Hollow Earth Expedition (T.V. Series)

Hollow Earth Expedition is a 2011 American/British pulp science fiction television series by 20th Century Fox Television and Impossible Pictures and based on the successful award winning role-playing game Hollow Earth Expedition published by Exile Game Studios, it was also created and produced by Steven Spielberg and Tim Haines and with its creature effects done by Framestore. The show was later cancelled after its sixth season due to financial problems. In 2015 a spin off sequel called Adventures in Hollow Earth was released.

The DVD and Blu Ray releases contain extended episodes which contain scenes of graphic violence, nudity and language.

Plot
In 1936 a nine man expedition consisting of seven men and two women set out to prove the existence of Hollow Earth, a vast subterranean world located within the Earth itself and to also be inhabited by Dinosaurs and many ancient Civilizations.

Little do they know others have also got their sights on Hollow Earth as the Nazis and Thule Society who search for clues left behind by the people of the ancient sunken city of Atlantis, led by the evil Nazi colonel and scientist Dr. Wolfram von Wartenburg who enter Hollow Earth from an opening in the North Pole. If that wasn't enough Terra Arcanum a secret society dedicated to keeping Hollow Earth a secret follow the group in an attempt to prevent them from ever returning to the surface.

However their plan goes wrong and the expedition, the Nazis and Terra Arcanum are stranded in a strange and savage land, full of man eating dinosaurs and tribes of cannibals who want to devour them and everyday they are always searching for a way home, a way out of Hollow Earth.

Main Characters

 * Richard Armitage as Sir John Roxton (Season 1 - Present) - A British big game hunter and leader of the expedition. He came on the expedition to hunt some of the creatures that lived in Hollow Earth and to protect the expedition from harms way, he does have a sense of humor and doesn't endangered animals as he says that if they are continued to be hunted there would be none left to hunt. As the series continues he and the female member Dian become lovers and in the forth season they have a baby boy, his character is taken from The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
 * Craig Lamar Traylor as Zambo Taylor (Season 1 - Preesent) - An African American biologist and animal expert of the group. He came along with the expedition as he couldn't pass up the chance of seeing living and breathing dinosaurs with his own eye, he also examines some of Hollow Earths plants and determines which are dangerous and which ones are safe. He also manages to befriend an orphaned baby Apatosaurus who he names Littlefoot, his character is taken from The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
 * Meaghan Rath as Dian Innes (Season 1 - Present) - A beautiful young Kiowa woman from Oklahoma Kiowa reservation. She came to Hollow Earth in search of the treasures of the Ancient civilizations. However despite her greediness she does have a caring side for her fellow expeditions members especially John Roxton who she eventually becomes his lover and at the end of the second season she becomes pregnant with their child and at the beginning of season four she gives birth to a baby boy, her first and second names are a combain ation of David Innes and Dian the Beautiful from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
 * Andrew Lee Pots as Reverend Tom Bishop (Season 1 - Present) - A Anglican Revered and religious man of the group. He came on the expedition to try and convert some of the tribes in Hollow Earth to Christianity and teach them about the love of God and the love he has for his Earth and people. It was revealed that he become a reverend after when he was eighteen he was shot by a man whilst trying yo rob his shop with a gang of other youths, his father was beside him during the operation and it was his fathers love that showed him God's love.
 * Ruth Bradley as Jane Porter (Season 1 - 3) - A beautiful young Scottish woman who is a journalist. She came along to Hollow Earth in order to have the greatest story that the world has ever read when she returns from it, she can be a bit careless with it comes to getting her story as she sometimes gets chased by dinosaurs or captured by cannibals but she always manages to get her story in the end, she also becomes drawn to the Noble Savage tribesman Tarzan who lives goes to live with a the end of season three, her character is taken from Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
 * David Tennant as Thomas Aryton (Season 1 - Present) - A British explorer who was stranded five years prior to the show in Hollow Earth. He and a group of men where on a search over the North Pole when their plane was mysteriously shot down into Hollow Earth. Out of a ten man expedition only he survived, learning how to survive in Hollow Earth wasn't easy has he had to wear glasses and can't see well without them but he has managed to make weapons out of dinosaur bones and teeth, he becomes the expeditions guide throughout the dangerous lands of Hollow Earth, his character is taken from In Serach of the Castaways and the Mysterious Island by Jules Verne.
 * John Barrowman as Doc Savage (Season 1 - Present) - An American explorer who was apart of the expedition to Hollow Earth. Three years earlier he and his father were on an expedition to find a supposed lost city located in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest however him and his father were attacked by a hostile tribe who killed his father and greatly injured him He slightly arrogant but doesn't what it takes to help his fellow team mates, his character is taken from Doc Savage by Lester Dent.
 * Jeffery Tambor as Prof. Abner Perry (Season 1 - Present) - An American professor of both human and natural history at Harvard and a member of the Hollow Earth Expedition. He at first scoffs the existence of Hollow Earth and decided to join the expedition to see if it truly existed, however he later found out that it did exist and as a result was dumbfounded. He is slightly snooty but does have a kind heart and would help his friends if in need, his character is taken from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
 * Ross Noble as Prof. William Chamberlain (Season 1 - 4) - A British member of the expedition to Hollow Earth and the groups scientist. He has the abilities of a mad scientist and behaves like one. He invented the machine that bought the expedition to Hollow Earth but it was later destroyed by a gang of molemen. He can't resist the knowledge of how the ancient Atlantean technology works which often leds the group into trouble but despite it he can make things that make the expeditions stay in Hollow Earth easier and more comfortable, he dies in season four after being shot by Wartenburg.
 * Karl Roden as Dr. Wolfram von Wartenburg Season 1 - Present)- - A ruthless,and sadistic Nazi scientist, military colonel and fanatic member of the Thule Society. He is one of Hitlers favorite scientists and was appointed leader of the Nazi expedition to Hollow Earth, however shortly after arriving he and his men were stranded by Terra Arcanum. Whilst he and his men were stranded they tried to discover some of the secrets left behind by the Atlanteans but he even has some run ins with the other expedition, he is also the main antagonist of the show.
 * Andy Serkis as Simian (Season 4 - Present) - An Apeman scientist who became the expeditions scientist after Chamberlains death at the hands of Wartenburg. He is viewed by his tribe as being unorthodox and crazy, he wears some human clothes that he found in a plane wreck including a book of how to make gunpowder. He is a friend of Thomas Arython who was the first surface world human he ever meet and as a result he was fascinated by him.

