''Pandemic'' is a 2007

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

original miniseries with an ensemble cast. It premiered on May 26, 2007 at 8:00 PM as part of

's "Uncharted Adventures" weekend. It is now available on

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 ...

through

Hallmark Entertainment Halcyon Studios, LLC., formerly known as Sonar Entertainment, RHI Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, Qintex Entertainment, HRI Group and Robert Halmi Inc., is an American entertainment company specializing in the production and distribution ...

Synopsis

On a beach in Australia, two American surfers say goodbye to each other as one is about to leave for his flight back to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. The two men don't notice the large number of dead birds on the beach. On the flight, the surfer returning home starts coughing up blood and dies before the

plane Plane(s) most often refers to: * Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft * Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface Plane or planes may also refer to: Biology * Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant * ''Planes' ...

can land. Back in Australia, the other surfer is found dead in his apartment. Kayla Martin (

Tiffani Thiessen Tiffani Amber Thiessen (born January 23, 1974) is an American actress who starred as Kelly Kapowski on NBC's ''Saved by the Bell'' (1989–1993), as Valerie Malone on Fox's ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1994–98), and as Lori on Netflix's ''Alexa ...

) is a medical doctor with the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

(CDC) who has been assigned to the case. She and the local officials carry the body of the surfer out of the plane and start processing people to be put in

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

until they can be evaluated for exposure. During the transfer, one of the passengers escapes to complete a business deal and unknowingly spreads the

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...

throughout Los Angeles. It is also revealed that outbreaks of the so-called "riptide virus" (as it comes to be known), an offshoot of the bird flu, are occurring in other cities around the world. The situation is complicated further when one of the passengers, a convicted drug lord being transported by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

, escapes with the help of associates and a number of the other passengers, some of whom are infected. He proceeds to steal the medication needed to fight the outbreak and blackmails the local and state officials. As the epidemic worsens and the death toll rises all over California, the governor (

Faye Dunaway Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France mad ...

) and mayor (

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes ...

) have to find a way around their political differences so that they can make tough decisions dealing with the blackmail scheme, as well as a frightened populace and all of the problems associated with a widespread and deadly epidemic. At the end, Kayla and her scientist team are able to find a cure: the drug lord's clear immunity to the virus is caused by his concurrent

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

infection. Tubercular antibodies stop the virus from attaching to his lungs. They discover that administering antibodies from persons who have tuberculosis will cure the infected and give the others immunity from the virus. Blood from tuberculosis-infected persons is purified and administered to people, and Los Angeles is saved.

Cast

as Dr. Kayla Martin *

as Governor Shaefer *

French Stewart Milton French-Stewart IV (born February 20, 1964), known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for playing Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. He also played Marv Murchins in ''Home Alone 4'', In ...

as Dr. Carl Ratner *

as Mayor D'Alesandro *

Bruce Boxleitner Bruce William Boxleitner (born May 12, 1950) is an American actor and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series '' How the West Was Won'', '' Bring 'Em Back Alive'', ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King ...

as Kenneth Friedlander *

Vincent Spano Vincent M. Spano Jr. (born October 18, 1962) is an American film, stage and television actor; he is also a film director and producer. Early life Spano was born in Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with King ...

as Troy Whitlock

Awards

The WGA awarded writers

Bryce Zabel Bryce H. Zabel (born May 17, 1954) is an American television producer, director, writer, and occasional actor. With hundreds of hours of produced film and television credits, Zabel has scripted a trio of mini-series which aired in the U.S. market ...

and Jackie Zabel in 2008 the WGA Award (TV) for Original Long Form programming for the series's script.

References

External links

* * {{Amg movie, 399758 2007 television films 2007 films 2000s American television miniseries Aviation television series Television shows about influenza outbreaks Films directed by Armand Mastroianni Films set in Australia Films set in Los Angeles Films set on airplanes Hallmark Channel original films