Forgotten Television: 1997 Sleepwalkers

A team of scientists work at the Morpheus Institute and help people with their problems by using technology to enter their dreams and figuring out what the real problem is.  The team consists of Dr. Nathan Bradford (Bruce Greenwood), the team leader and co-inventor of the technology; Steve Turner (Michael Watson) former Stanford student and the other inventor of the technology; Kate Russell (Naomi Watts) a psychologist who specializes in symbology and how what they see in the dream world relates to the waking world; Vincent Konefke (Abraham Benrubi) the technician that operates the machines and monitors everyone’s vital signs while they are “Sleepwalking”; and finally Ben Costigan (Jeffrey D. Sams) an ex-Air Force pilot who was their patient in the first episode and joins the team at the end.  Ben’s story has his dreams literally killing him by causing his own body to attack his immune system.  In his dreams it is revealed that in the womb he had a twin, who did not survive.  The subconscious guilt of this was causing his nightmares and his physical ailments.  Facing this fear in his dream allowed him to be freed from the guilt and to regain his physical strength.

Sleepwalkers is an American psychological mystery science fiction series created by David S. Goyer and Stephen Kronish and aired on NBC from November 1, 1997 to May 31, 1998. The series was part of NBC’s Saturday Night supernatural/paranormal programming block. Nine episodes were produced but it was cancelled after the first two were aired.  Five additional episodes were seen by U.S. West Coast viewers only and the final two episodes were never broadcast.

This was a good show with a strong cast and interesting premise, and I am unsure as to why it was pulled so quickly from the air.  The mix of real-world drama and spooky atmospheric dream sequences made for a visually exciting program.  The storylines were all diverse and the mysteries they solved unique.  Bruce Greenwood is good as the overly cautious and sometimes distant leader.  His past mistakes give him pause to push his people into dangerous situations. Jeffrey Sams does a good job with his character Ben, the new guy who allows the rest of the cast an opportunity to provide expositional information. He retains an air of disbelief while experiencing the new worlds in people’s dreams. The real star of the series was Naomi Watts, a British actress who grew up in Australia and would later go on to star in the American remake of The Ring and find further acclaim in various roles.  She is the emotional and sympathetic character who has her own dark past to reckon with.  She does an excellent job of being both strong and vulnerable and truly gives the team its heart. Although the series seems mainly episodic there were continuing plot elements and since the series was cancelled so quickly, we are never given a chance for these storylines to be resolved. Overall this was a good show that was never given a chance.