Recurring Characters

 * Bill Nightly as Roald Amundsen - The famous Norwegian explorer of the Antarctic expedition and was also the first man to reach the South Pole. He later disappeared in 1928 whilst on a rescue mission and was presumed dead, however it was revealed that he was a member of Terra Arcanum, a group dedicated to keeping Hollow Earth a secret, as he left them and as a result he was betrayed by them. After crashing in Hollow Earth, he was rescued by a tribe of Cargo Cultists, he helps the new expedition on many occasions.
 * Ralph Fiennes as Captain William Flint - The self proclaimed pirate king of Blood Bay. Once a successful buccaneer who lived near the end of the nineteen century, he saw that the future of piracy looking very bleak due to wooden sailing ships being replaced with new bigger and stronger iron ships. Whilst sailing North of Bermuda he, his crew and their ship were sucked into Hollow Earth and it was there that he found the modern pirate city of Blood Bay. Unlike many of the pirates that live in Blood Bay he was well educated and is a very successful pirate captain, despite this however he can turn into a coldblooded killer but only if its completely necessary.
 * Tim Roth as Zilla - A Lizardman Shaman whose entire tribe was massacred by Warthenburg. He was once a great shaman among his people but one day he befriend Dr. Wartenburg and was invited to to have some food with them and after eating he feel asleep. When he woke up however he discovered that Wartenburg and his men had massacred most of his tribe leaving very few survivors and as an egg, after that he decided to keep the egg safe and find a new tribe with the help of the Expedition.
 * Conleth Hill as Sabbala - The ruthless leader of the Nagas. He is a green skinned obese man who is the ruthless and bloodthirsty leader of the Naga people, he is obsessed with sacrificing Dian and Jane to his peoples volcano God Nagmarta. He appears in three episodes and in his third and last appearance he is killed after he is pushed into the sacrificial lava pool by Dian and thus ending his reign of terror forever.
 * Erik Per Sullivan as Chung-Sha - Sabbala's evil nephew and chief enforcer. He is a ruthless Naga warrior who is a fanatic worshiper of his peoples volcano god Nagmarta, when he encountered the expedition he pretended to be a friend but it was after bringing them to the city of the skulls that his true colours were revealed as a ruthless and sadistic man. He last appearance was in the season 3 episode "Volcano God" when after his uncle was killed he and a group of men followed the expedition and fought Roxton in a savage sword fight only for him to be killed with a shotgun blast to the face.
 * Simone Kessell as Kaya - The queen of the Amazons and ruler of Thrmiscyra. She welcomes the female members of the expedition to her city warmly but treated the men rather coldly, despite this she is a good queen who cares greatly for the welfare of her people and is a proud, strong and brave warrior maiden.

