Alcatraz (TV series)

On March 21, 1963, 256 inmates and 46 guards disappeared from the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary without a trace. To cover up the disappearance, the government invented a cover story about the prison being closed due to unsafe conditions, and officially reported that the inmates had been transferred. However, federal agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill), a young San Francisco police officer tasked with transferring inmates to the island in 1963, is one of the first to discover that the inmates are actually missing and not transferred. In present-day San Francisco, the "63s" (as the missing inmates and guards are called) begin returning, one by one. Strangely, they have not aged at all, and they have no clues about their missing time or their whereabouts during their missing years; however, they appear to be returning with compulsions to find certain objects and to continue their criminal habits. Even more strangely, the government has been expecting their return, and Hauser now runs a secret government unit dedicated to finding the returning prisoners; this unit was set up long ago in anticipation of the prisoners' returns. (The cellblock at this unit has the same configuration as Alcatraz' distinctive two-level layout.) To help track down the returning prisoners and capture them, Hauser enlists police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), a published expert on the history of Alcatraz and its inmates.

Opening: (Narrated by Sam Neill in every episode)

"On March 21, 1963, Alcatraz officially closed. All the prisoners were transferred off the island. Only, that's not what happened. Not at all."

• Sarah Jones as {{Anchor|Rebecca Madsen}}Rebecca Madsen, a San Francisco Police Department homicide detective with family ties to Alcatraz; she becomes involved after one of the inmates – her grandfather – is responsible for the death of her partner, directly meeting the task force when investigating the death of the former deputy warden at Alcatraz. She was raised by her great-uncle – a former Alcatraz guard and, later, cop – after the death of her parents, occasionally helping him look over his case files as she was growing up and offering useful insight into his cases, inspiring her own career.
• Jorge Garcia as {{Anchor|Diego Soto|Doc}}Dr. Diego "Doc" Soto, a PhD in both criminal justice and Civil War history, author of books on Alcatraz, comic book store owner, writer, and artist. He claims that he received the PhDs to satisfy his parents, subsequently deliberately disgracing himself in the industry by writing a crime evaluation report using Gotham City as his example so that he could open the store. He went through an unspecified traumatic experience at age eleven involving being abducted, which affected him deeply. Although he lacks field training, Doc's detailed knowledge of the missing Alcatraz prisoners has proven invaluable in helping the task force identify and track the returning inmates.
• Sam Neill as {{Anchor|Emerson Hauser}}Emerson Hauser, an FBI agent and former police officer who arrived on the dock at Alcatraz to find the prisoners gone in 1963. Currently heads the Alcatraz Task Force. Although his priority is generally to capture and contain the inmates to find out where they went and why they are coming back, he has shown that he is willing to put innocent lives over the lives of the inmates when the situation directly requires him to make a choice. He studied philosophy at Yale University before he began working at Alcatraz.
• Parminder Nagra as {{Anchor|Lucy Banerjee}}Dr. Lucille "Lucy" Banerjee, Agent Hauser's technician/colleague and friend. In 1963, she was known as Dr. Lucille Sengupta, who served as a psychiatrist at Alcatraz, and apparently had the potential of a romantic relationship with Hauser before she vanished. She spent some time in a coma after she was injured during one of the first cases, but recovered thanks to a blood transfusion from Webb Porter due to the accelerated healing of certain inmates due to tests they underwent at Alcatraz.
• Jonny Coyne as {{Anchor|Edwin James}}Edwin James, the warden of Alcatraz. Although more tolerant of the prisoners, he has been shown to resort to psychological torture in order to learn crucial information about them, such as manipulating Ernest Cobb's attempts to be placed in solitary confinement or threatening to leave Kit Nelson in a small dark room until Nelson admits the truth about his first crime. He apparently vanished with the rest of the inmates, and his present whereabouts are unknown, although he appears to be the only person who knew what was really going on at Alcatraz.
• Jason Butler Harner as {{Anchor|E.B. Tiller}}Elijah Bailey "E.B." Tiller, the deputy warden of Alcatraz, whose cynical views of the inmates often put him at odds with James; he was killed in the present by Jack Sylvane in the pilot, although he still appears in flashbacks to the past where he brutally treated the various inmates.
• Robert Forster as {{Anchor|Ray Archer}}Raymond "Ray" Archer (previously Ray Madsen), Rebecca's great-uncle and former Alcatraz prison guard; he was approached by Hauser to join the task force sixteen years ago, but rejected the offer due to his responsibilities to Rebecca. He now owns a bar and is aware of at least Tommy Madsen's return, although he is generally unaware of the other 63s.

