If you’re looking for an offbeat sci-fi series—or just something non-9/11 related to watch over the weekend—check out Charlie Jade on Hulu. It’s a Canadian/South African production filmed in and around Cape Town. It concerns a private investigator from an alternate universe who gets blown into our world after rebels in a third universe sabotage a facility belonging to the evil Vexcor Corporation.
I first heard about this show when I was on a Norwescon panel with series creator Bob Wertheimer and lead actor Jeffrey Pierce. Unfortunately, it’s never been released on DVD in the U.S., and its only U.S. broadcast was a one-shot run on the Sci Fi Channel that aired at the wrong time for me to catch it. I’ve only watched the pilot so far, but I like it—it’s got a gritty, TV-budget Blade Runner aesthetic going on, and the S.A. locale makes it feel different without trying too hard.
Also interesting: Complications Ensue, a screenwriting blog by Alex Epstein, who was lead writer for the show.