Fast, fun 'Minority Report' is a fall TV winner

I didn't see this coming: Fox has a winner on the fall TV schedule in "Minority Report," the new hourlong sci-fi series based on Steven Spielberg's 2002 film adaptation of a 1956 short story by Philip K. Dick.

"Minority Report" doesn't retread the film's story, re-imagine it or ignore it - smartly, creator/executive producer Max Borenstein has found a way to continue the futuristic crime story that feels organic. This is no thoughtless cash-in.

The year is 2065, a decade after Washington, D.C.'s "precrime" unit has been disbanded, as seen in Spielberg's film. Precrime - arresting criminals before they even commit their crimes - was made possible by three children with precognitive abilities allowing them to see someone's murderous intentions. Sometimes, one of the three "precogs" would see a vision that conflicts with the other two, hence the title. The show centers on one of those precogs, now all grown up and free of his morally sticky obligations.

But Dash (Stark Sands, who originated the role of Charlie Price in the Chicago production of "Kinky Boots") isn't free of his visions, or his willingness to help people. When his attempt to save a woman he knows will be pushed out of a window fails, the subsequent investigation leads him to Detective Lara Vega (Meagan Good, "Think Like a Man"), who makes Dash her off-the-books partner.

The first hour of "Minority Report," airing at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, is fast, fun and surprisingly funny. Spielberg's film was among his darkest and grittiest; the show is bright and colorful, but retains the film's satirical futuristic vision. A short prologue takes care of most of the exposition, allowing Good and Sands to build rapport instead of regurgitating plot points. Aside from all the visual trappings, my favorite scene in the pilot is a nice bit of character building in the detective's apartment that introduces her family, her interests and her personality. (For instance, she loves listening to oldies, which in 2065 means Iggy Azalea and Demi Lovato.)

Sands is an open, likable performer given the estimable task of playing a character whose childhood was taken from him, who still suffers from nightmarish visions that leave him physically incapacitated and who has chosen to cut himself off from his siblings. Dash could have easily been an impenetrable character, but we're with him instantly.

Of the supporting characters, Dash's brother Arthur (Nick Zano) is the most interesting. Dash's psychic abilities give him images, but Arthur's give him hard facts - things like names and numbers that can be exploited for personal gain. We also meet Vega's boss, Will Blake, a slimy charmer played by, of all people, "That '70s Show" alum Wilmer Valderrama. He acquits himself nicely, and could potentially be the third side in a sci-fi love triangle.

"Minority Report" settles into a comfortable groove somewhere between "Fringe" and "Sleepy Hollow," and has potential to be entertaining and thought-provoking in equal measure. I don't think a refresher course is necessary to enjoy it, but you can revisit Spielberg's electrifying film via digital rental from iTunes, Vudu or PlayStation Network or on Blu-ray and DVD.

• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald copy editor. You can follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.