A bit HARSH Realm

Harsh Realm

Created by Chris ‘X Files’ Carter

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

This is a TV show from back in '99 which has intriguing premise - based on the comics of the same name, Harsh Realm deals with a Matrix like computer simulation of life, but this one is a military devised 'game'. Plucky hero Hobbes (alas not a relation of the one in Calvin and Hobbes) is played by Scott Bairstow (who?) Well, in the Harsh Real World he's just spent 4 months in jail in Washington for second-degree assault and undergone a sexual deviancy evaluation for sleeping with a 12 year old girl but that's another matter entirely.

What interested me most about Harsh Realm is the theology behind it - so along with your standard cheesy semi sci -fi action you get fascinating debates about the nature of reality, the concept of existence and the notion of an afterlife... Because in Harsh Realm, when you die, you immediately disappear - at least it cuts down on funeral bills...

So I'm a couple of episodes in and think it warrants a watch if you're into sci fi stuff - will give it a provisional

Darkmatt Rating: ööö (watchable)

Three almost interesting facts about the show:

Thomas Hobbes (the hero) is named after the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who believed in predestination and that people are inherently selfish and power-hungry...

The chair Hobbes sits in to enter Harsh Realm has "siege" and "perilous" written on its arms. Of course 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...

Harsh Realm met the harsh financially driven reality at Fox TV when it was cancelled after only nine episodes...

“It’s just a game”