sholio | The new Knight Rider...

... is entertainingly awful.

I downloaded a random episode (the Halloween one, as it turned out) just to see what it's like. This is definitely not a show where a goddawful remake is going to ruin my enjoyment of the original; I loved it as a kid, but as an adult, I kinda love it for its cheesy horribleness and not much else. The new one has all the cheesy horribleness of the original, with the added bonus of two main characters I want to drop-kick down an elevator shaft (at least based on one episode plus a few clips on the official website). As an ensemble show, though, I kinda like it; it reminds me of a sort of Torchwood!lite, minus most of the gay (it doesn't help that one of the characters was dressed up as Jack Harkness for Halloween, complete with the other characters teasing him for it). And there is actually an overall plot arc, which pays homage to the original while still being kinda its own thing. The characters are stunningly dumb (one of the main aspects of the plot involved a running countdown to a self-destruct that only the person who activated it could de-activate; naturally, the bad guy activated it and then ran away laughing) but I'm still finding it weirdly, hypnotically fun.

It didn't make me want to run out and download the rest of it, but I might check back in a few episodes to see where it's gone (and if the two main characters, guy and girl, have started to annoy me less). Now I'm wondering if it's worth downloading an episode of the new Life on Mars to see if it's awful or not.

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I saw the pilot and gagged! LOL - since I don't have much bandwidth, it had to be cut out... I have my limits and sadly this was not one of those cheesy shows I could tolerate :D

Heh, I enjoyed it, but only if I turned off my brain and really didn't think about it. I also really wish that the main characters were more likable; if only the show consisted of everyone BUT Michael and Sarah, because the others are at least potentially interesting!

Wait, he actually dressed as Jack Harkness? I didn't know Who was that mainstream!

Hmm *notes lack of Jack icons*. Yeah, he dressed as Jack Harkness and the others were all teasing him about his sexuality because of it. He even pointed out at one point that Jack is not bisexual, he's *omnisexual*. So, the writers, at least, are pretty well acquainted with the show!

That was a cute episode (the halloween one). There's been some that have been entertaining but this last weeks I thought was particularly weak and the news that they've cut three actors (including Bruce Davison) makes me doubt this show is going to improve. I had fun with the pilot and some of the first episodes but there's issues they'd need to fix and I don't think they will. Too bad because I'm a fan of the original and was excited to see it return.

That's too bad, because I really don't like the main characters so the ensemble was the only thing that made it watchable for me! Well, there are always other things to watch, and only so many hours in the day, so I don't think I'll be suffering. *g*

Yeah, I'm the same. I think they could've cut out the two agents and the two young techs and left it more like the original if that's what they were going for which is what the article said. Leaving it with a main cast of 4 young people just leaves me cold LOL. It had potential but didn't make it I don't think.

Haven't seen the new Knight Rider, so can't comment on that one...

As for the US version of Life on Mars... ehhhh... how much do you like Martin Scorsese films? Because they seem to be trying to emulate his style a lot. They switched out the location from LA to New York, and Colm Meany with Harvey Keitel... and it feels to me like just a few steps and (a tv ratings system) away from being a television version of Mean Streets.

The characters are actually different (even if their names aren't), but I can't telly ou whether that's a good different or bad different yet.

... hmm. That actually almost sounds good. At least, it's the only thing I can think they could do to make it worth having a remake, if they reinvent it into its own show rather than just doing a shot-for-shot recreation of the original (in which case, why in the world bother?). I really wish they'd just taken the idea from the original and invented new characters rather than recasting the existing ones, but at least it sounds like it's not the travesty that the first Americanization would have been ...

The US Life on Mars is really good. I admit I haven't seen the UK version so maybe that helps. In the first episode it's hard to love the chief Sam Tyler is now working for but that comes after a few episodes. This last episode it really was pulled out of me LOL. I can now empathize with this guy!

As for Sam, the actor playing him is doing a fantastic job of selling the situation, and what I love is that it's not some big secret. He's making no bones about what's happened.

Now I'm just curious to know what is in the future for this show.

It has an American, nay, very New York flavor to it. So in that way, it is different from the original. So far, the episodes have the same basic plot, but the scenes play out a little differently. It's a little jarring, though, because they haven't changed almost any of the names (there's still "Hyde" for example), we've still got Sam's flashbacks to that traumatic childhood scene, and bizarrely, some of the characters look almost exactly like their British counterparts. It's a little trippy if you're prone to make comparisons.

but at least it sounds like it's not the travesty that the first Americanization would have been ...

No, no, it's much, much better than I expected. Even though I don't really care for the Scorsese style myself, I think it works much better than the original way they were pitching the series. What's going to be really interesting is once they get through the BBC plots and have to make some of their own. I'm really curious to how they plan to stretch it out.

It's something I can let play in the background but to actually focus my brain cells on it. shudder. Oh, well, um, they've axed most of the cast and are retooling it back to "a man and his car."

Must admit I don't watch Life on Mars cuz I lived through the 70s and those awful fashions ;)

Nooo! The ensemble cast was the only thing that made it bearable! *headdesk*

It's pretty much just a race to cancellation at this point ...

I remember reading three names, but Bruce Davison was one of the axed, and as far as I'm concerned, he was the only decent actor in the bunch.

TJ likes it but he's only 6. :D

Well, that's about how old I was when I used to watch the original ... :D

I was soooo reluctant to give the US version of Life on Mars a chance.

But, you know, it's not all that bad. If you're going in expecting the greatness of the UK version, you're gonna hate it. I'll tell you that right now. But if you go in without a lot of expectations, you'll prolly enjoy it.

The characters are definitely different: Imagine a *gasp* semi-kinder / gentler Gene and a less duck-out-of-water Sam. Ray is kinda sexy in a way that makes me feel a little disgusted with myself for finding him kinda sexy *shame* and Annie is a lot more assertive. Chris is Chris. :) The mythology has been expanded and changed for the American audience so it's fun to play "spot the difference!". The soundtrack choices are not as subtle but a lot more recognizable. The intro pales in comparison to the UK version, though.

It's a lot of give & take to enjoy the show but I find myself tuning in each week. It'll never take the place of my beloved UK Sam & Gene but if you're not looking for a substitute, you'll more than likely find it fun!

The new Knight Rider...

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