History Series / ZeroHour

A ConspiracyThriller drama series on Creator/{{ABC}}, and created by Paul Scheuring, better known as the man behind ''Series/PrisonBreak''. The show stars Anthony Edwards as Hank Galliston, the publisher of a magazine that skewers various out-of-left-field conspiracy theories. After his clock-seller wife is mysteriously kidnapped, his efforts to find her set him on the path to uncovering the greatest conspiracy in the history of mankind.

It was panned by the critics and set record lows in the ratings upon its premiere. After the third episode, [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/02/zero-hour-canceled-cancelled-by-abc ABC pulled it from the schedule]]. The remainder of its episodes was burned off on Saturdays in the summer of 2013.

No relation to [[ComicBook/ZeroHour the DC Comics miniseries]] or the [[Film/ZeroHour film]] that inspired ''Film/{{Airplane}}''.

!!This series provides examples of the following tropes:
* AncientConspiracy: Apparently dates back to at least the second century AD, although many of the more relevant events took place in the late 1930s and involved the Rosicrucians and the Nazis.
%%* ArcNumber: 12.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein was one of the 12 New Apostles guarding the secret that could end the world.
%%* BigBad: White Vincent, the mercenary.
%%* ChristianityIsCatholic
%%* ConspiracyThriller
%%* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: We seem to be getting there.
%%* GenreSavvy: White Vincent even makes cracks about not doing things like people do in the movies.
* GilliganCut: In the pilot, Arron and Rachel have an argument over whether to seek out the maker of the first clock, who lives in New York. Prior to leaving for the Arctic, Hank insisted they not leave the loft, and Rachel swears to Arron that they're keeping their word. ''Cut to'': Rachel and Arron trying to catch a cab.
%%* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Invoked by White Vincent in regards to Hank and the conspiracy.
* HealingHands: [[spoiler:The girl pregnant with the Christ clone is shown in the epilogue healing people in a remote African village]].
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Each episode title has something to do with clocks ("Strike," "Face," etc.)
* MacGuffin: A set of twelve clocks that are said to be the key to unlocking the salvation or destruction of the world. Hank's wife unwittingly bought one of them from a street vendor, which attracts White Vincent's attention and gets her targeted. [[spoiler: It actually wasn't so unwittingly. Plus, Laila's whole marriage to Hank was no accident either.]]
* ProphetEyes: The baby seen in the Nazi facility in the pilot. [[spoiler:And the dreaded White Vincent, who uses colored contacts to conceal the ProphetEyes.]]
* RevengeBeforeReason: Agent Riley towards White Vincent, for blowing up the plane her husband was on. [[spoiler:It doesn't change when she finds out her husband is alive and working with him.]]
* ScareChord: The clock sounds that precede each commercial break are EXTREMELY jarring.
* ShortRunner: Nearly a [[OneEpisodeWonder Two-Episode Wonder]]...at least on Thursdays @ 8. ABC burned off the rest on Saturdays during the summer.
* SkepticismFailure: Hank is not only a skeptic, he publishes ''Modern Skeptic'' magazine, and of course his doubt toward conspiracy theories quickly gets disproven when he encounters a real one in the show. This appears to be the only real reason he begins as a professional skeptic, with a dramatic contrast.
* StupidJetpackHitler: It is strongly implied the Nazis were conducting some sort of genetic engineering experiment which may have resulted in a demonic child. [[spoiler: Turns out this child grew up to become White Vincent, the infamous mercenary who kidnapped Hank's wife]].
* TitleDrop: Right at the end of the pilot. The old man says that "Zero Hour" is the prophesied End of Days.
** The second episode has "Zero Hour" as the name of a Nazi project (possibly including the above-mentioned genetic engineering experiment).
* TreasureMap: The first clock contains one of these that somehow was etched into a small diamond. [[spoiler: While the heroes do get the chance to decipher it, it eventually winds up in White Vincent's hands]]. Turns out [[spoiler: it leads to a Nazi sub stranded in the Arctic, with the remains of multiple Nazi soldiers, including New Bartholomew aka Nazi!Hank, on board]].
** The second clock contains a star map that leads to the city where New Thomas lives.

No relation to [[ComicBook/ZeroHour the DC Comics miniseries]] or the [[Film/ZeroHour film]] that inspired ''[[Film/{{Airplane}}]]''.

