The alternate history show has long been a TV mainstay, be it For All Mankind (what if the Soviets had won the space race?), The Man in the High Castle (what if the Axis powers had won the second world war?) or even Blackadder (what if Tudor history was essentially all nonsense?). The Sentinels enters this crowded, often conflict-heavy genre with a wartime premise of its own: what if, during the first world war, the French army had groomed a secret cabal of doped-up super soldiers, capable of incredible feats of violence?
An unapologetic mashup of postapocalyptic, steampunk action and old-timey war drama with a distinctly Gallic (and Germanic) feel, this eight-part series – adapted from a comic book series by Enrique Breccia and Xavier Dorison – is an intriguing entry to the “what if?” genre. And if it sounds a little too on-the-nose (bad historical event plus major anachronisms equals … TV gold?!), know that The Sentinels is so confident in its worldbuilding that it manages to work not just as an alternate history, but as a solid sci-fi thriller.
