# Alphas (2011)

> Five ordinary people with superhuman abilities join a covert Department of Defense team that tracks down others like them.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/36167

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 24
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: science fiction, drama, action
- Created by: Zak Penn
- Network: Syfy
- Cast: David Strathairn, Ryan Cartwright, Warren Christie, Azita Ghanizada, Laura Mennell, Malik Yoba, Jeff Seymour, Tatiana Maslany
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183865/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, suspenseful, paranoid, thoughtful, restrained

## What critics say

Reviewers see Alphas as a grounded, procedural take on superhuman abilities that is enjoyable but familiar, and that was cut short just as its story was gaining momentum.

## Synopsis

Alphas (2011-2012) is an American science fiction procedural created by Zak Penn and broadcast on Syfy. Lee Rosen (David Strathairn) leads a team of five ordinary people whose brains give them extraordinary physical and mental abilities. Operating inside the U.S. Department of Defense, the group includes Gary Bell (Ryan Cartwright), Cameron Hicks (Warren Christie), Rachel Pirzad (Azita Ghanizada), and Nina Theroux (Laura Mennell), along with Bill Harken (Malik Yoba) overseeing them. Each episode follows a case that points to another person with Alpha abilities, so the engine of the series is the team's effort to find, understand, and sometimes contain these individuals while balancing their own personal struggles and a larger, shadowy conspiracy. The format is a case-of-the-week procedural built around grounded science and investigative detail rather than costumes or spectacle. Across two seasons totaling twenty-four episodes, the show keeps a cautious, earnest tone, with suspenseful, paranoid undercurrents and a thoughtful interest in what it means to be different. Its cold institutional settings and muted, present-day American atmosphere give it a restrained feel. Fans of Heroes, Fringe and Eureka will find resonance in its blend of procedural structure and speculative science.

## Shows like Alphas

- [The Others (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/2001)
- [Incorporated (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/59503)
- [Beyond (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/59532)
- [The Sentinel (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/1556)
- [Impulse (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/67864)
- [Stitchers (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55359)
- [Intelligence (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/45356)
- [Heroes (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/1542)
- [ReGenesis (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/3241)
- [Jake 2.0 (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/4348)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt