Falling Skies

About Falling Skies

Falling Skies is an American post-apocalyptic science fiction television series created by Robert Rodat and executive produced by Steven Spielberg. The show premiered on TNT on June 19, 2011, and concluded after 5 seasons and 52 episodes on August 30, 2015. Set in the aftermath of an alien invasion, the series follows Tom Mason, a former Boston University history professor who becomes the second-in-command of the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment. The regiment is a group of civilians and fighters fleeing post-apocalyptic Boston.

Making / Production

The series was produced by DreamWorks Television, with Steven Spielberg acting as executive producer. It was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its special effects were handled primarily by visual effects company Zoic Studios, with the physical alien creatures created by Creature Effects Inc.

Actors

• Noah Wyle as Tom Mason - A former Boston University history professor who becomes the leader of a group of civilians fighting against the alien invaders.
• Moon Bloodgood as Dr. Anne Glass - A pediatrician who becomes the 2nd Mass's primary physician and eventually falls in love with Tom.
• Drew Roy as Hal Mason - Tom's oldest son who is a capable fighter and dependable leader.
• Connor Jessup as Ben Mason - Tom's middle son who was initially captured by the aliens but later rescued and now grapples with changing physical abilities due to his experience.
• Maxim Knight as Matt Mason - Tom's youngest son who struggles to grow and gain strength in the harsh new world.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The title of the show comes from the war strategy "Scorched Earth", where all resources that could be useful to an enemy are either destroyed or taken when abandoning a position.
• The aliens in the series are called "Espheni". They were originally supposed to be purely CGI but the producers decided to use practical puppetry to give the creatures a more realistic look.
• Many of the series' antagonists, called 'skitters', had to be digitally reanimated after the first season due to the complexity of their movement and structure.

Awards

Falling Skies was nominated for several awards during its run. These include the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2012, and the Saturn Award for Best Television Presentation in the same year.

Quotes

• “We will fight, and we will die, but we will not go into the night quietly.” - Tom Mason
• "Every small victory is just that. Small but it’s a victory." - Anne Glass
• "This isn’t some story in a history book. This is survival!" - Hal Mason

Music, Soundtrack

• The score for Falling Skies was composed by Noah Sorota, bringing a blend of orchestral and electronic sounds to the series.
• The opening theme is composed by Drew Neumann.
• The soundtrack also includes songs by artists like Shady Grady, Reasoner, and Pieter Ako.