Are you excited about FOX’s upcoming time travel/dinosaurs/prehistoric world drama? We have pics from the upcoming pilot of Terra Nova.

Don’t expect to see any dinosaurs in these pics, though. So far, the images show a drama that looks more like a modern retelling of Swiss Family Robinson — but with guns.

Terra Nova will have a two-night debut in May. The first hour will air Monday, May 23 at 9/8 PM ET/CT, with the second hour running Tuesday, May 24 at 9/8 PM ET/CT. The series will premiere in Fall 2011.

In what is being described by many as the next Lost, FOX’s Terra Nova is a new series about a family who travels back in time as part of an experiment to save the human race. From executive producer Steven Spielberg comes this big-budget, special effects bonanza about people traveling to the prehistoric past.

The story follows the Shannon family: Jim (Jason O’Mara) and Elisabeth (Shelley Conn) — along with their kids 17-year old Josh (Landon Liboiron), 15-year old Maddy (Naomi Scott) and 5-year old Zoe (Alana Mansour) — as they join a group of settlers to Terra Nova, a colony set up in the distant, forbidden land.

The leader of Terra Nova is Commander Nathan Taylor (Stephen Lang), one of the first pioneers to this brave new world. He and Guzman (Mido Hamada), his right-hand man, run a tight ship. Despite its beautiful landscape and pristine waterfalls, the world outside Terra Nova is filled with danger.

Outside the walls, there are — of course — dinosaurs. But the biggest threat is a rival camp run by Mira (Christine Adams), a woman who doesn’t like the way Taylor is running things.

Aside from the external threats, there’s also the possibility that things aren’t so happy within Terra Nova. The Shannons soon discover that someone within the new colony is trying to destroy things before they begin.

The possibilities are intriguing, if the show manages to get past some rather obvious cliches:

• Cliche #1: The army dudes are the bad guys — With Avatar still fresh in our memory, it’s easy to imagine that Commander Taylor and his people are going to be the aggressors here.
• Cliche #2: The rebel leader Mira turns out to be leading the good guys — The resistance, led by Mira, are likely to be colonists who have a deeper appreciation for their new world. Likely, they have discovered something back at Terra Nova that they disagree with.
• Cliche #3: The colonists get trapped and can’t go home — From Gilligan’s Island to Lost, there have been a number of television series based on this premise. And with the dinosaurs and time travel motifs, we could end up with a big-budget Land of the Lost (but without the Sleestaks).

Terra Nova will have a two-night debut in May. The first hour will air Monday, May 23 at 9/8 PM ET/CT, with the second hour running Tuesday, May 24 at 9/8 PM ET/CT. The series will premiere in Fall 2011.

What do you think? Does Terra Nova seem to have what it takes to make it in prime time? Are you looking forward to it?

Dollhouse on FOX

When will Joss Whedon catch a break?

It’s official. FOX has canceled the smart, inventive, and way-too-good for prime-time series, Dollhouse.

Once again, FOX has destroyed the hopes and dreams of Whedon’s fans who thought maybe this time his genius would be recognized. On his official Web site, Whedonesque.com, he addressed the news that had already been scooped in Hollywood Reporter.  Whedon wrote that he didn’t have much to say in response:

I’m off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I’ve read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you’ll know what my next project is. But for now there’s a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.

According to Hollywood Reporter (“Joss Whedon’s ‘Dollhouse’ canceled”), FOX will likely air the remaining episodes that were produced of its original 13-episode order. So far, only four episodes of season two have aired. The show was pulled from the line-up for the month of November (which is sweeps month in television). The show is scheduled to return to  Friday nights in December to finish its run.