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12 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Good show that jumped the shark too soon, 21 November 2002 Author: T-Mad from Philly
I've been reading everyone's comments on the show. I thought it was a fun show with good potential (I didn't realize it was filmed in Australia as one person pointed out). To me, admittedly, it had elements of Quantum Leap (the time travel to the past to set things right aspect).However, I thought they did a decent job with an interesting premise - have it take place 200 years in the future, have the evil genius (Dr. Sahmbi) create a time travel apparatus to send criminals and himself into the past where law enforcement isn't as advanced, have the good guy (Capt. Lambert) be forced to pursue him into the past when his love is killed, have him take an advanced computer/hologram with him to help out (even the hologram aspect is reminiscent of Quantum Leap), and have him not able to return home until he's caught the 100 criminals and Sahmbi and sent them all back.Where I think the show jumped the shark was two things. First - having the big confrontation between Lambert and Sahmbi happen too soon. The episode where they became trapped in an underground cavern and Sahmbi used a modified version of the TRAX substance (normally used to send people back to the future) on Darien in order to brainwash him, turn him against Selma, and turn him onto Sahmbi's side. That episode was VERY well done but should have been saved as the series finale episode, where they have the final big confrontation. A slight rewriting of the episode's ending and it would have been perfect as a series finale. By doing that episode that soon, they played their trump card too soon so of course the rest of the series would be an anti-climax.The second jump the shark moment to me was when they started toying with the idea of Selma loving Darien and vice versa. While it was cute and the episodes that dealt with this "subtext" were funny, they did constitute a jump the shark moment in the series. I mean, Selma didn't even have a physical female form - she was a female hologram housed inside a computer fashioned as a credit card, for crying out loud. The episode where Elizabeth Alexander did a dual role as Selma and as Darien's mother and it was revealed that Selma loved Darien was, again, a cute and funny moment to watch but really!And after that, the series started playing with the idea that there were feelings between the two. The episode where Darien was undercover with his female agent friend as a married couple and the agent ended up brainwashed, Selma told Darien to take her to the bedroom (so she could emit some rays to determine the brainwashing patterns). However, the way the scene was done was obviously meant to be a cute subtext moment.Those were the moments that I thought the show lost its focus. Otherwise, Time Trax was a decent show.
8 out of 8 people found the following review useful: The Spectacle Vs The Spectacular, 25 June 2004 Author: tko_12 from Chicago, Illinois
Time Trax - OK, here's the deal: a cop from the future (Darien Lambert) travels back in time to track down roughly 200 escaped fugitives from his time and to settle the score with the time machine's creator, who just happened to have killed off the only woman the cop loved for a long time. Simple, right? Well, yes. That was basically the problem - from a theatrical point of view. Sure, the show's writers worked hard at kicking in some complications. For example, the cop happens to be an ethnic minority in the future, a "blanco," but that seats him in the majority here. They give him disguised weaponry: namely, his futuristic Star-Trek-in-a-box computer hologram projector and historical archive widget and a nifty non-lethal gun formed to look like a credit card and car-alarm. However, he loses this things constantly - just multiply the number of times you've forgotten where to put your keys by like 1 million, and that's about par for the show. In addition, either the convicts he's chasing will sniff them out, or some plucky 20th century kid will inevitably treat them like the mundane objects they're made to resemble. Overall, this was not enough to give the show much "drawing power." As noted above, these are plot devices and not necessarily related to developing the character. Having said that, I must say that this was still one of my favorite shows to watch between the ages of 13-14; like MacGyver or the A-Team, this show had a very dynamic episode-to-episode style with no complicated soap opera sagas to slow down the enjoyment - things were always wrapped up neatly in about an hour. To speak plainly: the show's main export is just plain fun. It's fun to watch the time-displaced cop rediscover everything about the 20th century that we take for granted (like junk food, boxing [which is outlawed in his time but not any other martial art - go figure], amusement parks, and the fact that here he's not a minority at all (which is something one commenter already hit on - they could have done a LOT more with - if the goal had been character development). It's also fun to watch him struggle with being two hundred years in his own past where his favorite restaurant has only one location and the chef hasn't figured out the signature recipe yet, where the Chicago Cubs suck even though they're a dynasty 200 years from now [which is a shame - it really only took about 8-9 years for the Cubs to make that leap, not 200], and he struggles with the idea that he may never go home, though that might not be bad considering he's found the cute ancestor of his former love.All of this didn't make the show great per se, but it did make the show special. In many ways it was akin to the radio shows of old, like the Shadow, where the contrived plots and weak villains are less important than the overall aesthetic that the show inspires. It was the genuine sense of wonder and amusement from rediscovering the present that helped the audiences simmer in Darien's nostalgia and homesickness.Fans of sci-fi will appreciate the techno-widgets and special effects for what they are - a means of conveying the storyline with dazzling and emotional spectacle; however, if you're looking for spectacular drama, you've come to the wrong place. Here's my advice: don't go to the circus and expect to sit next to Hamlet, but if you do go, grab some cotton candy, ask a clown to teach you to juggle, pet the lions, and flirt with as many cute acrobats as you can see because you'll enjoy going a whole lot more.
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Time Trax, 28 November 2005 Author: Nikita7144 from United States
I loved Time Trax and saw every episode when it originally aired. I disagree with a previous post I read about the show though. Granted everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I thought the show was great. Of course, I originally started watching because of that hot hot man Dale Midkiff. Today I saw him on the SciFi channel in a movie called Maximum Velocity. While the movie was good his acting was the bomb!(That means his acting is "really good" in case you were wondering.) I really like him and will get this series someday soon. Time Trax should be updated into a TV Movie. Of course, it would "have to" star Dale Midkiff or else it just wouldn't work. I highly recommend this series and suggest you check it out in reruns. Also, check out anything else starring Dale.
