Touch (TV series)
Touch | |
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Genre |
Drama Thriller |
Created by | Tim Kring |
Starring | |
Composer(s) |
Wendy Melvoin Lisa Coleman |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Cinematography |
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Editor(s) |
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Running time | 44–49 minutes |
Production company(s) |
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Distributor | 20th Television |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Picture format | 720p (HDTV) |
Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
Original release | January 25, 2012 – May 10, 2013 |
External links | |
Website |
Touch is an American thriller television series that ran on Fox from January 25, 2012, to May 10, 2013. The series was created by Tim Kring and starred Kiefer Sutherland.[1] During its first season the series aired regularly on Thursday nights beginning March 22, 2012.[2][3] Thirteen episodes were ordered for the first season,[4] with the two-episode season finale airing on Thursday, May 31, 2012.[5] On May 9, 2012, Fox renewed the show for a second season.[6] The second season was originally scheduled to begin Friday, October 26, 2012, but was pushed back to Friday, February 8, 2013.[7]
On May 9, 2013, Fox canceled Touch after two seasons.[8]
Plot
Touch centers on former reporter Martin Bohm (Sutherland) and his 11-year-old autistic son, Jake (David Mazouz). Martin's wife died in the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks, and he has been struggling to raise Jake since then, moving from job to job while tending to Jake's special needs. Jake has never spoken a word, but is fascinated by numbers and patterns relating to numbers, spending much of his days writing them down in notebooks, his touch-screen tablet and sometimes using objects (for instance popcorn kernels).
Season 1
Jake's repeated escapes from special schools put Martin's capacity to raise the child in question, and social worker Clea Hopkins (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) arrives to perform an evaluation of Jake's living conditions. Martin, worried that he might lose his son, attempts to communicate with him, but the boy only continues to write down a specific pattern of numbers. This leads Martin to discover Professor Arthur Teller (Danny Glover), who has seen and worked with cases like this before, claiming that Jake is one of the few who can see the "pain of the universe" through the numbers. Teller also alludes to the interconnectivity of humanity as envisioned by the Chinese legend of the red string of fate, whereby actions, seen and unseen, can change the fate of people across the globe for the better. Martin realizes that Jake is trying to tell him to follow the numbers. On subsequent days, Martin does as Jake wants, each time finding his actions improving those touched by the numbers, though his devotion to following Jake's message puts his evaluation with social services at risk.
A larger overarching plot involves Teller's work. Teller himself had seen the numbers during a stroke, and has been fascinated with them since. The sequence of numbers that Jake presents falls into what Teller claimed was the Amelia Sequence (later known as the God Sequence), based on Amelia Robbins, who was one of his former child patients. Teller later is found dead after attempting to locate Amelia at the same facility where Jake spends his days. Martin discovers his old office, rented out from a Jewish synagogue, where he performs further research on the Amelia Sequence. He also learns that Teller's office mate, Avram (Bodhi Elfman), recognizes Jake as one of the 36 Righteous Ones. Meanwhile, Clea learns that an organization called Aster Corps, which provides Jake's school with modern equipment, seems intent on studying Jake's abilities as well as having ties to Teller's previous work with Amelia. When Aster Corps attempts to force the state to relinquish Martin's custody rights, Martin, with Clea's help, is able to sneak Jake out and leave the city. Through Jake's directions, they end up meeting Amelia's mother, Lucy (Maria Bello), on a pier in Los Angeles.
Season 2
Martin, Jake, and Lucy gain help in their quest from news syndicate BreakWire and its owner, Trevor Wilcox (Greg Ellis). Jake starts to talk to Amelia in their telepathic world. They also encounter Calvin Norburg (Lukas Haas), a former Aster Corps genius who is trying to heal his brain-damaged brother, and a murderous former priest, Guillermo Ortiz (Saïd Taghmaoui), who is determined to eliminate all of the Righteous 36 in order to restore the natural order of the universe, with God on top. After Lucy is killed on the orders of Aster Corps CEO Nicole Farington (Frances Fisher), Martin discovers that Farington plans to capture Jake and Amelia in order to decipher the God Sequence and use its predictive qualities to save the failing company.
