'Terra Nova' Takes Aim at Monday Lineup

Tonight marks the debut of what may be network television's most ambitious undertaking yet as the highly anticipated Terra Nova premieres on FOX. Now, we're giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the show before it invades your living room.

MORE: Dino Danger Abounds in Terra Nova

In Terra Nova, the world is threatened with extinction in the year 2149. After discovering a rift in time, a family and other settlers travel back 85 million years to the Cretaceous period to start a brand-new life.

Avatarbaddie Stephen Lang plays Commander Nathaniel Taylor, Terra Nova's stubborn creator and proverbial sheriff.

"My equity here is sweat equity," said Stephen. "I built it from the ground up and I have a vision for what this place is going to be and how it's going to work, and I'm not willing to compromise that vision."

The show also stars Shelley Conn, Jason O'Mara, Allison Miller, Christine Adams, Landon Liboiron, Naomi Scott and Alana Mansour

Check out the rebirth of civilization when Terra Nova premieres tonight on FOX.