| Welcome to Paradox | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Betaville (working title) |
| Format | Science Fiction |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (List of episodes) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Sci-Fi Channel |
| Original run | August 17, 1998 – November 9, 1998 |
Welcome to Paradox is a science fiction television series aired on the Sci Fi Channel. Despite being filmed in Canada, the series was only broadcast on Sci Fi Channel affiliates in the United States. It first aired on August 17, 1998, and ran for one season, ending on November 9, 1998. As this was part of a crop of new shows produced in 1998 by Sci Fi Channel and it was not successful beyond the first season, it was never placed in syndication. "Betaville" was the original title for the series.
The series is an anthology hybrid. The stories all took place in the fictional future city of "Betaville", a nod to Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville. However, the majority of the stories were adapted from other short stories whose details didn't have anything outwardly to do with the fictionalized city. The stories that were adapted were from old works by famous science fiction authors. Themes that were explored were the impact of certain technologies on the human body and psyche, as well as the role of humanity in the face of being overwhelmed by hostile technologies. Each episode had a "Host", who was to be named "Paradox" until the concept was dropped, an actor that served as a narrator, adding a prologue and epilogue to the show much like was done with The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. The Volkswagen New Beetle was chosen to be the transportation of Betaville. Any time it was called for a car to be featured in an episode, a New Beetle was used.
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Betaville is the fictional host city where all the stories of Welcome to Paradox take place. Set in an unspecified time in the future, Betaville is a city of Utopian ideals. There is no crime, violence, disease, or any other problems of modern society. However, there is a dark underbelly welling up in Betaville that for some, impacts them head on. Technology in various forms has invaded life to the point that simulated reality is taking over actual reality, perfect machines are wrenching control from the people that can afford such luxury, and the very fabric of humanity is challenged with genetic engineering and social engineering programs that push the boundaries of hubris if not sanity.
Though an Australian PAL (Region 4) box set of the entire series exists, the series was never released in any commercial format in the USA or Europe.