Reasons To Watch Awake

If push came to shove, could you pick between your loved one and your child? That's a choice no man would ever want to face and that's exactly the situation detective Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) now faces. One day he lives with his wife, Hanna (Laura Allen), as she struggles to move past the devastating loss of their child, Rex (Dylan Minnette). But to Britten, their son is still alive right after he goes to sleep with his wife in his arms. 

When he wakes, she's the absent one and his son still remains. He knows something isn't right here, but would he be able to determine which reality he values more? That's an impossible choice no one would ever want to make, but it seems likely and unfortunate that Britten might have to one day make that impossible decision.

The world believes Michael Britten has suffered a crushing loss after his accident. In each reality, they think he's struggling to deal with the loss of his wife or son, so it's only fitting that his boss is making him see a psychiatrist. In one reality, he's speaking regularly with Dr. John Lee (B.D. Wong). Lee believes Britten's alternate reality issue is a pressing matter that needs to be resolved right away. He thinks it's too stressful on Britten's mind to create such an elaborate universe when he should instead be getting much required rest. However, in his other reality, Dr. Judith Evans (Cherry Jones) views the two reality dilemma in a much more positive light. She's under the impression that he's fortunate to be in this situation, allowing him to access parts of his memories that other people can't and view matters from a different perspective. 

What makes the polar opposite therapists so interesting is the possibility that one (or even both) is a figment of his imagination and that can speak volumes about how he is truly trying to cope with the crash.

Who is Howard Gordon and why should you care? Two reasons: 24 and Homeland. Gordon's work on 24 means you can bet Awake's action and tension is going to be top-notch. Gordon wrote multiple episodes in Seasons One and Two of 24 and was the show runner from 2005 until the final episode.

Gordon also co-developed the Showtime hit, Homeland. The thriller had an amazing focus on character driven stories and some of the best suspense we've seen in years. It looks like Gordon has more than enough hands-on experience with the elements that'll be crucial to Awake and we have faith he'll make sure this show delivers continually as he serves as an executive producer for the new NBC show.

As a detective undergoing this almost supernatural situation, Michael Britten is dealing with murder mysteries far more complex than most other shows offer. There's quite a few changes between the realities, and that include the murder case he's assigned to. But Britten is a sharp fellow and he'll be able to find links between realities and work to see how the points connect, if at all. So far the ties have proven to be a little more than coincidental and we'll just have to wait and see how deep these connections really go and what they might be able to uncover.