6 out of 6 people found the following review useful: One of the "cuter" SciFi offerings of the '90s, 10 January 1999 Author: Rod in SFO from San Francisco, CA
It is rare that I find myself looking forward to watching re-run TV programs, "Time Trax" is one of those interesting shows that I keep tuning in for on the SciFi Channel.Darien Lambert (Dale Midkiff) is a policeman from the future (25th Century or so) who must travel back in time (usually the present) to find and send back to his time "criminals" who have also time travelled and are usually endangering the current time's inhabitants with advanced devices ("of EVIL").Darien is assisted by his holographic computer "Selma" (smartly played by Elizabeth Alexander) who appears from his rather futuristic credit card / weapon / transporter.This show is pure fantasy and, at times, corny, but Dale Midkiff makes his character impressively believable.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Great idea that was poorly produced..., 5 February 2005 Author: Miss_MiChiMi from MS Gulf Coast
I watched this show during the original run, which was when I was in my early teens. I remember thoroughly enjoying it and thinking it was one of the better shows on television. Years later, as an adult, I would see this late one night. I was suffering from nostalgia and decided to kick back and enjoy it one more time. I couldn't bear to watch it! I realized the acting, scripts, and direction.Granted, the premise was definitely fresh for its time. It could have worked, and if tuned properly and all the problems fixed, could possibly be brought back today. The networks need to remember that the public as a whole really does not mind having to think while watching a program. Mindless fodder is not going to placate those of us who need mental and intellectual stimulation.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: Marvelous Show That Died Before Its Time..., 17 June 2005 Author: moviefan2k4 from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
"It began in the future. A scientist turning to evil; a time machine, called Trax. Criminals who vanish, and a lawman who must pursue into the past...Now, he is among us, a special breed of man. A hunter, traveling through our world, searching for fugitives from his own...knowing he can not go home, until he has found them all. His name is Darien Lambert, and this is his story." TIME TRAX was an absolutely fabulous show that was killed way too soon. Dale Midkiff ("Love Potion No. 9", "The Crow: Salvation") was simply brilliant in his role, as were Elizabeth Alexander & Peter Donat as SELMA and Dr. Mordicai Sahmbi (respectively). I loved this series, and would love to see it come out on DVD. Heck, even shows that only lasted a year like "Tru Calling" get a DVD release, and TIME TRAX lasted 2 years, with no DVD in sight as of yet. Get moving, WB!
5 out of 7 people found the following review useful: better late than never, 2 July 2006 Author: markseip from United States
The TV series "Time Trax" has popped into my mind more than once over the past couple of years, but I never took time to look it up on the internet until now. I keep thinking how it has become more and more relevant because of how the writers selected one of Darien Lambert's crisis points to be his suffering as a minority in his own time period -- as a "Blanco", of all things. How prescient was that, in view of the rising tide of Spanish-speaking immigrants (illegal and otherwise) which many think will drown our English-speaking traditions? Remember the recent news report about the anger over the singing of "The Star Spangled Banner" in Spanish? Wasn't Darien's assignment to catch criminals in the past part of the discrimination against him? That was never said in so many words, but I thought it was implied. All the other cops (non-Blanco) got the cushy jobs in their own time period. I always liked Dale Midkiff's portrayal of Darien and have followed his TV appearances ever since. He is believable as such a nice, moral guy, but then again he can play a real slick, mean one, too.
Need more SciFi like this, 18 September 2009 Author: woodswoman55 from United States
I just saw Dale Midkiff on a movie on TV and I remembered the TV show that I loved that he played in in the 90's, but couldn't remember the name of it, had to look it up. I used to watch this on Sundays after I got home from work, in the early evenings. It was the highlight of my Sundays. I loved this show and wonder why they don't make good SciFi shows anymore like they used to (I'm a Star Trek fan, too). I'm not sure about the new show "Fringe" yet. It is rather way out there, but it does deal with a parallel universe. I believe they go overboard anymore when making SciFi, with weird monsters and such. Seems they could keep it a little saner for those of us who remember the good ole days!
Why Time Trax still works, 17 August 2009 Author: johnmichaelm from Illinois
In spite of the fact that the "parallel universe" premise became so prevalent towards the end, Time Trax was a terrific show. First, Dale Midkiff's character had an incredible interest in history. 44 episodes to chase down ghosts of the past made for some interesting dialog.Second, it was obvious that because of his lack of emotional bonding in his orphanage spent youth, relationships in his time travels were especially important. It was apparent in all of his dealings with those he wound up helping during each episode.Third, the concept of exceptional intelligence and physical prowess added greatly to his larger than life persona. Darien was more than a good cop, he was in essence a superhero, one who could perform amazing acts in the 20th century.
11 out of 22 people found the following review useful: Great sci-fi series, 11 October 2000 Author: Lucy-84
The shows on television that are actually good rarely last a respectable amount of time and this one is a good example. It was very entertaining. Dale Midkiff was very cool as Darien Lambert. He made the character very likeable. And the show wasn't loaded with sex and violence. Contrary to what some network executives may think not all people want to spend their time watching shows that are full of violence and promiscuous sex. I don't mind a mild amount of violence if the situation calls for it, but there's just no reason to have sex on television. Anyone who wants to see that kind of thing can watch a porno.
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