his biggest flaw was in the frequent script demands for him to laugh. Megabyte laughed when he was nervous, laughed at his own jokes, and laughed in effort to disarm others with a wry comment and be charming. It often did not work, but the scripts kept unkindly demanding it of him and he dutifully kept plugging along. Time or attention needed to be paid to make these laughs seem genuine (or to adjust his character to make intention come across better). Christian Schmid (Adam) and Naomie Harris (Ami) were by contrast flawless.
The series itself was best when kids with paranormal abilities confronted adults misusing technological advances (hybridizing, a genetic copy machine, weather manipulation, electronic net). (I hoped for but never got a scene where Megabyte would accidentally sneeze into the cornucopia machine and get drenched in his own snot -- cover your mouth, kid!) The series -- promoted as the first kid's sci-fi adventure series -- derailed when it veered into horror (a boy ghost, an unwrapped mummy, demonic possession from hostile aliens), becoming too frightening for younger viewers.
Still, and in spite of the 2013 American reboot that eschewed all that was charming and endearing, innocent and fun, this mid-'90s Nickelodeon series maintains a special place in my heart. And I still favor the inclusion of Christian Tessier.
(Oh, that the series didn't last long enough for Adam to build a lifeguard tower on the deserted island to sit and wait for other Tomorrow People to appear in the ocean so he could save them from hungry shark attacks.)
The series itself was best when kids with paranormal abilities confronted adults misusing technological advances (hybridizing, a genetic copy machine, weather manipulation, electronic net). (I hoped for but never got a scene where Megabyte would accidentally sneeze into the cornucopia machine and get drenched in his own snot -- cover your mouth, kid!) The series -- promoted as the first kid's sci-fi adventure series -- derailed when it veered into horror (a boy ghost, an unwrapped mummy, demonic possession from hostile aliens), becoming too frightening for younger viewers.
Still, and in spite of the 2013 American reboot that eschewed all that was charming and endearing, innocent and fun, this mid-'90s Nickelodeon series maintains a special place in my heart. And I still favor the inclusion of Christian Tessier.
(Oh, that the series didn't last long enough for Adam to build a lifeguard tower on the deserted island to sit and wait for other Tomorrow People to appear in the ocean so he could save them from hungry shark attacks.)