They're Refugees from the United States: ABC's The Crossing Premieres April 2

FTC Statement: Reviewers are frequently provided by the publisher/production company with a copy of the material being reviewed.The opinions published are solely those of the respective reviewers and may not reflect the opinions of CriticalBlast.com or its management.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. (This is a legal requirement, as apparently some sites advertise for Amazon for free. Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Submitted by RJ Carter on Mon, 03/19/2018 - 14:55

Jude Ellis (STEVE ZAHN) is the sheriff of a sleepy northwestern coastal town that suddenly finds itself the center of a federal investigation. When Ellis is called to investigate a body washed up on a restricted beach, he finds not one body, but a handful -- with countless more floating in on the tide. What's more, some of them are survivors, still alive. When Agent Emma Peralta (SANDRINE HOLT) begins to interview the survivors for DHS, she finds they all have one story in common -- they are refugees from a war with genocidal intent. But the country isn't a foreign one -- it's the United States, only 250 years in the future.

THE CROSSING is a blend of time travel and government conspiracy -- a sort of blend of CONTINUUM and THE X FILES. In the future, there's an evolutionary jump in the human race, a breed called Apex, with enhanced strength and faster reflexes. But they may not be just in the future -- they may already be here now, infiltrating the government and awaiting these refugees so they can prevent the future from being altered.

One such Apex would appear to be Reece (NATALIE MARTINEZ), another survivor of the migration that somehow landed them deep under the Pacific Ocean rather than on dry land, resulting in the majority of the refugees drowning. Reece is the mother of the youngest of the refugees, Leah (BAILEY SKODJE), and we see how powerful she is when she kidnaps the sheriff and demands to be taken to the dead. But as we learn more about the refugees, one of them has an important message: they aren't the first. The setup is that we can expect Jude, Reece and Emma to work together to unravel the mystery of THE CROSSING and, perhaps, save the future of the human race.

It's an intriguing setup, and the small-town focal point gives things a more grounded feeling than might have come from setting the story in a more urban setting. Zahn is a completely relateable character, and plays the role with an affability that makes him instantly likeable to the audience. Having him paired with two obviously badass females will probably appeal to a broad demographic, but whether or not audiences are ready for yet another time travel and conspiracies series is something only time will tell.

L-R: Sandrine Holt, Steve Zahn and Natalie Martinez star in ABC's THE CROSSING, premiering April 2, 2018.