The season ends with Amelia losing her special powers and Jake being secretly marked as the special one of the 36 by the rabbi. Calvin loses his sick brother after all his efforts, and Martin becomes the sole protector of the 36. The God Sequence is finally fully revealed.
Cast and characters
Actor | Character | Seasons | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | ||
Kiefer Sutherland | Martin Bohm | Main | |
David Mazouz | Jacob "Jake" Bohm | Main | |
Gugu Mbatha-Raw | Clea Hopkins | Main | |
Danny Glover | Arthur Teller | Main | |
Maria Bello | Lucy Robbins | Guest | Main |
Saxon Sharbino | Amelia Robbins | Guest | Main |
Lukas Haas | Calvin Norburg | Main | |
Saïd Taghmaoui | Guillermo Ortiz | Main |
Main
![](../I/m/Touch_s1_Poster_001.jpg)
- Kiefer Sutherland as Martin Bohm: a former journalist turned baggage handler, whose wife died in the September 11 attacks.[1]
- David Mazouz as Jacob "Jake" Bohm: Martin's mute 11-year-old son, who is obsessed with numbers and can see past, present and future events through the numbers, and shows his father the numbers so that his father can help stop bad events from happening[9]
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Clea Hopkins: a social worker who is sent to do an evaluation of the Bohms' living situation, and helps Martin and Jake escape from New York.[10]
- Danny Glover as Professor Arthur Teller: an expert on the gifted few who possess numerical clairvoyance.[11]
- Maria Bello (season 2) as Lucy Robbins: the mother of Amelia, a girl who shares a gift similar to that of Jake and former client of Teller.[12]
- Saxon Sharbino as Amelia Robbins: Lucy's missing daughter, who is gifted like Jake.[13]
- Lukas Haas as Calvin Norburg: an Aster Corps genius whose path crosses with Martin and Jake. He is researching Amelia's brain activity, and plans to use the data to help his brain-damaged brother, William, recover from a major accident that he caused.[14]
- Saïd Taghmaoui as Guillermo Ortiz: a priest-turned-murderer bent on killing the 36 people with Jake's ability, though he is one himself. When finally cornered by Martin, he kills himself rather than be captured, but not before apologizing to God (within earshot of Martin) for not finding the "nest of seven."[15]
Recurring cast
- Bodhi Elfman as Avram Hadar: a Hasidic Jew who shares an office with Teller. A student of Kabbalah, Avram believes Jake's special abilities are tied to this mysticism.
- Greg Ellis (season 2) as Trevor Wilcox: Martin's former reporter rival and later a friend who now owns a news syndicate called BreakWire and becomes an ally. Martin often leaves Jake under his care.
- Frances Fisher as Nicole Farington: CEO of Aster Corps who tries to decipher the God Sequence in order to predict the future to the advantage of Aster Corps.
- Mykelti Williamson as Detective Lange: an LAPD detective who believes Martin's story enough to investigate Aster Corps.
- Adam Campbell as Anthony "Tony" Rigby: an Aster Corps executive who reports to Farington and is complicit in keeping Amelia away from her mother.
- Leland Orser as Dr. Linus: an Aster Corps employee in charge of the dangerous experiments being conducted on select members of the 36 at Aster Corps' Sleep Assessment Center. The experiments are disguised as treatment for sleep disorders, but are actually being used to complete the predictive number sequence for Aster Corps.
- D. B. Sweeney as Joseph Tanner: Aster Corps enforcer who works directly under Farington orders.
- Titus Welliver as Randall Meade: New York Lottery winner and a former firefighter who tried to rescue Martin's wife in the September 11 attacks. Meade believes he has a task to fulfill to atone for Sarah Bohm's death, which is driven by "his" numbers.
- Roxana Brusso as Sheri Strepling: the corrupt director of the board-and-care facility that Jake attended.
