G4 : In the Now
March 25, 2005 : By Jenni Villarreal : Picture : Laura Wilson (The Tribe's May)

This is probably beyond the nerdiness pale, but I love this teen/scifi/post-apocalyptic soap opera from New Zealand called The Tribe. It's on in America on WAM! and like many things I eventually get obsessed with, I hated it when it first appeared on cable a few years ago. I hated it so much that when I went to England and saw episodes that were a season, maybe a season and a half ahead of what WAM! was showing, I watched with rapt attention, even though I was pretty confused at what I was seeing.

If I had kids, I'd totally want them to watch The Tribe, because unlike a lot of programming aimed at young people, it doesn't talk down to them and rarely sugarcoats things. It treats kids like they have brains. But besides the respect it gives its audience, it also has solid scifi storylines, excellent costumes, and the best exaggerated hair and makeup styling I've seen in a long time. My hair was purple, then blue, then green a few years ago, and part of my motivation was Tribe hair envy. These are some fine-looking teens, my friends.

Season five of The Tribe just ended here in America, but I read on Tribeworld.com that the sequel to The Tribe, A New Tomorrow, is going to start filming in April. Yay! I hope they air it on WAM! soon. And if you like shows about attractive teens struggling to keep the dream alive by banding together as colorfully-attired "tribes" after a virus wipes out all the adults in the world...or if you just like fun shows that have more heart than budget...you should give The Tribe a try. Um, and if anyone wants to release the first five seasons of The Tribe on DVD here in America, I can guarantee you, like, two sets sold. But my sister and I can't be the only people who like The Tribe! Can we? Show some Tribe love, America!

--Jenni Villarreal