Mysterious disappearances, criminal masterminds, the most notorious prison in American history, and a likeable crime solving duo characterize FOX’s new Monday night thriller “Alcatraz”. The premise of the new show, which premiered on January 16^th is that Alcatraz’s closing in 1963 was to cover up the fact that the over 300 prisoners and 40 guards on the island had mysteriously disappeared.

 The show, executive produced by “Lost” co-creator JJ Abrams, takes place in present day San Francisco where the prisoners and guards of Alcatraz in 1963 are mysteriously returning without having aged.  And it’s up to Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), and Emerson Hauser (Sam Neil) to find and detain them before they can continue their criminal ways.

Five episodes in its hard to tell how successful it will be, with most of the episodes playing  out like a formulaic detective drama.  Nevertheless there  is certainly promise in the show’s concept and solid performances by its leads. The show definitely  keeps you coming back and wanting more, as each episode leaves you with more unanswered questions and dramatic suspense than the next.