the show itself had great potential had people where it counted not dropped it after 3 shows. Carter also should had separated it better from the x-files motif and let it stand on its own, it would have succeeded. THis includes music, narration by Scully etc. Still for what it is worth, if you are a sci-fi fan the show is a valued watch and owning. Bairstow it seems can be a great actor (if you remember his character from Lonesome Dove) if he is put in the proper setting and this includes this show. However if you have seen him in other shows or movies i.e Bone Snatcher, you may have misjudge him. A fine actor who needs to find success.3 out of 5 stars

Okay, let me start off by saying I'd never heard of Harsh Realm. 1999 was a busy year for me, and when I heard the words "From the creator of the X-Files..." I didn't get to the end of any of the ads before I turned the channel. I never liked the X-Files, and for no particularly good reason. I might never have heard of Harsh Realm, but I work at Wal-Mart, and they got some DVD series in for fifteen bucks, and I thought "Hmmmm." I picked up Dark Angel first, another series I'd never heard of, then, the next week, I gave Harsh Realm a try. I enjoyed all 9 episodes very much, and I enjoyed the special feature's look behind the scenes. It was well put-together, and they didn't spend the whole time yelling about how they were never given a chance and all that, as some people like to do in their commentaries. I only wish the show had had a definitive ending, and, of course, that I had watched episode nine before episode eight, as I was instructed to do. I'm not going to say anything to spoil it, just that if you pick up the DVDs for yourself, you should watch nine, then eight, it gives it more of an "ending" feel, if only slightly....

I really love the X-Files and it is a shame that this is the last season for it (1999), but if Carter was trying to transition his fanbase to another show (Millenium ended last season), this was a really bad attempt. Yes, it's similar to The Matrix. And I have heard about a previous comic book. But there really wasn't any "substance" - in the long run he had to defeat the Bad Guy. Big deal. Why should I watch every week? To see the same Goo effect of a "bug" in the VR world? X-Files always leaves another question - "What will happen next?" or "But what about ....?"Read in the newspaper that FOX picked up on this too, and after three aired episodes - goodbye!

As a fan of Chris Carter I have to like this show but I am going to say that the first episode did go kind of slow but I think this is because they had to introduce the characters. Some say that it is too much like The Matrix(1999) but the plot line is really very different. The man knows that he is in Harsh Realm and so does everyone else. They are all trying to get out and some of the peole are actually not real. They are part of the program. In The Matrix none of them know that they are there. And Harsh Realm is based off of the comic book that came out long before the movie. I think this is going to be a very good show.