In the year 2149, the world is overcrowded and overdeveloped, and most of the plant and animal species have gone extinct. The only way to save the future of the human race is, logically, to go back in time 85 million years, or so say the scientists on “Terra Nova,” an ambitious new FOX show. These scientists have discovered a fracture in time that makes it possible to construct a portal into the past, though the portal will only go to the time of the dinosaurs. The hope for sending pilgrimages of people back in time is to give civilization a second shot to rebuild and succeed.

“Terra Nova” follows the Shannon family as they journey to the Terra Nova colony as part of the 10th pilgrimage. Jim (Jason O’Mara), the leader of the family, faces complications due to his troubled past. Elizabeth (Shelley Conn) is Jim’s wife and a recruit to Terra Nova’s medical team. Josh (Landon Liboiron) is their 17-year-old son who is unsure about leaving all he knows behind, and Maddy (Naomi Scott) is their 15-year-old daughter who looks forward to the chance to reinvent herself in Terra Nova. Finally, Zoe (Alana Mansour), the 5-year-old daughter, rounds out the family. In an intriguing side plot, problems arise for the Shannons due to the rule in 2149 that families may have no more than two children.

While there are dinosaurs, the not-yet-extinct animals merely serve as one form of danger to the colony, a fact made clear by Commander Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang), the first pioneer and leader of the settlement. More threatening may be the internal danger brewing from both the clashing notions of how best to save mankind and the potential forces intent on destroying this new civilization. Nonetheless, this is a Stephen Spielberg project, so dinosaurs do end up playing a rather large part, at least in the pilot.

FOX has executed a lot of marketing strategies to pump up awareness for “Terra Nova” and give fans an opportunity to better understand the world of Terra Nova. On their website, visitors may check out the “Countdown to Terra Nova,” which had new scripted prequel content posted everyday until tonight’s premiere. This prequel content acts as a way for viewers to familiarize themselves with the characters and their individual back-stories.

With the combination of on-location shooting in Australia and the CGI special effects, this is not a cheap show to produce. Though ambitious in scope, the range of characters and multiple plotlines in “Terra Nova” make the show appealing to a broad audience. Because of the visibility the show has received leading up to its two-hour premiere tonight, the real question is: Will viewers come back for the second episode, the third episode and beyond?