Regenesis: The best show you've never heard of.

A brief aside; to the best of my research I have not found this show syndicated in America. The first two seasons are available for free to watch on Hulu.com. The show wrapped up it's fourth season in May.

I am not a big fan of the typical cop or medical drama's because they seem too formulaic. You really are never brought into the life of a police officer, or a medical investigator. You don't learn much about the actual science behind the job. Regenesis breaks the mode. Finally a show that assumes you want to learn.

Regenesis is a Canadian show that I stumbled upon looking at Hulu.com (my primary source of television). The story centers around Norbac, a fictional international center to research bioterrorism, outbreaks of illness and environmental changes. The characters that staff the Toronto-based Norbac are the best sciences that North America has to offer, creating a wonderful cultural mix of people. The usual drama occurs between the staff, characters sleep together, date, and constantly bicker. This is of course, much like every day life.

The main character of the show is David Sandstrom, and though I have no formal evidence I have little doubt that the main character of House borrows much from this character. He is shamelessly brilliant, and utterly arrogant. Almost all his personal relationships are strained both because of his arrogance, and because he is an extremely distant person. When he isn't battling Alcoholism he is spending his time trying to find the next woman to woo. He is a hard character to love at times, but once you get a glimpse of his heart, you get hooked on the show.

The gem of this show, beyond the great cast (not one actor is easily recognizable, though a few have played bit parts in movies and other television shows), is the science. Instead of telling you how the cast solves, or doesn't solve the problem, they try to explain it. The science in this show is refreshingly heavy. I think for some it may be a turn off, but the idea I can watch a television show and learn at least scientific principles excites me. It is worth mentioning, that the show also tackles ethical problems in a long thought out way. The show follows an hour long format, but most 'events' on the show occurs through an arc of several episodes, allowing many things to be explained in detail. Yet much like other shows it helps to be aware of what happened throughout the season.

I can not stress enough how entertaining this show is. I really hope that American television takes a hint from this show and realizes that not everyone wants a cut and dry, learn nothing drama. For me the best part of this show is the fact that it is so in depth, and it shows me a little respect by assuming that I actually want something explained in a logical manner.