1996’s Millennium ventured into some dark places, but it also delivered some excellent stories when at its best, exploring the dark side of human nature.
What Is It?
This series focused on ex-FBI agent Frank Black who previously worked for the Burea as a criminal profiler and who has a unique ability to “see” the crime scene from the eyes of the killer. After leaving his former position, he goes to work as a consultant for the Millennium group solving crimes while also looking for evidence to support the group’s belief that evil forces are coming together and present a threat to humanity as the end of the second millennium approaches. Frank also tries to balance his work life with the one he has with his wife Catherine and daughter Jordan to help himself from being overcome by the darkness he faces.
Aired: FOX, 1996-99, 3 Seasons Totaling 67 Episodes
Cast: Lance Henriksen, Megan Gallagher, Brittany Tiplady, Terry O’Quinn, Kristen Cloke, Klea Scott
Crew: Chris Carter (Creator/Executive Producer), Glen Morgan (Showrunner/Executive Producer), James Wong (Showrunner/Executive Producer), Chip Johannessen (Executive Producer)
Legacy:
This gave Chris Carter his second big television series after The X-Files, and while it went to some really dark places, it provided well-written stories and good drama while exploring that dark side of human nature, and it counts as a must-watch genre entry.
A Closer Look:
When The X-Files turned into a hit for FOX (after a couple of seasons of low ratings), the network offered Chris Carter the chance to produce a second show. He had already come up with an idea for a series while working on the X-Files episode “Irresistible”, and he wanted the show to focus on human monsters as opposed to the alien and paranormal creatures his other series explored. The first season of Millennium delivered mostly serial-killer-of-the-week episodes, though it fully utilized the formula to explore the darkness of humanity, as well as apocalyptic themes, while juxtaposing Frank’s relationship with his family as a beacon of hope.
Starting with the second season, Glen Morgan and James Wong came onboard as showrunners and they explored more of the supernatural themes hinted at in the first season while also taking a deeper look into the Millennium group. That season ended on a very apocalyptic note that suggested the show would not return, but FOX did decide to bring it back for a third year. The tone changed again (Morgan and Wong had departed by that time), and the new season offered a mix of procedural stories along with episodes that continued to delve into the motivations of the Millennium group.
Even though the show had differences in approach and tone across its three seasons, it did have a thematic consistency relating to the mysteries of the Millennium group (though their role changed throughout the show’s run) and the looming fear of a pending apocalypse. But what really held the show together was the characters and the actors who portrayed them. Lance Henriksen is of course the central figure as Frank Black, and his performance is spot-on perfect as the ex-profiler who gives the appearance of being in control but who is fraught with inner turmoil. His family (Megan Gallagher as Catherine and Brittany Tiplady as Jordon) plays an important part of the story as well along with Terry O’Quinn’s gripping performance as Peter Watts, the Millennium operative we never know if we can trust. Also adding to the strength of the cast was Kristen Cloke as Lara Means during the show’s second season and Klea Scott coming onboard as Emma Hollis in the final season.
Sadly, this one has mostly fallen off the radar since it originally aired, and it is typically not mentioned in best-of conversations relating to genre television (though Rotten Tomatoes ranks it at #87 in its list of best sci fi TV shows). The X-Files usually gets the most attention among Chris Carter’s creations, and that one truly counts as a sci fi TV classic. But Millennium accomplished a lot during its run as well. It was very different from the other offerings on television at the time it aired and in many ways acted as the predecessor to the dark TV that would follow with shows like The Sopranos, Dexter, and Breaking Bad. It also delivered a very cinematic experience, something we have taken for granted of late with the high production values we see from the streaming originals and other high-profile series, but which was not common at that time. This is definitely a show that is worth seeking out, if you have only watched it during its first run or if you have never seen it at all, because it still holds up and it delivers an excellent television drama.
Cancelled Too Soon?
Yes. The show faced cancellation during its second season and wrapped up on a rather apocalyptic note. But FOX decided to bring it back for a third year and change up the format to go back to more of the procedural episodes we saw in the first season. That did not help the ratings, though, and the network cancelled the show on a cliffhanger ending. A crossover with The X-Files followed the next year, but that hardly proved to be a satisfying conclusion. (You can read more about the cancellation at CancelledSciFi.com.)
The Story Continues:
In 2015, IDW published a comic book mini-series that continued the story of Frank Black, written by Joe Harris with art by Colin Lorimer. It was spun out of their comic adaptation of The X-Files and takes place during the “Season 10” time frame of that series. The comic brought in Fox Mulder to team up with Frank Black as they investigate the Millennium Group. In addition, Frank’s daughter Jordan, now an initiate of the group, is starting to manifest powers similar to those of her father. The series proved quite popular, but it did not continue beyond its initial five-issue run. It has since been collected in TPB and it is worth checking out as it offers a faithful continuation of the television series.
Should It Be Rebooted?
A complete reboot? Absolutely not! But a revival similar to what The X-Files had several years back definitely needs to happen. This show needs to return for at least a shortened season or perhaps even a movie to give it the conclusion it deserves. Much of the cast and crew are onboard with this and Lance Henriksen has lobbied for a revival several times. It could even potentially head into a Millennium: The Next Generation continuation with Frank’s daughter Jordan as the lead character. The excellent documentary Millennium After the Millennium takes a look back at the show and its influence and also suggests how it could move forward and wrap up the tale that it started. The Back to Frank Black movement has tried for years to get something moving on this front. And Millennium fans should stay tuned and be ready for a Call to Action as efforts continue to try and bring the show back for at least one more round.
Interesting Facts:
FOX executives originally wanted William Hurt to play the part of Frank Black. Chris Carter insisted on Lance Henriksen for the role and eventually won out. Carter previously had to fight for Gillian Anderson to get the role of Dana Scully in The X-Files as the network preferred an actress who was “taller, leggier, blonder and breastier”; someone more like Pamela Anderson.
Glen Morgan and James Wongs came in as showrunners on the second season because Chris Carter was busy with the X-Files movie as well as the fifth season of that show. They tried to shift away from the violence of the first season and focus on more supernatural themes while also exploring more about the group. Carter did not like this direction and took the show back to its procedural format in its third season (with some prodding from the network). But fans of Millennium tend to agree that the second season represented a high point for the series.
Where Can You Watch It?
Sadly, there are not many options for watching the show at this point. The complete series was released on DVD, but that has since gone out of print, and third-party sellers are asking a hefty price for the entire run. It is also not currently available for streaming, though efforts are underway to interest Hulu, Shudder, or other streamers to pick the show up (more on that at this link).
