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Early Edition was a television series on CBS that ran from September 28, 1996 to May 27, 2000. It followed the adventures of a man who attempts to prevent terrible events each day, which he learns about by receiving each day's newspaper a day early.
The story The show dealt with the life of Gary Hobson (Kyle Chandler), a Chicago man (initially a stock broker, later the owner of McGinty's bar) who mysteriously received newspapers (specifically, the Chicago Sun-Times) a day ahead of time, effectively giving him knowledge of the potential future. His newspaper apparently gets delivered by an orange tabby cat, no matter where he goes every morning, except on some special occasions. He would then try to prevent tragedies described in "tomorrow's" Sun-Times from occurring, whereby story text and headlines in the newspaper change to reflect the outcome of his actions. Within the course of the series, Gary discovers that a few people share his gift of receiving the newspaper "early". The only people, besides Gary, who know about his gift are his parents; his friends Chuck Fishman (a former fellow stock broker) and Marissa Clark (the blind former receptionist at the brokerage); and, Erica and Henry Paget, a single mother and her son (Gary gives Erica a job at McGinty's) though he certainly tried to tell a few people such as his attorney and various police officers (Episode 407/408 - Fatal Edition). On some occasions, he is given the ability to wake up in another time (such as in the early 1900s) to change the past. People who encounter Gary often strongly suspect (or know) that he has a secret, but do not know what specifically it is. During the course of the series, it is never clearly stated where the paper comes from. In one episode, Gary meets the group of people apparently responsible for giving him (as well as others) the Paper. Nothing much is revealed about them except that they have some sort of supernatural abilities, such as being able to mysteriously appear at any location. In season four, episode 420 - "Time" (series finale that aired a few episodes early) it is briefly explained why Gary started receiving the paper. Apparently, he was given the responsibility by Lucius Snow (the man who received the paper before Gary), when he saved his life as a child. At the end of the same episode, Gary passes on the responsibility of the paper to a young girl named Lindsey Romick who had just lost her grandfather; though it's not shown if she ever begins receiving the paper. Themes The show began with Gary being divorced by his wife, and stuck in a rut in his job. Once he begins to receive the "early edition" of the Sun-Times at the hotel he is staying at, he slowly gains a sense of purpose as a sort of superhero by way of seeking to prevent as many disasters as possible each day. The drawback to his the situation was that, in his nearly-obsessional devotion to saving people, he rarely had time for his own personal life. Gary's fortuitous assumption of ownership of McGinty's Bar/Grill in downtown Chicago gave him a stable platform from which to carry out his newfound purpose. The other issue he would occasionally grapple with was whether to use the information contained in the paper (such as lottery numbers, or sports scores) to profit from the paper. The show rarely dealt with a common theme of time-travel dramas: The theory that changing the past (or the present in this case) produced potentially adverse consequences in the future. More often, the show would subtly display the butterfly effect. Supporting characters
Cancellation and legacy After May 27, 2000 (the end of its fourth season), CBS decided to end the series' run. The series has been syndicated, airing most recently on i: Independent Television. No DVDs of the series have been released. Fans of the show have stayed devoted to it in true "cult TV" fashion, sometimes referring to themselves as "EELs" (Early Edition Lovers). "EELFests" have been held for fans to gather in and around the Chicago locations of the show. Trivia Main Recurring Episode guide List of 'Early Edition' Episodes Season one Season two Season three Season four | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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