''Cleopatra 2525'' is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

television series that aired in

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

for two seasons, from January 2000 to March 2001. Produced by Renaissance Pictures and distributed by

Studios USA Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predece ...

, many stations aired it as part of the '' Back2Back Action Hour'', along with ''

Jack of All Trades Jack of all trades may refer to: *Jack of all trades, master of none, an aphorism *"Jack of All Trades", a term to reference one with the ability to be proficient in many areas of life Film and television *Jack of All Trades (TV series), ''Jack of ...

''.

Plot

When complications arise during her

breast augmentation Breast augmentation and augmentation mammoplasty is a cosmetic surgery technique using breast-implants and fat-graft mammoplasty techniques to increase the size, change the shape, and alter the texture of the breasts. Augmentation mammoplasty is ...

surgery, 20th-century exotic dancer Cleo (

Jennifer Sky Jennifer Sky (born Jennifer Wacha) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Sarah Webber on the ABC daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' (1997–1998), and for starring as Cleopatra, the title character in the American syndicated ...

) is put into suspended animation. Waking 525 years in the future, Cleo joins two women in their fight against the Baileys, armed flying machines that now control Earth's surface. Her team leader, Hel (

Gina Torres Gina Torres (born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles as Zoe Washburne in the science fiction series ''Firefly'' (2002–2003) and its feature film sequel '' Serenity'' (2005), and as Jessica Pearson in t ...

), is commanded by a mysterious female entity called "Voice", who relays orders via a communications implant under Hel's right ear. Voice controls many other teams and gives them their orders in a similar fashion, in effect, forming a resistance to the Baileys, with their ultimate goal to retake the Earth's surface. Their final team member is Sarge (

Victoria Pratt Victoria Ainslie Pratt (born December 18, 1970) is a Canadian actress, author, and fitness model. Early life Pratt grew up in Chesley, Ontario, a self described "tomboy at heart." She attended the kinesiology program at York University in Tor ...

), whose sister belongs to a cult that regards the Baileys with reverence and willingly sacrifices themselves to them. Humanity has moved underground and built a complex of elaborate shafts and tunnels, created by the "shaft builders" to survive the Bailey menace. Cleo wows the 26th-century denizens with her philosophical sayings, many of which come from 20th-century popular culture.

Cast

as Cleo, Cleopatra *

as Hel, Helen *

as Sarge, Rose * Patrick Kake as Mauser *

Elizabeth Hawthorne Elizabeth Hawthorne (born 30 April 1947) is a New Zealand actress who is known for her role as Mrs. Macready in the 2005 film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' and the Peter Jackson supernatural comedy ''Th ...

as The Voice *

Danielle Cormack Danielle Cormack (born 26 December 1970) is a New Zealand stage and screen actress. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running soap opera '' Shortland Street'', though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in th ...

as Raina *

Joel Tobeck Joel Tobeck (born 2 June 1971 in Auckland, New Zealand) is an actor known for his roles in the television series ''Tangle'', ''The Doctor Blake Mysteries'', ''Xena Warrior Princess'', ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', and '' Young Hercules'' ...

as Creegan * Stacey Edgar as Lara * Stephen Lovatt as Schrager *

Mark Ferguson Mark Ferguson (born 28 February 1961) is a New Zealand-based Australian actor and television presenter. Biography Born in Sydney, Australia, Ferguson attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and graduated in 1981. In 1982, he p ...

as Confessor * Colin Moy as Quint *

Paolo Rotondo Paolo Rotondo is a New Zealand director, writer and actor of stage and screen. Biography Rontondo was born in Napoli, Italy, from a Neapolitan father and New Zealand mother of Irish descent. He grew up in Italy and moved to New Zealand when h ...

as Porter

Production

The series' theme song is based on

Zager and Evans Zager may refer to: * Bruce B. Zager (born 1952), American justice of the Iowa Supreme Court *Michael Zager (born 1943), American record producer *Zager, Iran, a village in Ardabil Province, Iran See also * Bert Zagers (1933–1992), American foo ...

' 1969 hit "

In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus) "In the Year 2525 (Exordium & Terminus)" is a 1969 hit song by the American pop-rock duo of Zager and Evans. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for six weeks commencing July 12, 1969. It peaked at number one in the UK Singles Cha ...

", albeit with altered lyrics.

Episodes

Season 1 (2000)

Season 2 (2000–01)

Reception

Don Houston of ''DVD Talk'' describes the show as fun, with interesting elements and themes, and a kind of sly sense of

camp Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

so often missing in syndicated television shows. He said the DVD release gave good value for money, and that the show was, despite its limitations, "a worthwhile bit of entertainment".

Home media

The series was released on Region 1

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...

in the United States on July 19, 2005.

References

External links

Official Website
* {{Renaissance Pictures 2000 American television series debuts 2001 American television series endings 2000s American science fiction television series Action Pack (TV programming block) English-language television shows Post-apocalyptic television series Television series by Universal Television Television series about robots Television shows filmed in New Zealand Television series set in the future Television series set in the 26th century