5.4 /10 1 Votes
7.6/10 TV Created by Gil Grant No. of episodes 22 (list of episodes) First episode date 13 April 2007 Program creator Gil Grant | 5.8/10 IMDb 28% Metacritic Country of origin Canada
United States Running time 44 minutes Final episode date 21 September 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Starring Kristanna Loken
Alaina Huffman
Rob Stewart
Stephen Lobo
Noah Danby
Melanie Papalia
Sean Owen Roberts
Nathaniel Deveaux Composer(s) John Sereda
Mike Thomas Networks Global Television Network, Syfy Cast Kristanna Loken, Noah Danby, Alaina Huffman, Stephen Lobo, Rob Stewart Similar Flash Gordon, Andromeda, Continuum, Stargate Universe, Alphas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Painkiller Jane is an American-Canadian science fiction and action television series based on the comic book character of the same name. Airing on the Sci Fi Channel in the US starting April 13, 2007 and Global in Canada, it starred Kristanna Loken as the title character. On August 15, 2007, it was canceled after one season of 22 episodes.
Contents
Painkiller jane trailer
Plot
The series stars Loken as Jane Vasco. She begins as a DEA agent, where in the course of her work she encounters Andre McBride (Rob Stewart), who is the leader of a team of agents working for an unspecified government agency. The team is based in a disused subway station named Deckard Street. She is forced to join the team after she probes "too far" into their operations. It is then revealed that the team's mission is to identify and neutralize "neurological aberrants" ("neuros") — human mutants with supernormal mental powers. Dialogue in the pilot states there are dozens of variations, and the reasons neuros use their abilities vary. It is then theorized that the aberrations interfere with the brain's ability to distinguish right from wrong.
During the pilot episode, Vasco discovers that she has superhuman abilities — supernormal regenerative powers bordering on invulnerability. This is realized when she is pushed through a forty story window and falls to her apparent death, only to later revive and recover completely. However, she still feels the pain of her injuries before they heal. The team's doctor, Seth Carpenter, identifies her abilities as not like those of the neuros they track, but "something else".
Cast
Production
The TV series received a 22-episode production order after the 2005 Painkiller Jane TV-movie yielded positive results. The film differed significantly from the original comic's storyline; the TV series, in turn, discarded the film's back-story and started afresh. According to story creator Jimmy Palmiotti, the new series was "closer to the original concept we came up with in the comic". Executive producer Gil Grant has said the new series is "partly true" to the original comic, but will still differ to some extent.
The series credits include several people in the role of producer. Most are credited only for a few episodes. This includes Loken (the star), who is credited as co-executive producer for several episodes.
The TV series was filmed at Insight Film Studios in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada and various locations around the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. The final four episodes were filmed and set in Budapest, Hungary.