Harsh Realm (1999–2000)

Lt. Hobbes is sent into a VR wargame simulation where he is to terminate a renegade General who has taken control of the program.

Creator:

Chris Carter

Stars:

Scott Bairstow, D.B. Sweeney, Terry O'Quinn

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Scott Bairstow	...	Lt. Thomas Hobbes (9 episodes, 1999-2000)
D.B. Sweeney	...	Mike Pinnochio (9 episodes, 1999-2000)
Terry O'Quinn	...	General Omar Santiago (9 episodes, 1999-2000)
Rachel Hayward	...	Florence (7 episodes, 1999-2000)
Max Martini	...	Waters (5 episodes, 1999-2000)
Vinnie	...	Dexter the Dog (5 episodes, 1999-2000)
Samantha Mathis	...	Sophie Green (4 episodes, 1999-2000)
Sarah-Jane Redmond	...	Inga Fossa (4 episodes, 1999-2000)

Storyline

Lt. Hobbes volunteers to test the army's newest tool, a virtual reality training machine code named "Harsh Realm." Once attached to the machine, Hobbes discovers that the VR world is controlled by the renegade soldier Omar Santiago. While Hobbes body remains in a coma, his mind lives on in the VR world, where he must join forces with an underground force in their attempt to overthrow Santiago.

---

Plot Keywords:

virtual reality | short lived | cyberpunk | avatar | television flop | 

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Harsh Realm - le royaume

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Ten Thirteen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min 45 min (9 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The chair Hobbes sits in to enter Harsh Realm has "siege" and "perilous" on its armrests. This is a reference to the legend of King Arthur, and a similar chair that would turn anybody but the bravest person in England into ash if they sat in it.

---

Goofs

In the title sequence, Hobbes's military ID card lists his rank and military pay grade as "LT/03". Hobbes is Army, and that rank/pay grade is consistent for the Navy.

---

Quotes

Mike Pinnochio: If I can't eat it, bang it or burn it, I'm sure as hell not gonna learn it.

---

Crazy Credits

In the closing credits for "Reunion", Steve Makaj is credited as "Dr. Goines" (instead of Serge Houde) as well as "Tracker #1".

---

Connections

Referenced in Millennium: Creating the Logo & Title Sequence (2004)

User Reviews

Great show. Too bad it ended without resolution

I vaguely remember this show when it was on television. I think I may have only seen the Pilot episode and then it got pulled soon thereafter. But when I saw copies on DVD at the library I had to get it and watch the rest of the episodes.

The show is about Lt. Hobbs (Scott Bairstow) who X-Files fans may remember from "Miracle Man" in season 1. He has entered into a war game virtual reality where he can not escape until he finds and kills the infamous Santagio who is played by one of my favorite actors Terry O'Quinn. The most likable character in my opinion is Hobbs' sidekick Mike Pinnochio played by D.B. Sweeney. Pinnochio represented me as a viewer in trying to talk some sense into Hobbs and let him know just how annoying he can be but then also turning around and admitting that he is right when he is right.

Many stand alone episodes are very intriguing such as "Kein Ausgang" where Hobbs and Pinnochio get stuck in a battle reenactment from World War II that repeats over and over again. Another great stand alone episode is seen in the final episode "Camera Obscura" about two feuding families in a post nuclear holocaust New York setting.

Many of the supporting actors are easily recognized from the X-Files and Millennium. All in all I loved this show and wish they would have been allowed to run the show for at least a 24 episode season so they could make a conclusion to the Santiago mythology arc that had been setup.