My two favorite genres of television are science fiction and mystery. A show like "Extant" combines both of those concepts...though not to extraordinary heights. It is a solid show, but one that hasn't quite moved itself into the "truly great" category yet. The potential, however, is most definitely there.
For a basic plot summary, "Extant" is set far (maybe not so far?) in the future and focuses on Molly Woods (Halle Berry), an astronaut on a solo mission who is impregnated by a mysterious force. After returning to Earth, she realizes that her boss, Alan Sparks (Michael O'Neill), might know more about what he is letting on. Parallel to this storyline, Molly's husband John (Goran Visnjic) is a renowned robotics expert who has adopted his best creation yet, Ethan (Pierce Gagnon), as part of the family.
There are two reasons why I kept tuning into this show week after week:
1. It manages to cover a lot of ground in just 13 episodes. This is not a stagnant, plot-of-the-week show by any means. From the beginning of this first season until the end, the show explores multiple, complex areas and does so in a way that doesn't give them the short shrift, either. Despite all that happened during this season, I never felt that anything was really rushed, either.
2. For fans (like me) of mystery and sci-fi, this show knows how to deliver the goods (maybe Steven Spielberg had something to do with that?!). Do they draw the "core mystery" (Molly's pregnancy and its results) out longer than they should? Probably. But there are so many other interesting things going on in the process that one doesn't ever feel like the proceedings get stale even a bit.
Those things being said, this isn't a "must-watch, all-time classic" show, either. TV watches who don't like the genre will likely find it rather tepid (much of the appeal comes from the sci-fi and futuristic aspects). The human drama of the show is "okay", but again nothing to write home about.
During the summer of 2014, I looked forward to watching "Extant" each week, and that alone is a powerful thing (the show never became a "chore", or I would have bowed out earlier). I hope this show has a future, but I'm not quite sure what it is. Will big-time actress Halle Berry want to commit to a serialized TV role? Can the show come back after a hiatus and re-capture the audience, especially now that the "fresh" factor has worn off and slightly better plots/characters will be needed? I hope to find out, as Season One does not answer nearly enough of the questions viewers want to see resolved. If indeed it does come back at a future date, count me in again!