No relation to [[ComicBook/ZeroHour the DC Comics miniseries]].

* SkepticismFailure: Hank is not only a skeptic, he publishes ''Modern Skeptic'' magazine, and of course his doubt toward conspiracy theories quickly gets disproven when he encounters a real one in the show. This appears to be the only reason he begins as a professional skeptic, with a dramatic contrast.

* ArcNumber: 12.

* BigBad: White Vincent, the mercenary.
* ChristianityIsCatholic
* ConspiracyThriller
* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: White Vincent, and how! He even makes cracks about not doing things like people do in the movies.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: We seem to be getting there.

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Invoked by White Vincent in regards to Hank and the conspiracy.

* MysteriousPast: Hank has one so mysterious, even ''he'' isn't initially aware of it. [[spoiler: It seems that Hank may be the reincarnation of a Nazi officer turned New Apostle of the Rosicrucian Order]].
** Nope, he's just [[spoiler: a clone of Korbin Sturm the Nazi officer.]] Same with [[spoiler: White Vincent]].

* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: AlbertEinstein was one of the 12 New Apostles guarding the secret that could end the world.

** The second clock contains a star map that leads to the city where New Thomas lives.

* ShortRunner: Nearly a [[OneEpisodeWonder Two-Episode Wonder]]...at least on Thursdays @ 8. [[http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/cancelled-zero-hour-do-no-harm-get-summer-air-dates-for-unaired-episodes/ ABC has plans to burn off the rest on Saturdays]] during the summer...but they've [[LyingCreator gone back]] [[ScrewedByTheNetwork on that]] [[Series/{{Eastwick}} before...]]

* ShortRunner: Nearly a [[OneEpisodeWonder Two-Episode Wonder]]...at least on Thursdays @ 8. [[http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/cancelled-zero-hour-do-no-harm-get-summer-air-dates-for-unaired-episodes/ ABC has plans to burn off the rest on Saturdays]] during the summer...but they've [[LyingCreator gone back]] [[ScrewedByTheNetwork on that]] [[{{Eastwick}} before...]]

* XMeetsY: ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'' meets ''[[Series/{{Missing2012}} Missing.]]''

* RevengeBeforeReason: Agent Riley towards White Vincent, for blowing up the plane her husband was on.

* MacGuffin: A set of twelve clocks that are said to be the key to unlocking the salvation or destruction of the world. Hank's wife unwittingly bought one of them from a street vendor, which attracts White Vincent's attention and gets her targeted.

* ProphetEyes: The baby seen in the Nazi facility in the pilot. [[spoiler:Said baby grew up to be the dreaded White Vincent, who uses colored contacts to conceal the ProphetEyes.]]

* XMeetsY: ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'' meets ''[[{{Missing2012}} Missing.]]''

It was panned by the critics and set record lows in the ratings upon its premiere. After the third episode, [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/02/zero-hour-canceled-cancelled-by-abc ABC pulled it from the schedule]].

* ShortRunner: Nearly a [[OneEpisodeWonder Two-Episode Wonder]]...at least on Thursdays @ 8. ABC has plans to burn off the rest on Saturdays during the summer...but they've [[LyingCreator gone back]] [[ScrewedByTheNetwork on that]] [[{{Eastwick}} before...]]

* ShortRunner: Nearly a [[OneEpisodeWonder Two-Episode Wonder]]...at least on Thursdays @ 8. ABC has plans to burn off the rest on Saturdays during the summer...but they've [[LyingCreator gone back on that]] [[{{Eastwick}} before...]]

* ShortRunner: Nearly a [[OneEpisodeWonder Two-Episode Wonder]]...at least on Thursdays @ 8. ABC has plans to burn off the rest on Saturdays during the summer...but they've [[LyingCreator gone back on that]] [[Series/{{Eastwick}} before...]]

* CutShort: See above.

This show did very poorly with critics and set record lows in the ratings upon its premiere. After the third episode, [[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/02/zero-hour-canceled-cancelled-by-abc ABC pulled it from the schedule]].

* ProphetEyes: The baby seen in the Nazi facility in the pilot. [[spoiler:Said baby grew up to be the dreaded White Vincent.]]