• David Hoflin as {{Anchor|Tommy Madsen}}Thomas "Tommy" Madsen (#2002), Rebecca's grandfather and Ray's brother who reappeared in 2012 and killed Rebecca's partner; Rebecca was raised believing that he was a guard at the prison until she witnessed the list of '63s'. He is apparently more significant than the other inmates, as Hauser approached Ray specifically due to his connection to Madsen, with Madsen having been underground for several months since his return rather than the more public activities of other inmates.
• Leon Rippy as {{Anchor|Milton Beauregard}}Dr. Milton Beauregard, the head doctor of Alcatraz who reappeared in 2012 and operates under Hauser.
• Jeananne Goossen as {{Anchor|Nikki}}Nikki, a medical examiner in the coroner's office.
• Jeffrey Pierce as {{Anchor|Jack Sylvane}}Jack Sylvane (#2024), the first inmate tracked down and captured by the Alcatraz Task Force. While most of his targets fit in with his expected pattern – going after Tiller and his brother, who married his ex-wife – he also went to an unconnected house to acquire a distinctive key from a man's safe. His own ignorance of his reasons for requesting that key suggests that there is another agenda behind the inmates' sudden return.

There were around 302 people on Alcatraz when they all mysteriously vanished, with fewer than 50 of these being prison staff; the other 250+, referred to by Hauser as the '63s, remain some of America's worst recorded criminals. Each one has demonstrated a ruthless skill in their chosen crime fields of expertise and no compunctions about picking up where they left off. Various inmates underwent mysterious experiments involving their blood being extracted, treated with an unidentified process, and then returned to them, those inmates who underwent this procedure possessing a degree of accelerated healing that allows them to recover from wounds in far less time than would normally be expected.

• David Hoflin as Tommy Madsen (#2002)
• Jeffrey Pierce as Jack Sylvane (#2024)
• Joe Egender as Ernest Cobb (#2047)
• Michael Eklund as Kit Nelson (#2046)
• Eric Johnson as Cal Sweeney (#2112)
• James Pizzinato as Paxton Petty (#2223)
• Adam Rothenberg as Johnny McKee (#2055)
• Graham Shiels as Pinky Ames (#2177)
• Travis Aaron Wade as Herman Ames (#2178)
• Theo Rossi as Sonny Burnett (#2088)
• Mahershala Ali as Clarence Montgomery (#2214)
• Rami Malek as Webb Porter (#2012)
• Greg Ellis as Garrett Stillman (#2109)
• Brendan Fletcher as Joe Limerick (Ghost)
• Max Clough as Prison Thug

• Jim Parrack as Guy Hastings
• Frank Whaley as Officer Donovan
• Robbie Amell as the young Raymond "Ray" Archer

{{Episode table |background=#3F1959 |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |prodcode= |viewers= |country=U.S. |episodes=

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|Title = Pilot

|DirectedBy = Danny Cannon

|WrittenBy = Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt & Elizabeth Sarnoff

