Harsh Realm

Harsh Realm is a science fiction television series about humans trapped inside a virtual reality simulation. It was created by Chris Carter, best known for his series The X-Files, and began airing on the FOX Network on October 8, 1999. The series fared poorly in the ratings and was removed from the schedule after just three of its nine episodes had aired.

The term "harsh realm" originates from the "grunge speak" hoax of 1992.

The show was based on a comic book by James D. Hundall and Andrew Paquette. When the creators noticed the credits read "Created by Chris Carter", they sued Fox to get properly credited. The credits were changed to read "Inspired by the Harsh Realm comic book series, Created by James D. Hudnall and Andrew Paquette, Published by Harris Publications, Inc."

Backstory

Harsh Realm is a military simulation programmed by the US Army. It went on line October 13, 1995. For several hours, there was no distinction between our world and Harsh Realm. Until noon, when a nuclear bomb the size of a briefcase was detonated in New York City. 4 million people were killed instantly. ("Camera Obscura")
The game was to be a terrorist training simulation. It also featured other tactical training war games, such as simulations of famous old battles ("Kein Ausgang").
The highest scorer in Harsh Realm is General Omar Santiago. General Santiago controls five eastern seaboard states and is actively conquering more. Santiago City's exact location is unknown - it may be a new city built exclusively for Santiago. It's unlikely to be Washington DC because he hasn't captured states that far down the coast. It's located fairly close to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. It might be Philadelphia, the first capital of the USA.
Those who live inside Santiago City have ID barcode chips implanted in their chests. The chips, when scanned, provide access to services such as city buses and serve as security devices.
Those who live outside the fence have very little.
This is the introduction to Harsh Realm, the voiceover to the video Hobbes watched before he entered Harsh Realm in the pilot:

"Technology and the threat of nuclear annihilation in the last half of the 20th century have changed the world forever. They changed war and its consequences, as they have forever changed the battlefield and the warriors who must still fight there. It's been estimated that a nuclear device the size of a small suitcase, smuggled in and detonated in New York City would kill several million people instantly and many times that amount with radioactive fallout. This scenario prompted the DOD to create the project code named Harsh Realm. Using the 1990 census, satellite cartography and other classified data, the creators of Harsh Realm have created a virtual reality where landscapes and people are identical to our world, down to every man woman and child. By putting players into this simulated crisis scenario..."
According to the plot, "Harsh Realm" is a virtual reality system developed by the United States Department of Defense to train soldiers for situational war strategy. It is a digital environment so real that to call it "virtual" reality is a misnomer. This program is so real that the DoD has had to administer psychological treatment to players who've used it.

Harsh Realm Timeline

Episodes

Pilot
writer: Chris Carter
director: Daniel Sackheim
original airdate: October 8, 1999
secondary airdate: ? March 2000 on FX
Fox's synopsis: "Decorated war hero Lieutenant Thomas Hobbes is about to retire from the military and start a new life with his beloved fiancé Sophie, when the government orders him for one last mission: play the virtual reality situational war game known as "Harsh Realm." But Hobbes finds himself stuck inside this computer game and all he wants is to get back to the real world and to get back to Sophie."

Leviathan
writer: Chris Carter
director: Daniel Sackheim
original airdate: October 15, 1999
secondary airdate: ? 2000 on FX
Fox's synopsis: "The underworld outside of Santiago City has its share of renegades, and one particular is a bounty hunter who traps Pinocchio and Hobbes for his own reward. The bounty hunter cuts a deal with Santiago to barter his prisoners in return for passage back to the real world, but hides the true nature of his trade from girlfriend May. In the real world: The military notifies Sophie that her fiancé Hobbes was killed in action. A grief stricken Sophie is confused when a mysterious stranger leads her to believe that she doesn't know the whole story."

Inga Fossa
writer: Chris Carter
director: Bryan Spicer
original airdate: October 22, 1999
secondary airdate: ? 2000 on FX
Fox's synopsis: "Hobbes, Pinocchio and Florence search for Freddie, the chip forger who will help them access Santiago City and gain entry to the secret portal back taking them back to the real world. More is learned about the true nature of Inga Fossa, and her relationships with other characters in the Realm."