- Catherine Dent as Abigail Kelsey: Jake's aunt and an Aster Corps executive seeking custody of Jake.
- Linda Gehringer as Frances Norburg: Calvin's mother, a middle-school librarian who is called to be Amelia's handler after the girl is kidnapped. She is murdered under orders from Aster Corps.
- Samantha Whittaker as Dr. Nell Plimpton: an archaeologist and one of the 36 who comes to Los Angeles to Aster Corps' Sleep Assessment Center.
- May Miyata and Satomi Okuno as Miyoko and Izumi: Flamboyant Japanese friends whose online presence runs throughout the first season, beginning with a cellular telephone that they receive from an international journey.
Episodes
Production
Touch season one was shot at The Culver Studios in Culver City, CA, and on location in Los Angeles, CA. Season two was filmed at Fox Studios in Century City, CA.
Post-production
"Three Little Birds", sung by Kayla Graham (Karen David), was released as a soundtrack single, on iTunes by 20th Century Fox TV Records on February 28, 2012.[16]
Reception
Critical reception
The first season of the show was met with "generally favorable" reviews, and obtained a Metacritic score of 63/100.[17] The second season received "mixed or average" reviews with a Metacritic score of 60/100.[18]
Michael Landweber of PopMatters called the first episode "stunningly effective", and said that "its mix of spirituality and science, familial and global struggles, is galvanising." He also noted that "The boy's narration, unnervingly matter-of-fact about the nature of the universe, takes on more power when he reveals that in 11 years, he has never spoken a word."[19] In a review for the New York Post, Linda Stasi said "If you can't get enough of number sequences and universal cylindrical patterns that constantly repeat [...] then for sure you'll repeat the pattern of watching Fox's new show." She added, "Yes, the show is intriguing, and it's great to have Sutherland back on TV. But frankly, it's awfully complicated."[20] Lori Rackl of the Chicago Sun-Times said the show "operates on the mind-blowing premise that people around the world are linked to one another and their lives intersect—with potentially major repercussions". She finished the review saying it "delivers a suspenseful ride around the world, peppered with some tear-jerking moments. The bar has been set high. Here's hoping "Touch" continues to reach it."[21] Kiefer Sutherland's performance also gained praise, with Landweber saying "Sutherland, however, plays the part with such a combination of intensity and subtlety that we are drawn deep into Martin's suffering, and rather than judging him, we feel with him. Every trial is etched in his face. He imbued Jack Bauer with similar stoicism, but Martin seems less resilient, more distressed."[19]
Verne Gay of Newsday called the second season "more fun," adding "you have plain old smashmouth elemental TV story devices—good guys, bad guys, evil corporations, a family unit, and a headlong rush toward the Truth, whatever that may be."[22] The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger called the season "considerably darker and more complex," adding "The intricacies may make it harder for new viewers to crack the show without doing some catch-up watching, but they also make it far more absorbing."[23] David Hinckley of the Daily News found two problems with the second season—"characters like popups in a video game" and "as the action ramps up, Jake's gift recedes." He added, "The show still has some interesting things happening, and there are worse things on TV than a fast-paced action drama."[24]
Accolades
Year | Association | Category | Nominee | Result |
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2012 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Main Title Theme Music | Nominated | |
Outstanding Special Visual Effects | Nominated | |||
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Television Drama Show | Nominated | ||
Choice Actor: Drama | Kiefer Sutherland | Nominated | ||
2013 | Young Artist Awards[25] | Best Performance in a TV Series - Leading Young Actor | David Mazouz |
Ratings
Touch debuted to over 12 million viewers in the pilot episode,[26] with the next episode pulling in more than 11.8 million. But ratings fell sharply after that, and the season one finale garnered just 4.6 million viewers.[27] After the first two episodes of season two, all of the remaining 11 episodes fell short of 3 million viewers, leading to the series cancellation.[28]
