Total Control (television series)

Total Control is a Canadian-American science fiction cyberpunk television series based off the audio drama of the same name that was first broadcasted on The Sci-Fi Channel, and later Vision. The series was one of the first original series for Vision and paved the way for more of the action shows that Typewriter Productions would create afterwards. Vin Diesel and Mark Hamil were the only returning actors from the original radio drama to reprise their roles in the television series.

Development
The creators of Total Control received bids for possible television productions, dating back to 1998. In 1999, only three networks wanted to make a series, FX, Sci-Fi Channel, and HBO. Total Control Audio went with The Sci-Fi Channel since it fit their budget and it would fit well on the network.

Production officially started for the first season in the fall of 2000, after writing and adaptation the radio drama story for television. Filming stopped in the early spring of 2001, and post production took place. Season two was already greenlit by the fall of 2001, and even before season one premiered, season two started production in the winter for a possible summer 2002 release. After the success of season one, season three was greenlit and production started in the fall of 2002 for a summer 2003 release. Due to lower ratings of season two, Sci-Fi was hesitant about ordering new episodes. When season three came along, the ratings were still low and was canceled. In early 2005, it was announced that Total Control would return to television on Vision, with a lower budget than the Sci-Fi series, and as a result there were fewer episodes ordered and produced.

Filming
The majority of filming took place at The Bridge Studios in Canada, where Stargate SG-1 had it's productions. Secondary filming took place at EUE/Screen Gems in North Carolina. B-roll and other secondary filming took place in New Zealand.

The series filmed using the 35mm format for all seasons.

Special effects
Rainmaker Digital Effects in Vancouver handled the majority of special effects, and Weta Digital handled the creation of the city portrayed in the series. Radiofoundry Visual Productions and Total Control Audio handled some visual effects using PowerAnimator and Maya.

Music
Yoko Kanno and Tyler Bates wrote the score for the entire series.

Marketing
Total Control Audio and Radiofoundry Visual Productions spent most of the remaining budget show towards marketing on television spots, radio, newspapers, billboards, and other advertisement venues.

Episode list
'''main article: List of Total Control episodes

Video game
main article: Total Control: Aero Gear

Total Control: Aero Gear was a open world noir action game developed by Artificial Mind & Movement and Massive Entertainment, the game was published by Vivendi Games. The game received mixed reviews. Critics praised the graphics, design, and music but criticized the story and controls.

International broadcast
Season one aired in Canada two months after the US premiere on Space. Sci Fi Channel also aired the networks in international markets.

Reception
Retroactively, The AV Club gave the show a B+, and IGN gave it a 7.5/10. Metacritc lists the show with an average of 65 out of 100, signifying generally favorable reviews.