Now this is some damn exciting news.

Primeval, the BBC series featuring rifts in time that allow both dinosaurs and futuristic monsters to invade modern-day England has been pretty stellar from day one.  As the series progressed, we saw major changed to status quo including the deaths and betrayals of almost the entire main cast, and a change in the past that forever altered the present day.  It’s been a well written show with a ton of great action and fun…of course, that is, until it got canceled at the end of season 3, which ended on a cliffhanger.

Of course, there was fan outcry about the beloved series ending, so BBC America teamed up to co-fund the series with BBC UK, ITV, and ProSieben to bring the series back for two seasons, premiering simultaneously on BBC UK and BBC America starting on January 1st!  Check out the full press release after the jump!

New Year’s Day marks a new beginning for acclaimed series “Primeval”, when it premieres in the US on BBC AMERICA, the same day as its UK broadcast. Returning to screens thanks to a unique international collaboration, including new co-producer BBC AMERICA, the seven-episode Season 4 delivers ambitious adventures and opens the franchise to new audiences. From the creators of “Walking with Dinosaurs” and “Survivors”, “Primeval” sees the arrival of new faces and headquarters along with the surprise return of some notable guest stars from earlier seasons. Primeval premieres Saturday, January 1, 2011, at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

When rips in time called anomalies started opening across the UK, dangerous creatures from the past and future began appearing in the most unexpected places, endangering lives and putting the whole of humanity at risk. A crack team of specialists were appointed by the government to deal with these “creature incursions.” This job has proven deadly for multiple team members, and threats continue to escalate.

Ciarán McMenamin (“Jericho”, “Demons”), Alexander Siddig (Clash of the Titans, “24”, Syriana, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), and young Irish actress Ruth Kearney join the team at the Anomaly Research Center (ARC) after the government loses faith in Home Office official Lester’s (Ben Miller) ability to run such a dangerous and expensive operation on his own. The anomaly operation is now a public/private partnership, part-owned by the government and partly by charismatic scientist Philip Burton (Siddig).

With Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts), Abby (Hannah Spearritt), and Danny (Jason Flemyng) trapped in the past at the end of Season Three, the ARC has found new recruits to take their place: Matt (McMenamin), the new field leader, who’s more than just an ex-soldier. He’s a zoologist with an uncanny ability to understand animals. A private man, Matt carefully guards the secrets of his past and the real reason he joined the team. Unconventional Jess (Kearney) now runs operations from the ARC Control Centre. She is highly efficient, and her work ethic is second to none, though she is human enough to nurse an unrequited crush on Captain Becker (Ben Mansfield).

The new season picks up approximately one year after the last season ended – Abby and Connor finally escape from the Cretaceous period, only to be followed by a giant Spinosaurus, the largest of all known carnivorous dinosaurs. A new ARC team springs into action, leaving Abby and Connor’s place within the team in jeopardy while their former leader Danny is still missing.

Perry Simon, General Manager, Channels, commented: “’Primeval’ has always had a passionate following on BBC AMERICA. Our audiences loved the series so much that we simply had to save the show from extinction. New Year’s Day marks a new era not only for ‘Primeval’ but for BBC AMERICA with a line-up of fantastic Saturday night drama that will take us up to the summer and beyond. 2011 will bring BBC AMERICA viewers face-to-face with prehistoric monsters, clones and aliens, ghosts, and the odd Timelord or two!”

“Primeval” returns to BBC AMERICA for two new seasons in 2011, thanks to an innovative deal between Impossible Pictures Limited (IPL), BBC Worldwide (BBCW), and ITV. Original co-production partners ITV, ProSieben, and BBC Worldwide return to co-fund the new series with BBC Worldwide becoming the majority funding partner. BBC AMERICA is a full co-production credit for the first time, and UKTV is a first-time investor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *