Last Light

Centering an apocalyptic thriller around a global energy crisis is an especially salient choice given the current state of the world, yet there's nothing revolutionary here. Last Light -- an adaptation of Alex Scarrow's novel of the same name) -- could have been made 20 years ago (complete with one of the reigning TV stars of the time, Matthew Fox of Lost) because, despite its timely themes, Last Light pans out to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill family separation story. What's more, the characters aren't just disappointingly one-note but often nonsensical. Andy Yeats (Fox), a man who has clearly sold his soul to big oil in exchange for a ritzy English estate complete with horses, is inexplicably the hero of this eco-conscious drama. His wife (Joanne Frogatt of Downton Abbey) does a lot of sighing over the amount of time he spends at work and is especially outraged when he has to leave just days before an important operation meant to restore their blind son's sight. Yet, she sees nothing wrong with leaving the boy herself the evening before the surgery to accept his surgeon's invitation for "a drink or 10." Because that's exactly what you want your son's surgeon doing just hours before he operates.

The weak writing and character development might be forgivable if there was a redeeming element of intrigue in the show. But even with the four members of the family struggling to reunite across three different countries, none of the storylines achieve any real suspense. The series only succeeds in being the very last thing it wants to be: boring. Even at only five episodes, this one isn't worth your time.