One of the first dramatic series produced by MTV, this sci-fi series debuted in 1994 and ran for a brief thirteen episodes.
Ed Bellamy (Jack Noseworthy) is an ordinary, albeit extremely intelligent, college student who finds out that he is one of an unknown number of people who had microchips implanted in their brains as infants. The chip grants Jack high intelligence but will kill him by the time he turns 21. The organization in charge of the experiment decides to cut its losses and eliminate the subjects. To this end, they frame Bellamy for murder and send an agent named Winston (Whip Hubley) to dispatch him. Bellamy manages to escape with the help of a young woman named Maria Cavalos (Lisa Dean Ryan), who accidentally learned of the project, and the two set out to find a cure for Ed's condition.
This show provides examples of:
- Adventure Towns
- Almost Dead Guy: Danny, a Cyb whose chip is starting to break down and kill him. His encounter with Ed starts the series.
- Apocalyptic Log: Danny makes a videotape describing the Neuro-Cybernaut as the chip's breakdown is slowly killing him. This is the MacGuffin that Danny hands to Ed in the first episode.
- Clear My Name: Ed is framed for murder, though the series's emphasis was on saving his life instead of clearing his name.
- Cyberpunk: A chip in your brain that increases your intelligence but will eventually kill you at a young age? Check.
- Deadpan Snarker: Maria, though she's Not So Stoic throughout the series.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: Ed has a dream about Danny before he meets him in real life and has several prophetic dreams throughout the series.
- Frame-Up: Agent Winston frames Ed for Danny's murder.
- Government Conspiracy
- Harbinger of Impending Doom: Danny informs Ed about the Neuro-Cybernaut program, how it eventually kills its subjects, and the fact that Ed himself is one of those subjects.
- He Knows Too Much
- Higher Understanding Through Drugs: Subverted in one episode where it was part of a plot to kill Ed to extend the life of another Cyb.
- Horror Hunger: One Cyb needed to consume brain fluids from other cybs to survive.
- I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: Danny to Ed, as described above.
- In-Series Nickname: The people implanted with the chip were known as "Cybs".
- Inspector Javert: Agent Winston
- Mushroom Samba: Ed's dreams take this form.
- 90% of Your Brain: The chip enables one to use this.
- The '90s
- Powered by a Forsaken Child: In one episode, Ed and Maria met a thirty-five-year-old Cyb. It turns out that he needed to drug other cybs and consume the resultant brain chemicals to extend his life.
- Stern Chase
-
Unintentional Period Piece: Since this was an MTV show circa 1994, it reflected the popular culture of the time with Grunge, flannel, Crowd Surfing, and other Gen X staples all represented. Given that time and culture have moved on, the series inadvertently became one of these. - Walking the Earth
- Your Days Are Numbered
