Pandemic (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Pandemic is a 2007 Hallmark Channel
original mini-series with an ensemble cast
. It premiered on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at 8:00 PM as part of Hallmark Channel
's "Uncharted Adventures" weekend.
It is now available on DVD
through Hallmark Entertainment.
. The two men don't notice the large number of dead birds on the beach. On the flight, the surfer returning home starts coughing up blood and dies before the plane can land. Back in Australia, the other surfer is found dead in his apartment. Kayla Martin (Tiffani Thiessen
) is a medical doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) who has been assigned to the case. She and the local officials carry the body of the surfer out of the plane and start processing people to be put in quarantine
until they can be evaluated for exposure. During the transfer, one of the passengers escapes to complete a business deal and unknowingly spreads the virus
throughout Los Angeles. It is also revealed that outbreaks of the so-called "riptide virus" (as it comes to be known), an offshoot of the bird flu
, are occurring in other cities around the world.
The situation is complicated further when one of the passengers, a convicted drug lord
being transported by the FBI, escapes with the help of associates and a number of the other passengers, some of whom are infected. He proceeds to steal the medication needed to fight the outbreak and blackmail
s the local and state officials. As the epidemic worsens and the death toll rises all over California, the governor (Faye Dunaway
) and mayor (Eric Roberts
) have to find a way around their political differences so that they can make tough decisions dealing with the blackmail scheme, as well as a frightened populace and all of the problems associated with a widespread and deadly epidemic.
At the end, Kayla and her scientist team are able to find a cure: the drug lord's clear immunity to the virus is caused by his concurrent tuberculosis
infection. Tubercular antibodies
stop the virus from attaching to his lung
s. They discover that administrating antibodies from persons who have tuberculosis will cure the infected and give the others immunity from the virus. Blood from tuberculosis-infected persons is purified and administered to people, and Los Angeles is saved.
awarded writers Bryce Zabel
and Jackie Zabel in 2008 the WGA Award (TV) for Original Long Form programming for the Pandemic script.
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
original mini-series with an ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
. It premiered on Saturday, May 26, 2007 at 8:00 PM as part of Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel
The Hallmark Channel is a cable television network that broadcasts across the United States. Their programming includes a mix of television movies/miniseries, syndicated series, and lifestyle shows that are appropriate for the whole family...
's "Uncharted Adventures" weekend.
It is now available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
through Hallmark Entertainment.
Synopsis
On a beach in Australia, two American surfers say goodbye to each other as one is about to leave for his flight back to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The two men don't notice the large number of dead birds on the beach. On the flight, the surfer returning home starts coughing up blood and dies before the plane can land. Back in Australia, the other surfer is found dead in his apartment. Kayla Martin (Tiffani Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen
Tiffani Thiessen is an American actress best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for her role on Fastlane as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers...
) is a medical doctor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC) who has been assigned to the case. She and the local officials carry the body of the surfer out of the plane and start processing people to be put in quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
until they can be evaluated for exposure. During the transfer, one of the passengers escapes to complete a business deal and unknowingly spreads the virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
throughout Los Angeles. It is also revealed that outbreaks of the so-called "riptide virus" (as it comes to be known), an offshoot of the bird flu
Bird flu
Bird flu may refer to:Biology and disease* Avian influenza, influenza endemic to birds and pigeons.* Influenzavirus A, the causative agent for bird flu; the genus of the Orthomyxoviridae family...
, are occurring in other cities around the world.
The situation is complicated further when one of the passengers, a convicted drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
being transported by the FBI, escapes with the help of associates and a number of the other passengers, some of whom are infected. He proceeds to steal the medication needed to fight the outbreak and blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
s the local and state officials. As the epidemic worsens and the death toll rises all over California, the governor (Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway
Faye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
) and mayor (Eric Roberts
Eric Roberts
Eric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
) have to find a way around their political differences so that they can make tough decisions dealing with the blackmail scheme, as well as a frightened populace and all of the problems associated with a widespread and deadly epidemic.
At the end, Kayla and her scientist team are able to find a cure: the drug lord's clear immunity to the virus is caused by his concurrent tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
infection. Tubercular antibodies
Antibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
stop the virus from attaching to his lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
s. They discover that administrating antibodies from persons who have tuberculosis will cure the infected and give the others immunity from the virus. Blood from tuberculosis-infected persons is purified and administered to people, and Los Angeles is saved.
Cast
- Tiffani ThiessenTiffani ThiessenTiffani Thiessen is an American actress best known for her roles as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell and as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210. She is also known for her role on Fastlane as Wilhelmina 'Billie' Chambers...
as Dr. Kayla Martin - Faye DunawayFaye DunawayFaye Dunaway is an American actress.Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde and Chinatown...
as Gov. Shaefer - French StewartFrench StewartMilton French Stewart , better known by his stage name French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for his role as Harry Solomon on the 1990s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Early life:...
as Dr. Carl Ratner - Eric RobertsEric RobertsEric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
as Mayor Dalesandro - Bruce BoxleitnerBruce BoxleitnerBruce William Boxleitner is an American actor, and science fiction and suspense writer. He is known for his leading roles in the television series How the West Was Won, Bring 'Em Back Alive, Scarecrow and Mrs. King , and Babylon 5...
as Friedlander - Vincent SpanoVincent SpanoVincent M. Spano is an American stage, film and television actor, and film director and producer. He received a Cable Ace Award nomination in 1988 for his role as Mark Ciuni in Il cugino americano.-Backround:...
as Troy Whitlock
Awards
The WGAWriters Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
awarded writers Bryce Zabel
Bryce Zabel
Bryce H. Zabel is an American television producer, director, writer, and occasional actor. He is known as the chairman/CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences who was forced to twice postpone the Emmy Awards following the September 11 attacks...
and Jackie Zabel in 2008 the WGA Award (TV) for Original Long Form programming for the Pandemic script.