The Sarah Jane Adventures wrapped its fourth season last Tuesday night (10/15) … at least it did in the UK. Alas, for we poor souls in the Colonies there is no firm date for us to enjoy the exploits of the plucky investigative journalist and her brave band of teenage sidekicks as they repel a seemingly endless stream of alien invasions. This is a shame because TSJA is one of those rare sci-fi series that my kids, my wife, and myself can all equally enjoy.
One of my favorite t-shirts bears the message "You Never Forget Your First Doctor." No, I'm not talking about the obstetrician who brought me into this world, but rather the first incarnation (regeneration) I ever watched of that TARDIS-traveling Time-Lord from Gallifrey whose exploits are chronicled in the BBC TV show Doctor Who. My first Doctor was the irrepressible 4th Doctor, played by the equally irrepressible Tom Baker. And, of course—as anyone who watches the show for more than two episodes will know—the Doctor is (almost) invariably accompanied by a companion, who is (almost) invariably a female. There have been many, but amongst the most popular — possibly the most popular — was the plucky reporter Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen.
Sarah Jane started her travels with the third Doctor (Jon Pertwee, "the Dandy"), but she is best remembered for her time with the fourth. Sarah Jane had been introduced in the 70's and was supposed to be a more modern liberated woman than her predecessors. Oh, make no mistake, she could still scream her lungs out with the best of them at Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and other assorted oozes, but she was also a no non-sense newspaper "girl" (remember this was the 1970s) with a skeptical streak a mile wide. She was around for three seasons but finally left the Doctor to return to her home in the London suburb of Croydon (although why anyone would give up traveling through time and space to live in Croydon is one of the more baffling mysteries of the Universe).
When Doctor Who was rebooted in 2005 by producer Russell T. Davies, the show was able to almost totally recreate itself while still holding onto the history (if not always the continuity) of the original. So in the second season it came as little surprise when a recently regenerated Doctor crossed paths again with an older and wiser — not to mention less shrill — Sarah Jane Smith. This memorable episode soon led to a spin-off pilot, *The Sarah Jane Adventures — *created by Davies — and eventually to a full blown series with Sarah being joined by her own band of companions, devoted to fighting off alien invasions and generally keeping the world safe for humanity.
Sarah Jane still lives in the suburbs of London (now in the more habitable Ealing) with an alien super computer, her loyal robot dog K•9, and her adapted teenage son Luke — a human clone created by aliens from hundreds of human samples as part of their plot for world domination. They are joined in the adventures by Clyde and Maria (who is replaced in the second season by Rani when Maria moves to America). Together they face off against a rogues gallery of Doctor Who villains: Slitheen, Sontarans, and Judoon as well as many new enemies.
Although this is a Doctor Who spin off, and there are the occasional cross-overs (the Doctor has to gate crash Sarah Jane’s wedding in one episode), you don’t have to be a* Doctor Who* fan to enjoy TSJA. The stories generally involve some seemingly super-natural occurrence, which generally ends up being alien in origin, teaching kids about skepticism and investigation.
Created for younger audiences, TSJA is not as intense as your average Doctor Who episode, yet still packs in plenty of scary. They are far and away more suspenseful than anything produced for kids on this side of the pond. If you are looking for a sci-fi show to watch with the family, The Sarah Jane Adventures is a great blend of sci-fi, drama, and fun.
I’ve only had a chance to watch the first 3 seasons, but so far some of the highlights include:
- Warriors of Kudlak: The local laser tag arena isn’t all it appears to be, as children start to disappear, bringing a whole new meaning to child labor laws.
- Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane: Where Sarah Jane’s existence is erased by a change in the time stream; she dies in place of a childhood friend of hers, but the friend may not be as innocent as she first appears.
- The Day of the Clown: Possibly the creepiest episode, with killer clowns from outer space trying to take over the minds of the children of Earth.
- The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith: Guest-starring the 10th doctor! ‘nuff said.
- The Mark of the Berserker: Clyde’s estranged father returns to reconnect with his son, but an alien pendant has other plans.
- The Eternity Trap: A haunted house story with a twist. Full of lurking terrors, secret rooms and sudden surprises, this episode may keep your young ones awake at night.
The pilot and first two seasons are available on iTunes or you can get the first three seasons through Netflix. Start with the pilot. Even though it is not the strongest story in the series, it gives a lot of back-story and character development, and the stories only get better after that.
I'm not sure if any network in the good ol’ US of A will pick up the series for broadcast. SyFy (then The Sci-Fi Channel) carried the first season a few years ago, but didn't give it a lot of love. I saw it in their line up, but it never seemed to come on when scheduled. BBC America has been carrying recent seasons of the good Doctor, so maybe they will take TSJA and actually promote it. I hope so, but whoever gets the show, I hope they do it soon. Those Aliens aren't going to repel themselves!