Kein Ausgang
writer: Steve Maeda
director: Cliff Bole
original airdate: 2000 on FX
secondary airdate: N/A
Fox's synopsis: "While looking for a soldier who once nearly penetrated Santiago's forces, Hobbes and Pinocchio get stuck in a combat simulation game of a World War II battle. They must find the jump-portal to escape the game, or else be destined to watch the battle scenario repeat over and over with the same outcome."

Reunion
writer: Greg Walker
director: Kim Manners
original airdate: 2000 on FX
secondary airdate: N/A
Fox's synopsis: "Hobbes and Pinocchio are taken to a forced labor camp where Hobbes finds his mother, who is dying ofcancer. Meanwhile, Sophie visits Hobbes' mother in the real world as she also struggles against cancer."

Three Percenters
writer: Frank Spotnitz
director: Daniel Sackheim
original airdate: 2000 on FX
secondary airdate: N/A
Fox's synopsis: "Hobbes, Pinocchio, and Florence find themselves in a camp where the people preach nonviolence and use the promise of food to lure people to a strange lake that is capable of scanning people's images and creating copies of them."

Manus Domini
writer: John Shiban
director: Larry Shaw
original airdate: 2000 on FX
secondary airdate: N/A
Fox's synopsis: "Florence is captured while trying to save her Sisterhood from Santiago's forces. Hobbes and Pinocchio are caught in a mine blast while pursuing her; Pinocchio is badly injured and is taken into the Sister's care while Hobbes faces a deadly situation with a Republic Guard soldier."

Cincinnati
writer: Chris Carter
director: Tony To
original airdate: 2000 on FX
secondary airdate: N/A
Fox's synopsis: "Santiago wages a personal war against a Native American rebellion in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hobbes and Pinocchio attempt to use the opportunity to kill Santiago."

Camera Obscura
writer: Steve Maeda
director: Jefery Levy
original airdate: 2000 on FX
secondary airdate: N/A
Fox's synopsis: "When they take a job as bodyguards, Hobbes and Pinocchio find themselves in the middle of a family feud mitigated by a priest who can see the future."

Harsh Realm characters

Tom Hobbes
Lieutenant Thomas F. Hobbes was close to his discharge from the Army when he was called to do one last mission and sent into the virtual reality simulation known as Harsh Realm. He left behind in New Jersey his fiancee Sophie Green. They had planned to move to California. He was decorated for saving the life of his friend Waters when they served together in Sarajevo in 1994. In the realm, Hobbes was reunited with the virtual character of his dog Dexter. He also came upon the dying virtual copy of his mother, Katherine, at the same time she was dying of cancer in the real world. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio.
Mike Pinocchio
Corporal Mike Pinocchio served in Desert Storm. After that, he served in Yugoslavia, where he was severely injured by a land mine. The loss of his leg and eye prompted him to volunteer to go into Harsh Realm. In the Realm, he worked for Santiago before presumably faking his own death and going to live outside the fence. He drives a modified 1970s era Chevelle. His gun is an MP5K.
Omar Santiago
In the real world, Santiago is a Sergeant Major, the most-decorated combat veteran to serve in Southeast Asia. He retired, but apparently that retirement took him to Harsh Realm, where he holds the rank of General and is working from his Santiago City headquarters to take over the United States. He is said to be able to go in and out of the game. The US government in the real world wants him dead. His plans are said to involve destroying the real world so that Harsh Realm is all that remains.
Mel Waters
Although they were best friends in the real world, Waters and Hobbes are at odds in Harsh Realm. First Hobbes finds that Waters married Sophie's virtual character. Waters also works for Santiago.<BE> Inga Fossa
She works with the military in Fort Dix, New Jersey. She can come and go as she pleases between Harsh Realm and the real world, where she approached Sophie Green with information. She has a past connection to Pinocchio.
Sophie Green
Sophie is Hobbes' pregnant fiancee, left behind in the real world. She has two sisters and a brother named Sam