TV Show review
February 1, 2023 · 52 min · TV-14 · Returning Series · Mystery · Sci-Fi · Fantasy
Based on 3 seasons, 36 episodes · through October 2, 2024
The Ark is a science fiction television show set one hundred years in the future. After a terrible accident destroys their spaceship and kills the leaders, the surviving crew must work together to survive their long journey. The show features a very diverse crew with multiple women in high leadership, engineering, and medical roles. It also includes an openly gay security chief whose backstory involves his husband.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Ark.
Woke representation / casting
The series features a very diverse cast. It has several women in top leadership and science roles, including the de facto captain, the chief engineer, the head doctor, and a young Black female engineering genius. Also, the security chief Felix Strickland is an openly gay man who was married to another man on Earth. This confirmed LGBTQ+ representation adds noticeable weight to the casting.
60%
Woke political dialogue
The show avoids preachy modern political dialogue or lectures. The characters focus on the immediate threats to their survival. They use standard sci-fi words and technical talk rather than progressive social comments.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
While the main plot centers on sci-fi survival, Felix's story arc focuses on his identity as a gay man. This includes his grief over losing his husband, Robert, and his search for their daughter. This adds a noticeable LGBTQ+ theme. Other themes like cloning and clone prejudice work as traditional sci-fi elements rather than modern social commentary.
30%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The series uses classic sci-fi tropes. It has greedy corporate leaders and rich villains like William Trust and Evelyn Maddox. However, this acts as standard corporate greed drama. It is not a modern critique of capitalism, patriarchy, Western institutions, or traditional social norms.
5%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The series is an original sci-fi show. It is not based on any older book, movie, or franchise, so no legacy characters or canon were changed.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Some online viewers complained about the show's diverse casting and female leadership. They accused the series of pushing a woke agenda. However, these complaints were minor and limited to small online groups. Most bad reviews focused on the cheap special effects, cheesy dialogue, and soap-opera drama rather than politics.
28%
Creator track record context
The main showrunners, Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner, have low woke scores and prefer traditional storytelling. A few episodic directors and writers, like Orsi Nagypál and India Sage Wilson, have a history of focusing on LGBTQ+ themes and racial representation. However, the overall creative team keeps the show focused on basic survival.
26%
Production
