''Welcome to Paradox'' was a Canadian
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 aired on the
Sci Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
in the U.S. and subsequently on
Showcase
Showcase or vitrine may refer to:
*Cabinet (furniture)
*Display case
Music
* ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961
* ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964
* ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...
in Canada.
It was first broadcast on August 17, 1998, ran for one season, with the final episode being released November 9, 1998. As this was part of a crop of new shows produced in 1998 by Sci Fi Channel and it was not successful beyond the first season, it was never placed in syndication. ''Betaville'' was the original title for the series.
The series is an anthology hybrid. The stories all took place in the fictional future city of "Betaville", a nod to
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as FranĂ ...
's ''
Alphaville''. However, the majority of the stories were adapted from short stories that were originally unconnected with that fictional city. The stories were adapted from older works by famous science fiction authors which explored the impact of certain technologies on the human body and psyche, and the theme of humanity being overwhelmed by hostile technologies. Each episode had a host—originally to be named "Paradox" until the concept was dropped—that served as a narrator, adding a prologue and epilogue to the show as with ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' and ''
The Outer Limits''. The
Volkswagen New Beetle
The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car, introduced by Volkswagen in 1997, drawing heavy inspiration from the exterior design of the original Beetle. Unlike the original Beetle, the New Beetle has its engine in the front, driving the fron ...
was chosen to be the transportation of Betaville; one was used whenever a car was needed in a story.
Guest stars in the series include
Steven Bauer
Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto EchevarrĂa Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban-born American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ÂżQuĂ© Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1980) and is perhaps most ...
,
Roma Maffia
Roma Maffia is an American actress.
Life and career
Roma Maffia grew up in Brooklyn, New York and is of English, German and West Indian descent. Her Italian surname reportedly comes from her stepfather.
Maffia began her official acting career ...
,
Ice-T,
A Martinez
Adolfo Larrue MartĂnez III (born September 27, 1948) is an American actor and singer with roles in the daytime soap operas '' Santa Barbara'', ''General Hospital'', ''One Life to Live'', ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', and ''Days of Our Lives' ...
,
Nicholle Tom
Nicholle Marie Tom is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Ryce Newton in ''Beethoven'' (1992), ''Beethoven's 2nd'' (1993), ''Beethoven'' (1994–1995), and as Maggie Sheffield on ''The Nanny''. She is also known for voicing ...
,
Rodney Rowland
Rodney G. Rowland (born February 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is credited as Rod Rowland in more recent productions, given his predilection to being called Rod. Rowland's most noted appearances to date were as 1st Lieutenant Cooper Hawkes ...
,
Justine Priestley,
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Chaya Bialik ( ; born December 12, 1975) is an American actress, game show host, and author. From 1991 to 1995, she played the title character of the NBC sitcom ''Blossom (TV series), Blossom''. From 2010 to 2019, she played neuroscientist ...
,
Lochlyn Munro
Lochlyn Munro (born February 12, 1966) is a Canadian actor. His most notable film roles include ''A Night at the Roxbury'' (1998), ''Scary Movie'' (2000), ''Freddy vs. Jason'' (2003), ''White Chicks'' (2004), '' The Predator'' (2018) and ''Cosm ...
,
Channon Roe
James Channon Roe (born October 27, 1969) is an American former actor. He began his film and television career in the mid-1990s. He first appeared on TV series ''My So-Called Life'' as Logan in 1994. Roe began his acting career in independent fi ...
,
Henry Rollins
Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...
,
Alice Krige
Alice Maud Krige (; born 28 June 1954) is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in ''Chariots of Fire'' (1981) as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon. She played the dual role of Eva Galli/Alma Mobley i ...
,
Justin Lazard
Justin Lazard (born November 30, 1967) is an American retired actor, producer, director, and model.
Early life
Lazard was born in New York, but raised in Connecticut. His father, Sidney Lazard, is a former foreign correspondent, and his mother, ...
,
William McNamara
William West McNamara (born March 31, 1965) is an American film and television actor.
Personal life
Born in Dallas, Texas, McNamara is the son of a Ford Motor Company employee and an interior designer. He attended Salisbury School, Columbia Un ...
, and
Dana Ashbrook
Dana Vernon Ashbrook (born May 24, 1967) is an American actor, best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its 1992 prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''.
Early life
Ashbrook was ...
.
Setting
Betaville, a fictional utopian city existing at an unspecified future point in time, is the setting for stories in ''Welcome to Paradox''. Societal problems such as crime, violence, and disease have been resolved, but there is a dark undercurrent in Betaville that impacts some citizens directly. Episode plots highlight issues such as technology has invaded daily life to the point that
simulated reality
The simulation theory is the hypothesis that reality could be simulated—for example by quantum computer simulation—to a degree indistinguishable from "true" reality. It could contain conscious minds that may or may not know that they live i ...
is preferred to actual reality, perfect machines wresting control from wealthy and pampered owners, and humanity being challenged by genetic and social engineering programs that push the limits of arrogance and sanity.
Episodes
Home media
Though an Australian PAL (Region 4) boxed set of the entire series exists, the series was never released in any format in North America or Europe. The series can be viewed in those areas through some web sites and streaming services.
In Canada it is currently streaming on the Roku channel 471-sci-fi.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welcome To Paradox
1990s Canadian science fiction television series
1990s Canadian drama television series
1998 Canadian television series debuts
1998 Canadian television series endings
1990s Canadian anthology television series
Television series by Alliance Atlantis
Showcase (Canadian TV channel) original programming
Science fiction anthology television series