Guest Characters

 * Susan Lynch as Queen Freya - An evil Viking Queen who is the Aunt of Prince Ragnar. It was revealed that some years prior she murdered her brother and his wife who were the rightful King and Queen of the Talon Tribe. She is a cruel, evil and remorseless woman who has an unhealthy obsession in making sure that her own son becomes King of the Talon tribe instead of her nephew nad not even hesitate to kill even members of her own family. She tried to have her nephew killed but he was rescued by the expedition who helped him to defeat her and at the end of the episode she is torn apart by a pack to Velociraptors.
 * Vanessa Marano as Gron - A young woman who was raised among the giant bees. She was originally the daughter of a Noble Savage Chieftain named Tha until one day when she was but a child, one of the members of the tribe stole honey from the hive, although the man escaped with his life but the bees tracked his scent back to their village and attacked. Nearly the entire tribe was wiped out except for a few survivors and Tha and Gron, Tha had managed to kill one of the bees and cut it open for Gron to hide but unfortunately one bee mistook her for an injured drone and carried her off. When she was found by the expedition who were looking for a cure for Jane who was stung by one of the bees but she had being with the bees for so long she believed that she was one of them and so tried to get the bees to kill them despite Tha's desperate pleas with her. Roxton eventually set the hive on fire but Gron stayed behind in it, she is taken from the Eternal Lover by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
 * Jim Norton as Bishop Uther - An evil bishop who rules the medieval kingdom of Avalon. He is an evil sadistic bishop who both uses his position to abuse the people of Avalon and hides his cruelty by behaving calmly but can lash out, he tried to use a beautiful young woman named Beatrice for an evil scheme that involved using powerful magic to conquer Rome and overthrow the pope. When the expedition showed up he tried to have them accused as witches and as servants of Satan, he then locked them in the dungeon and tried to give them a chance to "redeem" themselves by slaying a Tyrannosaurus Rex, when they returned he declared them to be frauds but the people finally had enough of him and chased both him and his most loyal servant the Executioner into a tar-pit where they drowned.
 * Alex Russell as The Executioner - The frantically devoted servant of Bishop Uther and the executioner of Avalon. He is an unmerciful man who rarely speaks and answers only to the bishop, when the expedition arrived to Beatrice he was quick to follow his masters conclusion that they were witches. At the end of the episode the people who had finally had enough of bishop Uther's abuse, chased him into a tar-pit the Executioner tried to save his master but they both went under and drowned.

