Awake poster

Awake

TV Show 2012 7.0 /10
Created by Kyle Killen

After a serious car accident, Detective Michael Britten wakes up living in two simultaneous realities. In one, his wife Hannah is alive and his son Rex is dead; in the other, Rex survived and Hannah did not. Michael marks each world with a different wristband and keeps two therapists on call, Dr... Read more

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Streaming availability last verified: January 14, 2026

About Awake

After a serious car accident, Detective Michael Britten wakes up living in two simultaneous realities. In one, his wife Hannah is alive and his son Rex is dead; in the other, Rex survived and Hannah did not. Michael marks each world with a different wristband and keeps two therapists on call, Dr Jonathan Lee in the "red" reality and Dr Judith Evans in the "green" reality, so he can stay oriented. He goes to work in both lives, where teammates notice his strange choices and erratic mood. As he pursues homicide cases, details from each reality start informing the other, giving him access to leads nobody else sees, while the question of which life, if either, is true remains open.

Awake premiered on NBC in 2012, created by Kyle Killen. The atmospheric pilot was directed by David Slade, and the series starred Jason Isaacs alongside Wilmer Valderrama, Steve Harris, Dylan Minnette, and Laura Allen. It ran for a single season before cancellation.

The series did not rack up major awards, though it received some industry attention for its originality and for Jason Isaacs' central performance. It showed up on a few critics' lists and maintained visibility in reviews, but it did not secure Emmy or Golden Globe nominations.

Awake built a modest but passionate fanbase who kept discussions alive online, debating the show's rules and the red versus green visual language. The wristband device and the alternating-therapy setup became shorthand in pop culture conversations about television that mixes procedural crime work with speculative concepts.

Critical reaction was generally favorable, reflected in a user vote average of about 7.0 out of 10. Reviewers praised the emotional weight behind the procedural plots and Isaacs' layered turn, and they noted recurring themes like grief, guilt, the limits of perception, and the moral choices a cop makes when personal stakes are always present.

Details

Release Date
March 01, 2012
User Ratings
190 votes
Type
TV Series
Seasons
1
Episodes
13
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Cast

Jason Isaacs

Jason Isaacs

Michael Britten

Wilmer Valderrama

Wilmer Valderrama

Detective Efrem Vega

Steve Harris

Steve Harris

Detective Isaiah 'Bird' Freeman

Dylan Minnette

Dylan Minnette

Rex Britten

Laura Allen

Laura Allen

Hannah Britten

Michaela McManus

Michaela McManus

Tara

Cherry Jones

Cherry Jones

Dr. Judith Evans

BD Wong

BD Wong

Dr. John Lee

Created by: Kyle Killen

Seasons (1 season, 13 episodes)

Season 1

Season 1

13 episodes - 2012

Frequently Asked Questions

Awake is not currently available on streaming subscription services, but you can rent or buy it on Apple iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Video.

Yes, you can buy on Apple iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Video.

Awake has 1 season with a total of 13 episodes.

With a rating of 7.0/10 from 190 viewers, Awake is well-regarded and recommended by viewers.

After a serious car accident, Detective Michael Britten wakes up living in two simultaneous realities. In one, his wife Hannah is alive and his son Rex is dead; in the other, Rex survived and Hannah did not. Michael marks each world with a different wristband and keeps two therapists on call, Dr ...

Awake stars Jason Isaacs, Wilmer Valderrama, Steve Harris, Dylan Minnette, and Laura Allen.

Awake was created by Kyle Killen.

Awake was released on March 01, 2012.

Awake is a Drama, Mystery, and Sci-Fi & Fantasy series.

Michael Britten uses colored wristbands to keep track of which reality he's in, since he lives in one reality where his wife Hannah (Laura Allen) survived and another where his son Rex (Dylan Minnette) survived. He never knows which reality is truly 'real', so the bands are his main practical method of differentiation.

Michael notices details in one reality that give him clues he can use in the other, which helps the detectives on his cases, including Detective Efrem Vega (Wilmer Valderrama) and Detective Isaiah 'Bird' Freeman (Steve Harris). His ability to pull information from both realities makes him effective at solving crimes, even though his co-workers don't know what's happening.

In Awake Michael sees Dr. Jonathan Lee in the 'red' reality and Dr. Judith Evans in the 'green' reality, with each therapist treating him within their own reality. Their sessions highlight Michael's uncertainty about which reality, if either, is real and are central to the show's exploration of his condition.

Awake has only one season, consisting of 13 episodes, and no additional season was produced. The series aired as a single 13-episode run.