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|01|16}}

|ProdCode = 296790

|Viewers = 10.05{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/18/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-adjusted-up-castle-adjusted-down/116810/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121014149/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/18/monday-final-ratings-2-broke-girls-adjusted-up-castle-adjusted-down/116810/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 21, 2012|title=Monday Final Ratings: '2 Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Castle' Adjusted Down|work=TV by the Numbers|last=Gorman|first=Bill|date=January 18, 2012|access-date=January 19, 2012}}

|ShortSummary = Years after every prisoner on Alcatraz mysteriously vanished, FBI Agent Emerson Hauser and Detective Rebecca Madsen are drawn into the case of Jack Sylvane, who is on a killing spree. They later find out that Sylvane was in fact one of the inmates in the prison. Joined by Alcatraz expert "Doc" Soto, Hauser and Madsen race to stop Sylvane and solve the mystery of Alcatraz. Hauser takes Sylvane to a prison facility in the woods much like Alcatraz.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|Title = Ernest Cobb

|DirectedBy = Jack Bender

|WrittenBy = Alison Balian

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|01|16}}

|ProdCode = 2J6052

|Viewers = 10.05

|ShortSummary = Ernest Cobb (Joe Egender), another Alcatraz prisoner, is now killing people using a sniper rifle. Madsen and Hauser try to stop him before he kills more, forcing them to try and deduce the motivation for his murder sprees. Lucy is shot by Cobb and is comatose. Lucy is also revealed to be working as a doctor in the 1960s as she is introduced to Cobb when he was in Alcatraz.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|Title = Kit Nelson

|DirectedBy = Jack Bender

|WrittenBy = Jennifer Johnson

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|01|23}}

|ProdCode = 2J6053

|Viewers = 9.03{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/24/monday-final-ratings-gossip-girl-hart-of-dixie-adjusted-down/117518/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126162503/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/24/monday-final-ratings-gossip-girl-hart-of-dixie-adjusted-down/117518/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 26, 2012|title=Monday Final Ratings: 'Gossip Girl,' 'Hart of Dixie' Adjusted Down|work=TV by the Numbers|last=Seidman|first=Robert|date=January 24, 2012|access-date=January 24, 2012}}

|ShortSummary = A child killer, who would kidnap his victims and return their bodies home, reappears from the past, spurring a manhunt. Dr. Soto proves his worth by coming up with the clues to the killer's capture. Also, a secret from Dr. Soto's past is revealed.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|Title = Cal Sweeney

|DirectedBy = Brad Anderson

|WrittenBy = Robert Hull

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|01|30}}

|ProdCode = 2J6055

|Viewers = 8.44{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/31/monday-final-ratings-house-alcatraz-adjusted-up/118088/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202201830/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/01/31/monday-final-ratings-house-alcatraz-adjusted-up/118088/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 2, 2012|title=Monday Final Ratings: 'House,' 'Alcatraz' Adjusted Up|work=TV by the Numbers|last=Gorman|first=Bill|date=January 31, 2012|access-date=January 31, 2012}}

|ShortSummary = A bank robber from the past causes mayhem in the present and puts Rebecca in a difficult position as she has to work out how to get him out of the bank without revealing the existence of the 63s.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 5

|Title = Guy Hastings

|DirectedBy = Charles Beeson

|WrittenBy = Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|02|06}}

|ProdCode = 2J6056

|Viewers = 6.91{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/07/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-alcatraz-house-two-and-a-half-men-adjusted-up/119033/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'Alcatraz,' 'House,' 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Up |work=TV by the Numbers |last=Seidman |first=Robert |date=February 7, 2012 |access-date=February 7, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209211614/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/07/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-alcatraz-house-two-and-a-half-men-adjusted-up/119033/ |archive-date=February 9, 2012 }}

|ShortSummary = A guard from Alcatraz appears- acting in a far more violent manner than the team would have expected- and encounters Ray, whom Rebecca suspects the guard may be using to track down her grandfather. Ray is revealed to be Rebecca's uncle.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 6

|Title = Paxton Petty

|DirectedBy = Paul Edwards

|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Jennifer Johnson |t= Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt & Robert Hull}}

