TV Alley: Millennium

Millennium

Created by Chris Carter
1996 - 1999

A spin-off of Chris Carter's far more popular series The X-Files, Millennium follows ex-FBI agent Frank Black as he uses his psychic visions to hunt down killers and psychopaths. He's also being vetted and recruited by a bizarre and mysterious cult-like organization known as the Millennium group, who have seemingly unlimited resources, a gray moral compass, and a belief in an apocalypse that will occur at the end of the 20th century.

In only three seasons, this show had a remarkably up-and-down run, taking most of the first season to hit its stride, hitting its peak throughout season 2, only to have it come crashing back down in season 3. This isn't to say the show was ever bad per se, but the incredibly high-quality of season 2 dwarves the beginning and end of the series. Breaking from the established formula of season 1, the episodes became more experimental, weirder, and much more memorable during the middle of the show.

With much more of a horror theme than the X-Files, Millennium finds Its strength in the darker and more disturbing end of the procedural drama spectrum which is reflected in its visual tone and atmosphere. Surprisingly gruesome at times, the show doesn't shy away from cutting to the core of some of the more twisted TV villains of its era. They're often quite complex and disturbing. To describe the visuals in this show would basically mean comparing it to the X-Files, but instead of blue, give it a more orange tone -- comparisons in many ways to The X-Files are inevitable.

When it comes to performances and characters, there are two obvious standouts. The lead played by Lance Henriksen is a stoic, serious, humorless man whose psychic visions have been more of a burden on his psyche than he's ever likely to admit. His face is frozen into a perpetual scowl, but that doesn't mean he never shows any other emotions. But as much as I enjoy Frank Black, it's Terry O'Quinn's mysterious Peter Watts who steals the show. O'Quinn is at his best when he's given roles that let him utilize his restrained acting style, but Watts isn't always so closed off. In many ways, these two characters are one in the same. They just have different priorities, and that makes their chemistry all the better.

All things considered, this may not be as iconic as The X-Files, but I find the ideas to be every bit as interesting, and the characters more magnetic and relatable. It's dark, but not dour, and even at its worst never failed to entertain me. It may not be a great show, but it's still a very good one and one that deserves more attention, even in spite of not having a real finale.

My grade: B