Think “Sliding Doors,” but really, really dark and you have “Awake,” a new drama from NBC. A midseason replacement on the network’s 2011-2012 schedule, the Jason Isaacs (the “Harry Potter” franchise) vehicle follows a detective’s journey through alternate realities — and even he doesn’t know which one is real or if either one is.
After Detective Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs) wakes up from a car accident with his wife and teenage son, he learns that his wife died in the crash. A few days later, he wakes up to find that his wife is very much alive and his son died in the accident. Did he lose his wife or his son? Or neither of them? Britten flip flops back and forth between these two realities, which includes solving crimes with his partner (Wilmer Valderrama, “That ’70s Show”) that often overlap in inexplicable ways and seeing two different therapists (B.D. Wong and Cherry Jones). Let”s just hope it doesn”t end like another dual reality story, “Jacob”s Ladder.”
Michael Britton (Jason Isaacs) has a rich fantasy life… and we can’t blame him for wanting one.
Michael explains to his shrink Dr. John Lee (B.D. Wong, “Law & Order: SVU”) why he has no intention of “getting better.”
While talking with his partner, Det. Efrem Vega (Wilmer Valderrama), Michael finds that his double life may actually give him unique insights into his work.