Falling Skies - Season 1

Falling Skies opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few remaining survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force, whose nature and purpose remains a mystery.

At the center of Falling Skies is Tom Mason (series star Noah Wyle), a Boston history professor whose family has been torn apart. His wife was killed shortly after the initial attack, and one of his three sons has been taken captive by the aliens for some unknown purpose. Tom must now put his extensive knowledge of military history to the test as second in command of the 2nd Massachusetts, a regiment of resistance fighters protecting a large group of civilian survivors. They are constantly trying to gain intelligence about the aliens in order to one day outsmart and overtake them and hopefully rebuild their lives.

Moon Bloodgood also stars as Anne Glass, a pediatrician who works with the surviving children to help them cope with the traumatic upheaval in their lives. Series star Will Patton plays Weaver, a fierce military leader of the resistance and Tom's commanding officer.

Falling Skies also stars Drew Roy as Hal, Tom's oldest son and a growing fighter in the resistance movement; Maxim Knight as Matt, Tom's youngest son; Connor Jessup as Ben, Tom's son who was captured by aliens; and Seychelle Gabriel as Lourdes, an orphaned teenager who helps Anne in the group's makeshift medical clinic. Mpho Koaho and Peter Shinkoda play Anthony and Dai, two resistance fighters in the 2nd Mass; Colin Cunningham is John Pope, the head of a gang of marauders; and Sarah Sanguin Carter is Margaret, a wary survivor from Pope's gang.

Falling Skies is a tale of endurance, commitment and courage in which everyday people are called upon to become heroes. The series focuses on the resilience of the survivors and their determination to maintain their humanity when all else has been destroyed. It also explores the ties that bind people together in the most difficult of circumstances, as well as the potential for humans to turn on each other when the struggle to survive threatens to give way to desperation. Through it all, there are moments of joy and happiness, including birthdays, births, humor, romance and friendship. The survivors may be outmatched, outnumbered and outgunned, but nothing can beat the human spirit.

The aliens in Falling Skies are as mysterious as they are merciless. They are highly intelligent and use military-like tactics, which makes them an overwhelming force against the 2nd Mass. They are fast, strong, extremely intelligent and very difficult to kill. The survivors have encountered two types of aliens in the invading force: "skitters," so named for the way they move about on spider-like legs, and "mechs", heavily armed robot-like bipeds.

Each week the survivors discover new pieces of information about the alien force, but those discoveries often lead to more questions about the aliens' existence and purpose. No matter what is learned about the invaders, the biggest mystery of all remains: Why are they here, and what do they want?