If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Timothy Kling and the
Touch writers should feel very flattered indeed. The 2014 series
Believe shares numerous plot elements and characters with the
Kling-helmed series:
Child with supernatural powers
Child hunted by a large corporation that wants to use them for evil
Child's father is escorting him/her
The child detects other people in need using his/her powers and
drags his/her father along to help, often unwittingly.
A mentor to the child is helping them evade the corporation
The mentor previously worked at the corporation
A motley crew of other folks are helping the mentor
The differences are not as substantial as they initially appear:
The child is a boy on Touch and a girl on Believe. No effect
on the story.
On Touch, the boy was mute, while the girl on Believe talks.
However, both are able to communicate with their fathers via
different ways.
In Touch, the child had prescience, but on Believe the child
also has telekinesis. This is going make for more dramatic scenes in
Believe if the child masters her abilities. However, so far it
hasn't allowed her to do much more than enable some escapes.
On Believe, the father has recently been reunited with his
daughter and is unaware the child is his. On Touch, the father has
never been separated from his son. It seems clear that the
father/child pairs are close and will stay united on both shows.