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|02|13}}

|ProdCode = 2J6058

|Viewers = 6.24{{cite web|last=Gorman |first=Bill |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/14/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-2-broke-girls-two-and-a-half-men-mike-molly-hawaii-five-0-adjusted-up/119824/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' '2 Broke Girls,' 'Two And A Half Men,' 'Mike & Molly,' 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up |publisher=TV by the Numbers. Zap2it |date=February 14, 2012 |access-date=February 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216201213/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/14/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-2-broke-girls-two-and-a-half-men-mike-molly-hawaii-five-0-adjusted-up/119824/ |archive-date=February 16, 2012 }}

|ShortSummary = A military land mine specialist resurfaces and plants bombs throughout the city. Rebecca, Soto and Hauser follow a series of clues to find his next targeted location. Hauser learns that Lucy might not wake up from her coma, so he removes her from the hospital to be fixed by Dr. Beauregard.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 7

|Title = Johnny McKee

|DirectedBy = Brad Turner

|WrittenBy = Toni Graphia

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|02|20}}

|ProdCode = 2J6054

|Viewers = 5.98{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/22/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-house-two-and-a-half-men-hawaii-five-0-adjusted-up/121204/ |title=Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'House,' 'Two and a Half Men,' 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up |last=Bibel |first=Sara |date=February 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225032714/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/02/22/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-house-two-and-a-half-men-hawaii-five-0-adjusted-up/121204/ |archive-date=February 25, 2012 }}

|ShortSummary = Johnny McKee, another former Alcatraz prisoner, returns and begins to poison the people of San Francisco, particularly men who behave similarly to grade-school bullies.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 8

|Title = The Ames Brothers

|RTitle =

|DirectedBy = Nick Copus

|WrittenBy = Robert Hull

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|03|05}}

|ProdCode = 2J6059

|Viewers = 5.82{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/06/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-adjusted-up/123287/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308084721/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/06/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-adjusted-up/123287/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 8, 2012|title=Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' Adjusted Up|last=Bibel|first=Sara|date=March 6, 2012}}

|ShortSummary = When brothers Herman and Pinky Ames, who almost escaped in 1961, return to modern times, Soto gets caught and kidnapped by the ultra-violent duo as they follow a map in the hunt for a certain treasure, resulting in a tense confrontation in Alcatraz itself.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 9

|Title = Sonny Burnett

|RTitle =

|DirectedBy = Paul Edwards

|WrittenBy = {{StoryTeleplay|s= Toni Graphia|t= Toni Graphia & Robert Hull}}

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|03|05}}

|ProdCode = 2J6060

|Viewers = 5.47

|ShortSummary = Sonny Burnett, sent to 1960 Alcatraz for kidnapping wealthy people and holding them for outrageous ransoms, appears in the present, seeking revenge for the "betrayal" of one of his kidnapping victims in the past. Also, the blood taken from the 1963 prisoners has a modern connection. The link between Rebecca, Uncle Ray, and Tommy is further explored.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 10

|Title = Clarence Montgomery

|RTitle =

|DirectedBy = Jack Bender

|WrittenBy = Leigh Dana Jackson

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|03|12}}

|ProdCode = 2J6057

|Viewers = 5.07{{cite web |url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/13/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-repeats-of-house-how-i-met-your-mother-2-broke-girls-adjust-up/124195/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316005142/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/13/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-repeats-of-house-how-i-met-your-mother-2-broke-girls-adjust-up/124195/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 16, 2012 |title=Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice', Repeats of 'House', 'How I Met Your Mother', '2 Broke Girls' Adjust Up |work=TV by the Numbers |last=Kondolojy |first=Amanda |date=March 13, 2012 |access-date=March 13, 2012}}

|ShortSummary = After a woman is found dead on a golf course, killed in a similar manner to the murdered girlfriend of former Alcatraz inmate Clarence Montgomery, the team begins to suspect that the innocent Montgomery, who was falsely accused of and imprisoned for murdering his girlfriend, has returned, and is now committing crimes similar to that which he was imprisoned for.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 11

|Title = Webb Porter

|RTitle =

|DirectedBy = Jack Bender

|WrittenBy = Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|03|19}}

|ProdCode = 2J6061

|Viewers = 5.04{{Cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/20/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-alcatraz-house-how-i-met-your-mother-2-broke-girls-adjusted-up-castle-smash-mike-molly-adjusted-down/125230/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322203958/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/20/monday-final-ratings-the-voice-alcatraz-house-how-i-met-your-mother-2-broke-girls-adjusted-up-castle-smash-mike-molly-adjusted-down/125230/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 22, 2012|title=Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'Alcatraz,' 'House 'How I Met Your Mother,' '2 Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Castle,' 'Smash,' 'Mike & Molly' Adjusted Down|last=Seidman|first=Robert|work=TV by the Numbers|date=March 20, 2012|access-date=March 20, 2012}}

