Siberia: Season One

Using a fictional Survivor-like format as its template, Siberia introduces 16 contestants into a harsh Russian wilderness where they must compete in a last-man-standing game for half a million dollars. The actors playing the contestants assume a variety of roles—an accountant, a fashion designer, a professional athlete, a computer geek, etc.—each with personalities crafted for conflicts or alliances as the game progresses. Weird things start happening almost right away. People quit or disappear, and a string of mysterious clues pop up in a setting near the Tunguska region that was devastated by an exploding asteroid in 1908 (that part is true). At first, the dwindling population attributes the strange doings to pranks by the “producers” as part of the game. But then people start sustaining serious injuries and even dying, and the survivors discover that the production team has also vanished. Along the way, there are intimations of doom, and evidence of past horrors that include malevolent Sasquatch-like creatures, ancient tribesmen, abandoned medical research facilities, and black ops forces. Granted, a fake reality show that also plays on the popular TV trend of paranormal activity sounds like a nifty concept. Unfortunately, the dramatic execution of Siberia disappoints very quickly with its overreach for irony and ho-hum amalgam of supernatural scare tactics. Compiling all 11 episodes from the 2013 first season, this is an optional purchase, at best. (T. Fry)