Season 1

 * Pilot Part 1 -
 * Pilot Part 2 -
 * Land of the Apes -
 * Saber Toothed Menace
 * Drunken Sailor -
 * The Cold Bloodied People -
 * The Giant Buzzing -
 * War Eagles -
 * The Buzzing -
 * Avalon -

Dinosaurs

 * Ankylosaurus
 * Brontosaurus
 * Coelurosaurus
 * Compsognathus
 * Dilophosaurus
 * Dryosaurus
 * Hadrosaurus
 * Maiasaura
 * Microceratops
 * Othnelia
 * Stegosaurus
 * Styracosaurus
 * Triceratops
 * Tyrannosaurus Rex
 * Velociraptor

Non Dinosaur Reptiles

 * Archeopteryx
 * Dimetrodon
 * Ichthyosaurus
 * Sarcosuchus
 * Plesiosaurus
 * Pteranodon

Other Prehistoric Creatures

 * Arthropleura
 * Aurochs
 * Cave Bear
 * Dunkelosteus
 * Dire Wolf
 * Giant Ape
 * Giant Spider
 * Giant Wasp
 * Glyptodon
 * Haast's Eagle
 * Hagerman Horse
 * Hyaenodon
 * Irish Elk
 * Leviathan
 * Kraken
 * Megalodon
 * Meganaura
 * Phorusrachos
 * Roc
 * Smilodon
 * Trilobite
 * Woolly Mammoth
 * Woolly Rhinoceros

Secret Societies

 * Terra Arcanum - An ancient secret society that was founded by the Atlanteans to protect Hollow Earth from discovery by the Surface World
 * The Thule Society -

Hollow Earth Human Natives

 * Amazons - A nation of Warrior women who are from ancient Greek stories.
 * Cargo Cultists - A race of humans who revere objects that have fallen into Hollow Earth from the sky.
 * Noble Savages - A race of humans who live in touches of nature, they are know to worship several animals even domesticate some.
 * Cannibals - Many tribes in Hollow Earth have taken up cannibalism either for traditional purposes or to frighten their enemies.
 * Pirates - A group in Hollow Earth made up of different groups of seafarers from different centuries.
 * Titans - A race of solitary giants.
 * Vril-ya - A race of humans who live in Atlantis, although they claim to be Atlanteans and use their technology they were actually the servants of the ancient race and do not have a single drop of Altantean blood flows throw their veins.
 * The Talon Tribe - A nation of Viking Warriors who use giant domesticated Haast's Eagles for war mounts. They live in the high mountains and are sworn enemies of a tribe of Pteranodon riding cannibals.
 * Neanderthals - A race of primitive humans also the famous caveman of the Surface World.

Hollow Earth Beast-men

 * Apemen -
 * Lizardmen -
 * Molemen -
 * Panthermen -
 * Hawkmen -
 * Gillmen -

Locations
Hollow Earth - A vast subterranean world located 300 miles below the surface of Earth, it is where a host of Dinosaurs, Extinct Mammals, Beastmen and Ancient Civilizations thrive. It also has many places of interest.
 * Granite House - The cave where Thomas Aryton lived in after he was stranded in Hollow earth by Terra Arcanum, it was where he lived alone until the expedition showed up five years later. It then became the Expeditions base camp and home in some ways. At the beginning of season four it was destroyed by an Earthquake.
 * Tree Town - The expeditions base camp that they built after the destruction of Granite House. It was two tree-houses built into a couple of very large trees and was deemed by them to be the safest yet.
 * Atlantis - A mobile island once the capital of the Altantean empire now it is ruled by the Vril-ya who have ray guns, flying saucers and a massive weather controlling device.
 * Blood Bay - A pirate city compressing of various different cultures from 18th century pirates, vikings etc. It is the biggest hive of scum and villainy in all of Hollow Earth but despite that it is one of the few civilized settlements that Hollow Earth has to offer.
 * The Endless Sea -

Trivia

 * During the first episode where Meaghan Rath crawls out of the pond where she was bathing, her vagina and anus were seen. She later commented that "I really did not expect that at all, to have my crotch shown on international television was a little embarrassing". although she refused to allow it to be shown on re-airs she did allow the scene to be shown on the DVD and Blu Ray releases.
 * The shown uses various characters, most from different pulp stories like, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Lost World, Tarzan of the Apes, Doc Savage and Pellucidar.
 * The models for the Velociraptors were reused from the science fiction show Primeval.
 * Originally the characters, The Dying Moneyman, Imperiled Actress and the Occultist Investigator were to be in the show but were written out after deciding that they wouldn't be of any importance to the series.