Disasters aplenty are forecast in miniseries

If you thought the recent movie “The Day After Tomorrow” was apocalyptic, get ready for the “Day” after that.

Mother Nature goes on a rampage again in the two-part CBS miniseries “Category 6: Day of Destruction,” beginning Sunday and concluding Wednesday. Chicago is destined to become much more windy as three deadly weather systems unite to create the worst super-storm in U.S. history, all but isolating the city after demolishing Las Vegas and knocking out the national power grid -- thus shutting off communication with the outside world.

A soon-to-retire National Weather Service meteorologist (Brian Dennehy) tries to warn residents anyway, helped by an ex-colleague (Randy Quaid) who’s now a tourist-guiding storm chaser. Within Chicago’s boundaries, a TV reporter (Nancy McKeon) tries to keep up with developments as a power-company executive (Thomas Gibson, “Dharma & Greg”) races to get electricity on again. Oscar winner Dianne Wiest also stars as the U.S. secretary of Energy.

More typically cast in character-driven series such as “The Facts of Life” and “The Division,” McKeon’s new role called for standing in front of a “green screen” for special-effects shots, an experience she found “terrifically fun, because it’s very fast. There isn’t anything to set up. You just have to adjust the lights and the camera angle for what they’re eventually going to put in behind you; other than that, you just stand there. You really have to use your imagination. It’s a whole other way of working.”

McKeon, whose Lifetime series “The Division” has ended its run, said she welcomed the new role.

“I thought this character was interesting because she’s very energetic and she takes viewers through what’s happening via her reports. I’ve gotten opportunities to talk to a lot of terrific reporters over the years, so it works both ways for me. I find them fascinating.”

Thus, McKeon didn’t need much additional research for her “Category 6” stint. “I’ve been a news junkie for a very long time,” she says. “I usually have MSNBC or Fox News Channel on. The luxury of sitting down and reading a newspaper is gone for me for the time being, so I’m always trying to catch a sound bite here or there.” (McKeon became a first-time mom shortly before reporting to the set of “Category 6.”)

McKeon notes the recent hurricanes that struck Florida especially hard. “By no means are we taking that for granted. This project was conceived before any of that happened, and our hearts went out to those who were going through the same stuff we were re-creating at the same time. I’d turn on the news, and there it was. It was an incredible thing.”

“Category 6: Day of Destruction” is just the latest product of the natural-disaster movie tradition. Here are some earlier notable examples:

“San Francisco” (1936): The crisis? The title city is socked by the big quake of 1906. The credibility? Quite good for a film of its time, since the miniatures and opticals -- although nowhere near as sophisticated as today’s -- seem to put Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy in the midst of the crumbling buildings.

“Earthquake” (1974): The crisis? Hmmm ... guess. The credibility? Los Angeles is sufficiently wrecked by “the Big One,” but it’s hard not to notice the plastic “cattle” in a truck shaken off a freeway.

“Twister” (1996): The crisis? The Midwest gets a drastic reminder of tornado season. The credibility? Terrific -- you’d expect otherwise from executive producer Steven Spielberg? -- as Helen Hunt and Bill Pullman duck projectiles that include suddenly airborne cows.

“Volcano” (1997): The crisis? Los Angeles feels the heat again as lava boils below and on Wilshire Boulevard. The credibility? Strong, with welcome doses of humor as emergency services chief Tommy Lee Jones and geologist Anne Heche match wits.

“The Perfect Storm” (2000): The crisis? Basically, a Category 6 at sea. A deadly confluence of meteorological forces (sound familiar?) catches a small fishing boat in the open ocean. The credibility? George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg seem right at home in their roles as fishermen in over their heads.

“The Day After Tomorrow” (2004): The crisis? Global warming effectively puts weather forecasters out of business. The credibility? The bountiful effects are fantastic, but Dennis Quaid’s relatively speedy locating of son Jake Gyllenhaal in an iced-over New York stretches credibility so far, it nearly snaps.

Jay Bobbin writes for Tribune Media Services.

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‘Category 6’

What: “Category 6: Day of Destruction,” a two-part miniseries.

When: 9 to 11 Sunday; concludes 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Where: CBS

Rating: Sunday’s rating is TV-PG-DL (may be unsuitable for young children with advisories for suggestive dialogue and coarse language); Wednesday, TV-PG-LV (may be unsuitable for young children with advisories for coarse language and violence).