Fall TV Pilot Preview: NBC’s ‘Revolution’

As Gil Scott-Heron famously promised, the revolution will not be televised — and in the case of NBC’s Revolution, that can be chalked up to the fact that the titular rebellion takes place in a world void of electricity.

Part post-apocalyptic thriller, part road movie, the latest project from Supernatural creator Eric Kripke and executive producer J.J. Abrams is one of the network’s most-talked about debuts for the fall season. The Hollywood Reporter caught the pilot ahead of its September premiere, so to maintain the breakneck speed of our Fall Preview 2012, here are five things to know about the dystopian drama.

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1. It’s a version of the world we live in. The pilot actually kicks off in modern-day Chicago just as all of the world’s televisions, cars, freezers, light bulbs, phones and — gasp! — even iPads simultaneously flicker and turn off. While there’s no attempt to explain the globe’s sudden rejection of physics, even when events quickly move forward to 15 years after the great blackout, it is hinted that some have information that they aren’t sharing with others.

2. Listen up, Twilight fans. There may not be any vampires or werewolves in Revolution, but it does count franchise star Billy Burke (aka Forks police chief Charlie Swan) as its lead actor. Burke is joined by frequent Good Wife guest Tim Guinee, Breaking Bad creep Giancarlo Esposito, David Lyons (The Cape), Andrea Roth (Rescue Me), Tracy Spiridakos (Being Human), Anna Lise Phillips and a slew of others.

3. Don’t get attached to anyone on that roll call. Revolution doles out causalities early in the pilot, and the series seems prepared dispatch most of the primary players without much hesitation. And aside for notable deaths, there’s also just a good deal of carnage. Fight sequences and often gruesome demises take up a solid 10 or 15 percent of the first episode.

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4. Prepare for flashbacks. As has been the custom with most complicated, arc-based serials in this post-Lost world, the first look at Revolution includes asides to the day the power went out. Given the mortality rate, and the how little attention is given to the events surrounding the black-out, the series seems poised to pepper the occasional time warp as the story moves forward.

5. Twist! The genre all but guarantees a few gotcha moments as the story warms up and Revolution delivers several. The pilot ends with one relatively expected revelation and two rather surprising ones.

Revolution begins on NBC’s Monday lineup this fall at 10 p.m., after The Voice, starting Sept. 17. Check out the promo below and hit the comments with your thoughts.