Speaking to Collider.com, former US Life on Mars star Jason O’Mara has admitted that the weight of selling the realism of his new show, Terra Nova, falls on him and co-star Stephen Lang.

Joking that he is once again playing “a cop who travels in time,” O’Mara points out that portraying Jim Shannon on Terra Nova requires his “imagination firing on all cylinders  to see that thing in front of you, breathing on you and know that it has a very distinct smell. I’ve seen concept art of our dinosaurs and some of the raptors are like wild coyotes. They’re mangy and a little crazed, almost like they’re really, really hungry, or they’re methadone-addicts. Our dinosaurs have a lot of personality, and they’re extra vicious.” One scene sees O’Mara required to spend “three hours hanging upside down while fighting off dinosaur attacks.”

O’Mara praises Avatar star Lang for his work on the show. “He’s very intense and very focused, and he’s extremely committed to every scene he plays. I try to keep up with him, and try to be as committed and dedicated as he is.”

Terra Nova begins on September 23 on Fox, and is coming to Sky 1 later this autumn.

Watch a trailer below: