Blood Drive (TV series)
Blood Drive is an American science fiction action television series that aired on Syfy from June 14 to September 6, 2017. On the same day that the finale aired, series creator James Roland announced that Syfy had decided to cancel the series after one season.[1]
| Blood Drive | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Midnight Grindhouse Presents Blood Drive |
| Genre | |
| Created by | James Roland |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Michael Gatt |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Production location | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Cinematography | Yaron Levy |
| Editor | Kristina Hamilton-Grobler |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
| Production companies | Strong & Dobbs Productions Universal Cable Productions |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syfy |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Original release | June 14 – September 6, 2017 |
Plot
Blood Drive is set in the dystopian "distant future" of alternate 1999, after the "Great Fracking Quakes" have literally split the United States apart, with a giant ravine called "the Scar" being formed roughly along the route of the Mississippi River. A megacorporation, Heart Enterprises, exploits strange discoveries from the bottom of the Scar to become ubiquitous across American politics, society, and the economy. Meanwhile, as a result of environmental decline, water has become scarce and gasoline prohibitively expensive.
The series features Los Angeles Police Department officer Arthur Bailey (Alan Ritchson), a.k.a. "Barbie", who is forced to partner up with Grace D'Argento (Christina Ochoa), a dangerous femme fatale who has an agenda of her own, as they take part in a death race in which the cars run on human blood – the titular Blood Drive, whose master of ceremonies, Julian Slink (Colin Cunningham), is secretly a Heart employee. As they make their way through the Blood Drive, Arthur and Grace realize that Heart has been involved in their own pasts as well.
Cast
Main
- Alan Ritchson as Arthur Bailey[2]
- Christina Ochoa as Grace D'Argento[3]
- Thomas Dominique as Christopher Carpenter
- Marama Corlett as Aki
- Colin Cunningham as Julian Slink[4]
Recurring
- Andrew Hall as the Gentleman
- Darren Kent as the Scholar
- Sean Cameron Michael as Old Man Heart
- Carel Nel as Rasher
- Aidan Whytock as Garrett Kemble
- Brandon Auret as Rib Bone
- Craig Jackson as Cliff
- Jenny Stead as Domi
- Alex McGregor as Karma
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The F...ing Cop" | David Straiton | James Roland | June 14, 2017 | 0.834[5] | |
| A cop is forced to partner with a homicidal bombshell in a bloodthirsty road race across America. | ||||||
| 2 | "Welcome to Pixie Swallow" | David Straiton | Marc Halsey | June 21, 2017 | 0.627[6] | |
| Grace and Arthur battle to stay off the menu at the first pit stop, Pixie Swallow Motel & Diner. | ||||||
| 3 | "Steel City Nightfall" | James Roday | James Roland | June 28, 2017 | 0.444[7] | |
| Arthur and Grace race through a mysterious city only to fall prey to its nocturnal inhabitants. | ||||||
| 4 | "In the Crimson Halls of Kane Hill" | James Roday | Nina Fiore & John Herrera | July 5, 2017 | 0.490[8] | |
| Arthur and Grace take a dangerous detour to a mental asylum to search for Grace's missing sister. | ||||||
| 5 | "The F...ing Dead" | Roel Reiné | Harrison Weinfeld & Daniel Zucker | July 12, 2017 | 0.454[9] | |
| Arthur and Grace must find a cure to a deadly sex plague that is unleashed on the Mayhem Party. | ||||||
| 6 | "Booby Traps" | Roel Reiné | Ben Wolf | July 19, 2017 | 0.436[10] | |
| Amazons ambush Arthur and Grace in the Savage Lands, but they hold a clue about Karma's location. | ||||||
| 7 | "The Gentleman's Agreement" | Lin Oeding | James Roland | July 26, 2017 | 0.380[11] | |
| Slink unleashes a demon from the belly of Heart Enterprises to exact his revenge and take control. | ||||||
| 8 | "A Fistful of Blood" | Lin Oeding | James Roland & John Hlavin | August 2, 2017 | 0.498[12] | |
| Arthur helps a wasteland sheriff free his town, but the line between good and evil is not easily drawn. | ||||||
| 9 | "The Chopsocky Special" | Meera Menon | Nina Fiore & John Herrera | August 9, 2017 | 0.334[13] | |
| Grace tests her kung fu against a mystic restaurateur; a dying Arthur embarks on a vision quest. | ||||||
| 10 | "Scar Tissue" | Meera Menon | Alex Ebel | August 16, 2017 | 0.343[14] | |
| A wounded Arthur stumbles into Cronenburgh, a wasteland oasis that may be too good to be true. | ||||||
| 11 | "Rise of the Primo" | Gregg Simon | Ben Wolf | August 23, 2017 | 0.377[15] | |
| Arthur resists bloodlust; Grace confronts a shocking revelation in a deadly battle-dome fight. | ||||||
| 12 | "Faces of Blood Drive" | David Straiton | Harrison Weinfeld & Daniel Zucker | August 30, 2017 | 0.364[16] | |
| Slink throws the ultimate mayhem party; Grace and a mysterious newcomer fight for Arthur's soul. | ||||||
| 13 | "Finish Line" | David Straiton | James Roland | September 6, 2017 | 0.364[17] | |
| Arthur, Grace and Slink attack Heart Enterprises, but their deepest fears await them. | ||||||
Production
The show received a 13-episode direct-to-series order from Syfy on July 28, 2015. Each episode is based on a different genre of 1970s/1980s exploitation films, such as cannibals, nymphomaniacs, or insane asylums.[18] Filming took place in Cape Town, South Africa.[19][20]
Reception
Blood Drive received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 76% based on reviews from 21 critics.[21] On Metacritic it has a score of 65 out of 100 based on reviews from 13 critics.[22]
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter gave the show a positive review, noting that the show "kept me entertained and curious for longer than I expected."[19] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called it "a gleeful detour into grindhouse gore and raunch" and a sweatier, grimier and better-acted version of Death Race 2000.[23] Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club was critical of the show and gave it a grade C, saying "If grindhouse TV wants to thrive in the medium, it needs to put its shocks and flesh in service of something more than a game of perpetual provocation and one-upmanship."[24]
See also
- Death Race
- Upír z Feratu, a film involving a car that uses blood for fuel
- Blood Car, a film about a car that uses blood for fuel
- Road Kill, film about a road train that uses a pulp made by grinding human bodies for fuel
- Twisted Metal, a video game franchise
References
- ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (September 6, 2017). "'Blood Drive' Canceled After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 6, 2016). "Alan Ritchson To Star In Syfy Grindhouse Series 'Blood Drive'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 15, 2016). "'Blood Drive': Christina Ochoa To Star In Syfy Grindhouse Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
- ^ Petski, Denise (July 7, 2016). "'Blood Drive': Colin Cunningham Joins Syfy's Grindhouse Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 15, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 22, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 29, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 7, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 13, 2017). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Wednesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.12.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved July 13, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 20, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 27, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 3, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 10, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 17, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 24, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 31, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 7, 2017). . Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 28, 2015). "Syfy Orders Grindhouse Series 'Blood Drive' From John Hlavin & David Straiton". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ a b Fienberg, Daniel (June 14, 2017). "'Blood Drive': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ Koza, Neo (March 30, 2017). "Latest international series and movies filming in Cape Town". Cape Talk. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ^ "Blood Drive: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ^ "Blood Drive: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- ^ Neil Genzlinger (2017-06-13). "Review: Syfy Goes Grindhouse in the Delirious 'Blood Drive'". New York Times. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ^ "Boobs, blood, and blowing shit up: Blood Drive and the challenge for exploitation TV". The A.V. Club. 2017-06-14. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
External links
- Official website
- Blood Drive at IMDb