AirLockAlpha.com

This column contains MODERATE SPOILERS for the BBC series, "Primeval."

First things first ... I want to again mention that "Charlie Jade" continues to be shown on the SciFi Channel. The bad news is that it is running Tuesdays at 3 a.m. The reason I mention it is that I keep running into people who liked the show but didn't know it was still airing. So, you have been notified!

SciFi Channel, I have a related request ... if you did this for "Charlie Jade," could you please go ahead and run "Haunted" in the same way? For those who don't know, "Haunted" was a short-lived UPN program that starred Matthew Fox of "Lost" fame. The network has twice aired the first two episodes, but pulled it from their schedule once they aired. Replace "Charlie Jade" with "Haunted" at 3 a.m., and I'll be happy.

And now, on to the main event ...

If you are like me and enjoy some variety in your science-fiction, you might give a show that recently started airing on BBC America a try. It's called "Primeval," and has several things going for it, in my opinion.

Like "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood," this program first aired across the pond, with "Primeval" appearing on ITV. I particularly like this show because it is more action-oriented and has more dangerous situations than "Who" or its spinoffs.

I also like the ensemble cast although I do struggle understanding the accents at times. (I do love listening to various accents, so that's not a problem, by the way.)

The series focuses on Professor Nick Cutter, who leads a team of scientists as they investigate portals that open up and deposit dinosaurs in various locations around London so they can gnaw and chew on the city's inhabitants.

Cutter is the character I like most, kind of sullen yet smart as he struggles to apply his knowledge to this unique situation.

Also involved is Cutter's wife, Helen, who is far ahead of Nick's team since she has utilized the portals many times. She has ties to Cutter's second in command, Stephen Hart.

Connor Temple is the "eager young space cadet" who grows up during the show. He has a thing for zoologist Abby Maitland, who is the team member with more experience with animals.

Nick takes a shine to Claudia Brown, who works with the group. At the end of the first season, her character takes a major shift in direction, one I really liked.

The actor who steals the show is Ben Miller, who plays James Lester, head of the government agency involved. At one point, even he has to face a threat from the portal.

He's suave and yet a typical government bureaucrat, and he takes over whenever he's on camera.

Of course, if you are a big fan of dinosaurs, you'll see some of the best computer-generated graphics of them that I've seen. Only occasionally did one of them seem hokey or obvious.

If you want to keep all these shows in the same universe, the portals could be related to the ones on "Torchwood." Me, I'm OK with it being in a different place. Time and space portals have been around for years, long before these recent shows discovered them.

One of the things I enjoy most about the show is that it can be funny as well as suspenseful. In the pilot episode, after a dinosaur has tried to chow down on a child after busting through his bedroom window, the little boy grabs a toy "Star Wars" light saber to try and protect himself. I liked that.

Although it is serialized, this show doesn't require a huge investment of time. The first "series" or season as we say in the United States has only six episodes, while the second year is seven shows long. A lot happens during those episodes, so I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat.

Wayne Hall, news editor for Airlock Alpha, is not a big dinosaur fan, but he still likes a good story. He's also chief of security/publications editor/webmaster for the U.S.S. Chesapeake, a local Star Trek and science-fiction club in the Washington, D.C., area.