It’s 2025. No one’s reproducing and no one knows why. In this dystopian future, women are no longer giving birth to children. Scientists successfully fertilized 100 embryos and a national lottery will decide who will be the surrogates. It’s a bit creepy and a lot strange.

Dr. Alison Lennon [Marley Shelton] is an intelligent, independent fertility specialist whose discovery may have life-and-death consequences. Michael Graziadei (American Horror Story) plays Kyle, a recovering alcoholic and single father of one of “the last six” the last biological children born in the country eight years ago. Since then he’s worked as a sperm donor having sex with ovulating women. Martin Donovan turns on the evil as a scheming government official willing to use any strategy to achieve his goals for what he considers the greater good.

When we first meet Dr. Lennon, she’s in a bar and picks up a guy and has sex with him. After he expresses his surprise at being picked up (she’d chosen him over a few better looking guys). She said that he was balding—a sign of high testosterone and also she suspected he had Somalian blood–also known for high fertility rates. He’s perplexed. She leaves.

The Lottery establishes a decent premise but could quickly get tired and cliché. The first episode proves quite compelling, promising. I’d like a more diverse cast for a futuristic and dystopian drama. The President is a white man in his 50s and the majority of the primary cast is white? Statistically, Caucasians will be the minority in the United States by 2025 and Latinos will be the majority. Where are the Latinos on this show?

The Lottery premieres Sunday, July 20, at 10pm ET/PT on Lifetime.

–review by Amy Steele