|ShortSummary = Sent to Alcatraz for killing his mother, who tried to drown him when he was younger, violin-playing former inmate Webb Porter resurfaces. He willingly gives blood to Lucy, allowing her to wake from her coma.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 12

|Title = Garrett Stillman

|DirectedBy = Eagle Egilsson

|WrittenBy = Leigh Dana Jackson & Coleman Herbert

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|03|26}}

|ProdCode = 2J6062

|Viewers = 4.78{{Cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/27/monday-final-ratings-alcatraz-dwts-voice-adjust-up-castle-smash-adjust-down/126132/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330002155/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/03/27/monday-final-ratings-alcatraz-dwts-voice-adjust-up-castle-smash-adjust-down/126132/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 30, 2012|title=Monday Final Ratings: 'Alcatraz', 'DWTS' & 'Voice' Adjust Up, 'Castle' & Smash' Adjust Down|last=Kondolojy|first=Amanda|work=TV by the Numbers|date=March 27, 2012|access-date=March 27, 2012}}

|ShortSummary = Doc and Rebecca close in on a man who may be the key to revealing the secrets behind all the returning criminals. Meanwhile, Hauser makes a discovery beneath the halls of Alcatraz that reveals more of the truth.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber = 13

|Title = Tommy Madsen

|DirectedBy = Aaron Lipstadt

|WrittenBy = Daniel Pyne & Jennifer Johnson

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2012|03|26}}

|ProdCode = 2J6063

|Viewers = 4.75

|ShortSummary = Rebecca finds the man who killed her partner. The episode includes a recreation of the chase scene in Bullitt. The series ends in a cliffhanger: Rebecca is stabbed by Tommy, flatlines in a hospital and is pronounced dead. Hauser and Lucy make a shocking discovery.

|LineColor = 3f1959

}}

}}

File:Toronto Dominion Bank Building Vancouver 2011.jpg Building in Vancouver.]]

In November 2011, Elizabeth Sarnoff, co-creator of the series, stepped down as executive producer. She remained as an "executive consultant".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/alcatraz-liz-sarnoff-exit-261990|title='Alcatraz' Co-Creator Liz Sarnoff Steps Down as Showrunner |last=Ng|first=Philiana|date=November 15, 2011|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=February 23, 2012}}

The show was filmed in Vancouver and San Francisco. Scenes from the second episode prominently feature Vancouver's Toronto-Dominion Bank and Vancouver Film School, as well as backdrops of the port facilities.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

The series renewed the public's interest in the actual Alcatraz prison, so much so that the National Park Service had to install warning signs for its public tours. Fans of the TV series broke away from tours in an attempt to find the "nerve center" that is shown underneath the prison on the show. The signs state: "The TV show Alcatraz is fictional. Many areas it depicts are not real. Closed areas protect you, historic structures and nesting birds."{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/travel/world/on-location-in-chilling-alcatraz/story-e6frfqc9-1226268599439|title=On location in chilling Alcatraz|last=Stevens|first=Jenny|date=February 16, 2012|access-date=March 16, 2012|archive-date=March 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320192600/http://www.news.com.au/travel/world/on-location-in-chilling-alcatraz/story-e6frfqc9-1226268599439|url-status=dead}}

Warner Home Video released the entire series in DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats on October 16, 2012. Both the three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray sets featured deleted scenes, a gag reel, the "Alcatraz: Island of Intrigue" featurette of the cast and crew, and a 6-page full-color collectible booklet. The United States Blu-ray version also featured digital UltraViolet versions of each episode.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Alcatraz-The-Complete-Series/17087|title=Alcatraz – 'The Complete Series' Announced for DVD, Blu-ray: Street Date, Extras, Packaging|last=Lambert|first=David|date=June 13, 2012|work=TVShowsOnDVD.com|access-date=June 22, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616033027/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Alcatraz-The-Complete-Series/17087|archive-date=June 16, 2012}}{{cite web|title=Alacatraz: The Complete Series (Blu-Ray)|url=http://www.wbshop.com/product/alcatraz+the+complete+series+bluray+1000303651.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search|work=WBshop.com|publisher=Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc|access-date=December 8, 2012}}

File:Jorge Garcia, Sarah Jones & Parminder Nagra by Gage Skidmore.jpg 2012 in promotion of Alcatraz.]]

