Science fiction television series based on the premise of limited time travel
Seven Days (also written as 7 Days) is an American science fiction television series based on the premise of time travel. It was created by Christopher and Zachary Crowe, and aired on UPN from October 7, 1998 to May 29, 2001.
Synopsis.
The plot follows a secret branch of the US National Security Agency, which has developed a time travelling device based upon alien technology found at Roswell. As the opening of the show recounts, the Chronosphere, or Backstep Sphere, is capable of sending “one human being back in time seven days” to avert disasters. The show's title refers to the chief limitation of the technology, namely that a traveler can only "backstep" seven days due to limitations imposed by the device's fuel source and its reactor. As the fuel source is limited, there is a strict mandate that the backstep is confined to events relating directly to national security. The backstep team and the equipment are stationed in a base in a secret location somewhere in the desert of Nevada called "Never Never Land"—a play on Area 51, or Groom Lake Flight Test Facilities, also known as "Dreamland".
The first episode begins with an attack on the White House, after which "Project Backstep" receives permission to attempt a launch. Under pressure to identify the perpetrators and find the exact sequence of events leading to the attack, the team coordinates with branches of the CIA, US Military, and sympathetic world powers to plan a response while the scientific team attempts to finish the technology. They search for a test pilot, eventually selecting Frank Parker, a former Navy SEAL and CIA operative whose son died in the aftermath of the attack, to be the world's first "Chrononaut". After succeeding in both time travel and in preventing the attack (thus reversing the deaths of his family), Parker chooses to stay with the program.
Production.
Three seasons of "Seven Days" were produced. All three seasons have been shown in North America, and by the BBC in the United Kingdom.
"Seven Days" was based on an idea from Kerry McCluggage, then-president of Paramount Television. He pitched the idea to Christopher Crowe, who mixed it with his own research on Area 51 to create the series. The show wasn't a hit with reviewers, who criticized the show's "flimsy" premise and violence.
Original cast member Sam Whipple, who played Dr. John Ballard, left the series four episodes into the third season, due to diagnosis of a cancer that was eventually fatal. He was replaced by Kevin Christy as young physics prodigy Andrew "Hooter" Owsley for the rest of the season.
Justina Vail, who played Dr. Olga Vukavitch, quit the series before the end of the third season, though she agreed to film a few extra scenes to wrap-up her character's arc. Her departure and the tensions within the cast, as well as the show's low ratings, played a role in UPN's decision to not renew the series for a fourth season.
DVD release.
On November 26, 2018, Visual Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the first time.
Awards.
"Seven Days" was nominated for six awards, winning one. Actress Justina Vail won a Saturn Award in 2000 for her performance on the show.
References.
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