Season | Time slot (ET) | # Ep. | Premiered | Ended | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Premiere viewers (in millions) |
Date | Finale viewers (in millions) | ||||||
1 | |
13 | 12.01[29] | 4.60[30] | 2011–12 | #45 | 9.18[31] | ||
2 | |
13 | 3.94[32] | 2.42[34] | 2012–13 | #121 | 3.65[35] |
International distribution
Country | Channel | Premiere date |
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Network Ten Fox8 |
April 22, 2012 |
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ORF eins | February 27, 2012 (Pilot) March 26, 2012 (regular)[36] |
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Fox Brasil | March 19, 2012[37] |
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Fox Asia | March 25, 2012 |
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BeTV (in French) | June 7, 2012 |
2BE | September 3, 2012 | |
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bTV | July 30, 2014 |
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Global | January 25, 2012[38] |
addikTV (in French) | September 25, 2012[39] | |
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March 27, 2012 | |
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Prima Cool | December 23, 2013 |
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TV 2 | January 19, 2013[40] |
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MTV3 | October 9, 2012 |
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M6 | September 14, 2013 |
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Pro 7 | February 27, 2012 (pilot)[41] March 26, 2012 (regular) (season 1) January 24, 2015 (season 2) |
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FX | March 22, 2012 |
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TVB Pearl | December 18, 2012[42] |
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RTL2 | October 13, 2013 |
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STAR World India | March 24, 2012 |
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Yes Action | March 20, 2012 |
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Fox | March 20, 2012[43] |
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Canal Fox | March 19, 2012[44][45] |
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TV3 | May 8, 2013 |
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Fox Life | March 27, 2012 |
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Canal Fox | March 19, 2012[44][45] |
Canal 5 | August 14, 2013 | |
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Fox NL | August 23, 2013[46] |
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TV3 | March 25, 2012[47] |
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TV 2 | March 19, 2012 |
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Jack TV and JACK City on BEAM TV 31 | March 18, 2012[48] |
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Fox | March 26, 2012[49] |
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Fox | March 20, 2012[50] |
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Channel One | March 25, 2012 |
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March 27, 2012 | |
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TV JOJ | June 20, 2014 |
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March 27, 2012 | |
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Fox España | March 22, 2012 |
Cuatro | July 8, 2013[51] | |
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Kanal 11 | September 23, 2013[52] |
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Pro 7 | February 27, 2012 (pilot)[41] March 26, 2012 (regular) |
RTS Un (in French) | March 31, 2013 | |
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Fox Asia | March 25, 2012 |
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Sky1 | March 20, 2012[53] |
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STAR Movies Asia | March 28, 2012 |
References
- 1 2 Crider, Michael (March 2, 2011). "New Plot Details Emerge for Tim Kring's Touch". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ↑ Fox Broadcasting Company (December 1, 2011). "FOX Announces 2011–2012 Midseason Premiere Dates" (Press release). The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ↑ Gorman, Bill (February 27, 2012). "'Touch' Premiere Moved To March 22, Bones Moves To Monday On April 2, The Finder Spring Finale On March 8". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ↑ Schneider, Michael (September 22, 2011). "Fox Makes Kiefer Sutherland's Return to Primetime Official". TV Guide. Retrieved September 22, 2011.