In June 2011, Alcatraz was one of eight honorees in the Most Exciting New Series category at the 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards, elected by journalists who had seen the pilots.{{cite news | url = https://deadline.com/2011/06/critics-choice-awards-honors-8-new-shows-138754/ | title = Critics' Choice Awards Honors 8 New Shows | last = Andreeva | first = Nellie |date = June 9, 2011 | work = Deadline Hollywood | access-date =June 10, 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110627082600/http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/critics-choice-awards-honors-8-new-shows/| archive-date= June 27, 2011 | url-status= live}} It has an aggregate score of 63/100 on Metacritic, denoting "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/alcatraz/season-1|title=Alcatraz – Season 1|work=Metacritic|access-date=January 14, 2012}} Newsday{{'}}s Verne Gay liked the series, but stated "'Traz' shares some of the DNA of The 4400 (of all shows) with a strand or two stripped from the genetic code of FlashForward. Love all these aforementioned worthies."{{cite news|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/alcatraz-between-rock-and-fun-place-1.3450793|title='Alcatraz': Between Rock and fun place|last=Gay|first=Verne|date=January 13, 2012|work=Newsday|access-date=February 23, 2012}} Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote: "Alcatraz is easy enough to follow, with twists and surprises that are enjoyable and not enervating. But you still may leave it wondering how long it will be before there are eight timelines and six universes."{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/story/2012-01-15/alcatraz/52585162/1|title='Alcatraz' unlocks another Abrams mind bender|last=Bianco|first=Robert|date=January 15, 2012|work=USA Today|access-date=February 23, 2012}} New York{{'}}s Matt Zoller Seitz panned the series, saying, "The characters are so TV cute (and in some cases TV pretty) and the storytelling so mechanical, that I couldn't give myself over to it either way."{{cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/01/tv-review-alcatraz-should-never-have-been-freed.html|title=TV Review: Alcatraz Should Never Have Been Freed

|last=Zoller Seitz|first=Matt|date=January 16, 2012|work=New York|access-date=February 23, 2012}}

The series opened with over 10 million U.S. viewers, but for the season finale, it had decreased to 4.75 million U.S. viewers, the series' lowest viewership. In the UK, the pilot episode debuted on March 15, 2012, with 496,000 viewers, marking UKTV's Watch channel's highest debut for the time-slot since 2011's Dynamo: Magician Impossible.{{cite news|url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/ratings/alcatraz-debut-tops-multichannel/5039235.article|title=Alcatraz debut tops multichannel|last=Rosser|first=Michael|date=March 14, 2012|access-date=March 16, 2012}}

In 2011, the series was honored, along with seven others, with the Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series.Andreeva, Nellie (June 9, 2011).[https://deadline.com/2011/06/critics-choice-awards-honors-8-new-shows-138754/ Critics' Choice Awards Honors 8 New Shows], Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 29, 2013.

{{clear}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|1728102|Alcatraz}}
• [https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/alcatraz/319392 Alcatraz] at TV Guide

Category:2010s American crime drama television series

Category:2010s American science fiction television series

Category:2012 American television series debuts

Category:2012 American television series endings

Category:Alcatraz Island in fiction

Category:American prison television series

Category:Television series by Bad Robot Productions

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:Fictional portrayals of the San Francisco Police Department

Category:Nonlinear narrative television series

Category:Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios

Category:Television shows set in San Francisco

Category:American time travel television series

Category:2010s prison television series

Category:Television series set in 1963

Category:2010s American time travel television series

Category:Television shows filmed in Vancouver

Category:Fox Broadcasting Company television dramas