Helix: Season 1

This Syfy original series about a viral outbreak at an Arctic research lab starts off as a high-tension thriller in a confined environment, segues into a kind of zombie horror story as the disease spreads, and then transforms into a conspiracy narrative. When the first victim, Dr. Peter Farragut (Neil Napier), falls grotesquely ill, the Centers for Disease Control sends a response team led by husband-and-wife pathologists Dr. Alan Farragut (Billy Campbell), who's also Peter's brother, and Dr. Julia Walker (Kyra Zagorsky). The situation is tricky, because Alan is estranged from Peter, who had an affair with Julia. Each episode presents a day in the ordeal, but following a lively start the plotting soon grows overly complicated and repetitive, with suspicion cast upon lead scientist Hiroshi Hatake (Hiroyuki Sanada), among others. Battlestar Galactica veteran Ronald D. Moore is one of the executive producers, and his influence is apparent in the claustrophobic labyrinth of windowless rooms and tunnels and inhospitable environs that make the show feel like a deep-space drama but also results in a visual sameness that quickly becomes tiresome. Only during the final minutes of the first season (which jumps ahead to Day 235) does Helix move into the world at large. Compiling all 13 episodes from the 2014 debut season, extras include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes (the Blu-ray edition adds bonus featurettes). Hardcore sci-fi fans may appreciate this show, but it's unlikely to find followers outside the genre. Optional. (S. Axmaker)