- ↑ The Futon Critic Staff (April 2, 2012). "Exclusive: FOX Books Two-Hour Touch Season Finale for May 31". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ↑ Hibberd, James (May 9, 2012). "Fox renews Touch, cancels Alcatraz". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Fox Pushes Touch Return To January, Slots Kitchen Nightmares On Fridays". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 9, 2013). "Touch Canceled by FOX After Two Seasons". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (June 7, 2011). "'Touch': David Mazouz Cast Opposite Kiefer Sutherland". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ↑ "Gugu Mbatha-Raw joins Kiefer Sutherland in FOX's Touch". HitFix. June 10, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (June 9, 2011). "Danny Glover Joins Kiefer Sutherland in Fox's Drama Pilot Touch". TVLine. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ↑ Bowman, Sabienna (October 25, 2012). "Touch Season 2 Cast Photos Introduce New Castmembers Maria Bello and Lukas Haas". TV Equals. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ↑ "Touch - Season 2 - Casting News - Lukas Haas and Saxon Sharbino - Press Release". Spoiler TV. November 30, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ↑ West, Kelly (August 3, 2012). "Touch Season 2 Adds Greg Ellis And Two More". TV Blend. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ↑ Hinman, Michael (August 8, 2012). "'Touch' Beefs Up West Coast Cast". Airlock Alpha. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- ↑ Fox Broadcasting (February 28, 2012). Touch-"Three Little Birds" ('Making of' video). Fox Broadcasting. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
- ↑ "Touch – Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
- ↑ "Critic Reviews for Touch Season 2". Metacritic.com. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
- 1 2 Landweber, Michael (January 25, 2012). "'Touch': The First Episode Is Stunningly Effective". PopMatters. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ↑ Stasi, Linda (January 25, 2012). "Kiefer is back". New York Post. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ↑ Rackl, Lori (January 24, 2012). "Kiefer Sutherland makes a welcome return to TV in 'Touch'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ↑ Gay, Verne (February 6, 2013). "'Touch' review: New season is more fun". Newsday. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
- ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (February 7, 2013). "And a Child Will Lead Them. But Where?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
- ↑ Hinckley, David (February 7, 2013). "TV review: Touch". Daily News. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
- ↑ "34th Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
- ↑ Gorman, Bill (January 31, 2012). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'American Idol,' 'Big Bang Theory' Top Week 19". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (June 1, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: No Adjustments for 'Touch', 'Duets' or 'Rookie Blue'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ↑ Fox Cancels Touch. ismyshowcancelled.com on May 9, 2013.
- ↑ Gorman, Bill (January 31, 2012). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: 'American Idol,' 'Big Bang Theory' Top Week 19". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (June 1, 2012). "Thursday Final Ratings: No Adjustments for 'Touch', 'Duets' or 'Rookie Blue'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 24, 2012). "Full 2011–2012 TV Season Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 11, 2013). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Last Man Standing', 'Dateline', 'Shark Tank' & 'Rock Center' Adjusted Down + Final 'Touch' Premiere Ratings". Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ↑ Kondology, Amanda (March 12, 2013). "FOX Announces New Season Finale Dates for 'New Girl', 'The Mindy Project', 'Kitchen Nightmares' and 'Touch'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 13, 2013). "Friday Final TV Ratings:'Kitchen Nightmares' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Nikita', 'Vegas' or 'Touch'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/tv-season-series-rankings-2013-full-list/
- ↑ "Spektakulärer Auftakt für "Touch"". ORF. February 27, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ↑ "Acusada de plágio, Touch faz sua estreia mundial". Veja. March 19, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ↑ "Huge premiere for Global's Touch with 1.9 million viewers" (pdf) (Press release). Shaw Media. March 23, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Quebecor Média: la saison des lancements se termine Touch". infopresse.com. June 15, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ↑ "Global premiere på ny Kiefer Sutherland-serie". January 24, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- 1 2 "ProSieben schnappt sich "Touch"". quotenmeter.de. January 21, 2012.
- ↑ "命運點對點". December 18, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ↑ "PFox Channels Italy conferma di aver acquistato Touch, il nuovo drama con Kiefer Sutherland!". badtv.it. December 5, 2011.
- 1 2 "Fox One Stop Media: Touch". foxonestop.com.
- 1 2 "Touch". canalfox.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Touch". Fox NL. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ↑ "Touch on TV3 New Zealand". TV3.
- ↑ "New drama series Touch premieres this March". March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
- ↑ "Touch". Fox (Poland).
- ↑ "Kiefer Sutherland regressa à Fox para a estreia mundial de Touch". Fox (Portugal).
- ↑ "Cuatro estrena 'Touch', la serie protagonizada por Kiefer Sutherland". July 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ↑ "TV4 – sämst i klassen på att förvalta sina inköpta serier". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). September 24, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Sky 1 Moves UK Premiere Date For Touch". TVWise. February 29, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Touch (TV series) |
- Official website
- Touch at the Internet Movie Database
- Touch at TV.com