Tyler Reed is the deuteragonist of Tremors: The Series.
He is portrayed by Victor Browne.
Biography[]
Background[]
Tyler Reed, the son of a strict, hard-bitten Air Force colonel who oversees bomb runs on the nearby Nevada Test Site, is in his mid-to-late-20s. Tyler even wears dog tags (these were seen in A Little Paranoia Among the Friends). Less cowboy and more hot-rodder, Tyler looks good in his engineer's boots and jeans with rolled cuffs. He's got a thing for everything NASCAR. Before coming to Perfection Valley, he was an aspiring driver working his way up the circuit. When he crashed his car he saw it was time for a career change.
Role in the TV series[]
He bought a local business, Desert Jack's Graboid Tour, Jack was apparently living in Vegas. After all, he's seen CNN: Look how well Valentine McKee, Earl Bassett and Grady Hoover made out running that ramshackle operation. Therefore, there must be another fortune waiting to be made from Desert Jack's tour business, it obviously "a real money-maker" (he charges $12.00 per person). He arrived in Perfection driving a '68 Dodge Charger that El Blanco buried upon his arrival when he stopped on the side of the road to take a picture of a Graboid warning sign.
But for all Tyler's big dreams and street-rodding skills he's a remarkably easy-going guy. Too easy-going for Burt Gummer, who criticizes Tyler for being unprepared for most situations. However, the truth is Tyler's quick wits, athletic grace, and NASCAR-inspired driving will prove to be valuable survival skills — for himself and his neighbors. He knows all there is to know about racing and vehicles -- his skills have been portrayed constantly throughout the series. Due to the series being cancelled, nothing is known about what happened to Tyler after Season One. Tyler nor any of the other Perfection residents are mentioned in Tremors 5: Bloodlines but its implied he and Burt had some kind of falling out as Burt tells Travis Welker that "I work alone." In addition, Perfection appears to be abandoned and demolished aside from Chang's Market which is occupied by Burt as seen in Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell.
Relationships[]
- Burt Gummer: As the longest running sidekick, Tyler has the most developed relationship with the hero. Burt is initially suspicious of him, but over the course of the series they develop into a stable partnership and friendship. Tyler considers Burt to be a paramilitary paranoid, but he admires the guy's "whole gung-ho M.O." The two of them make an odd dynamic duo, whether safeguarding their valley, rescuing careless tourists, or taking an outside assignment. Where Burt anxiously frets, Tyler rolls with it. Where Burt plans way ahead, Tyler makes it up on the spot. Their differences compliment each other well, especially when Burt's outside his survivalist haven. He's far less adept at dealing with the real world than is charming, savvy, streetwise Tyler.
- Jodi Chang: Jodi Chang is Tyler's initial "guide" to living in Perfection and they have a smoother working relationship than she and Jack did. She has his back when his tour is threatened to shutdown and they're good friends. He often teases her good-naturedly about her "petite" stature.
- Rosalita Sanchez: Tyler and Rosalita are sort of the odd ones out, being the two newest residents to a town of seclustionists. They feel a bond over being the two "city folk" and trust each other with things they don't always want to discuss with the others. Although it hasn't gone anywhere yet, they often casually flirt with each other but don't let it get in the way of their friendship.
- Nancy Sterngood: Spending most of his evenings at Nancy's house listening to Highway 61 Revisited, the two have become quite the gossipers. Discussing anything and everything about their fellow residents, the latest drama in Bixby, or the general state of the world, there's very little these two haven't debated on at length. It doesn't hurt that she's a great cook, either, and let's him use her shower sometimes.
- W.D. Twitchell: Being the agent in charge of making sure the residents are safe (and have been approved for residency), Twitchell butts heads with Tyler quite a bit at the beginning, nearly shutting down his tour at one point. Their relationship mellows out shortly after, and while Twitchell is still a pain in the Ass Blaster at times, Tyler isn't afraid to call him out on it, knowing dear old "Twitch" can take it.
- Harlowe Winnemucca: The two residential cowboys, Harlowe and Tyler have a very positive relationship and aren't afraid to join up to mess with Burt.
Trivia[]
- When Shawn Christian was unavailable to appear in the TV series, the new character of Tyler was created to be Burt’s sidekick.
- Tyler is one of the few characters to appear in every episode of the series.
- Tyler laments how Rosalita has the body he wants (curves and slender), Jodie has the personality he wants (smart and caring); Burt sagely comforts him that every man has that dellimma.