Dann Michalski

24 followers

Toledo, Ohio
46

Running Wilde

From the creative team behind Arrested Development comes the exciting, cutting edge comedy Running Wilde. When environmental activist Emmy Kadubic goes to see her old boyfriend, rich playboy Steve Wilde, she decides to take him on as her new cause and accepts his invitation for her and her daughter to move in with him; thus a battle of wills ensues as Steve tries to corrupt Emmy with his extravagant lifestyle, and Emmy tries to get Steve to be more socially responsible. Starring Will Arnett, Keri Russell, and David Cross, the show has a great cast that’s able to bring the comedy. Additionally, the series uses a meta style format that sets up the daughter is an omniscient narrator, and includes clever Arrested Development homages and in-jokes. An entertaining and witty sitcom, Running Wilde delivers 13 hilarious episodes.

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The Event

Though short-lived, NBC’s sci-fi series The Event delivered a thrilling and action-packed adventure. The show follows several characters whose stories intertwine as a terrorist name Thomas attempts to force the President to free a group of detainees from another world who are being held at a secret U.S. prison. The storytelling is a bit problematic with time jumps and switches to seemingly unrelated character stories. But by mid-season this is tightened up and becomes more fluid and engaging. The show also does an impressive job at creating interesting characters that have some ambiguity, and switch between hero and villain as the season unfolds. Still, there are a number of failed subplot and mysteries that are never answered or don’t add much to the overall story arc. While it was problematic at times, The Event ultimately proved to be an exciting and compelling series worthy of more than the one season it got.

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The Good Guys

“Let’s bust some punks!” Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks are The Good Guys in this hilarious Fox comedy. When Detective Jack Bailey is reassigned to property crimes he’s teamed up with an old school detective named Dan Stark who somehow manages to turn their minor investigations into high-speed chases and shootouts. Whitford and Hanks make for a great team and have good comedic chemistry. And Jenny Wade and Angela Sarafyan make for a solid supporting cast. Additionally, a number of interesting guest stars are featured, including Ray Wise, Wayne Knight, Gary Cole, Danny Trejo, and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson. The show uses a flashback motif to add a bit of comedy and excitement by moving back and forth to juxtapose the mundane police work with the crazy hijinks, and a classic rock soundtrack is used to help heighten the camp and satire; playing up the action clichés that the show lampoons. Yet as fun and entertaining as The Good Guys is, FOX cancelled it after just one season.

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A.D. The Bible Continues

From the producers of The Bible comes the powerful and inspiring miniseries A.D. The Bible Continues. Beginning with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the series follows the disciples as they begin to spread word of Christ’s resurrection and the Jewish and Roman authorities as they attempt to squash the emerging Christian movement. The cast is pretty good and features Richard Coyle, Joanne Whalley, and James Callis. And the sets and costumes are especially well-done. However, the attempt to insert ethnic diversity in what should largely be a Jewish community is a bit distracting. And the storytelling has some trouble balancing the various character plots at times. Yet overall, A.D. The Bible Continues is remarkably compelling look at the birth of Christianity.

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Police Squad!

Before there was a Naked Gun, there was Police Squad! — a short-lived ABC comedy from Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers. The show follows Sergeant Frank Dreblin, Detective Lieutenant (played by Leslie Nielsen), as he investigates cases with a special unit of the LAPD. The comedy is hysterical; using a combination of sight gags, word play, and slapstick. Ahead of its time, the series also includes bits of meta humor; such as an unreliable narrator reading different episode titles than what appears on screen, fake freeze-frame gages at the end of the episodes, and killing the episode’s special guest star in the title sequence. However, the jokes are rather hit-and-miss and the writing is weak; as the stories are just there to setup the jokes. Yet despite its problems, Police Squad delivers a lot of laughs.

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Eleventh Hour (US)

Based on a UK series, Eleventh Hour is an intriguing crime drama from CBS. Season 1 follows FBI consultant Dr. Jacob Hood and his handler Rachel Young as they investigate cases involving unexplained scientific phenomenon. Rufus Sewell and Marley Shelton lead the cast, and while Sewell gives a strong performance Shelton seem miscast. There are also problems with the dialog, as a lot of the science jargon is hard to follow and is largely expository. Still, the cases-of-the-week are pretty interesting and explore a number of controversial scientific issues, such as cloning, gene manipulation, and cryonics. Additionally, an exciting list of guests stars are featured, including R. Lee Ermey, Oded Fehr, Judd Nelson, Nina Dobrev, Mariel Hemingway, and Helen Slater. Yet Eleventh Hour failed to find an audience and was cancelled after just one season.

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Titanic

Titanic is an entertaining and dramatic made-for-television film that’s quite compelling. Aboard the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic an estranged couple rekindle their romance and a pair of thieves plan an intricate heist, but destiny intervenes. A number of impressive stars form the cast, including George C. Scott, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tim Curry, Marilu Henner, and Barry Pepper. However, most of the acting is subpar, though some of the actors like Scott, Jones, and Curry really shine. Additionally, the film is surprisingly ambitious; attempting to tell the entire tale of Titanic, from its launch to the survivors’ arrival in New York. It also attempts to incorporate a number of CGI shots to capture the scope and grandeur of the ship, and although the CGI is rudimentary, it works fairly well. The made-for-television format limits the film, but Titanic still delivers a captivating adventure.

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The Shining

From Stephen Kings come’s a truly horrific new vision of his beloved novel, The Shining, as a cheesy 3-part ABC miniseries. Produced and scripted by King, recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance moves his family to the Overlook Hotel in Colorado after taking a job as the winner caretaker, but unbeknownst to them the hotel is haunted by evil spirits which begin drawing strength from their son’s psychic ability. Rebecca DeMornay, Steven Weber, and Courtland Mead lead the cast, giving awful performances; Mead in particular is ruinous, delivering some of the worst line readings. Though to be fair, the script is terrible. And the sets and make-up effects look incredible cheap, and aren’t the least bit scary. A complete trainwreck, Stephen King’s The Shining fails at every level.

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Prime Suspect (US)

Based on a UK series and produced by Peter Berg, Prime Suspect is a gritty New York cop drama starring Maria Bello. Season 1 follows homicide detective Jane Timoney as she tries to break into the old boys club of her squad and deals with the drama between her boyfriend and his ex-wife. Unfortunately the antagonistic setup between Tmoney and her co-workers hurts the show, as there’s not a lot of team work to solve cases (which is kind of a staple of police procedurals). Still, the writers come up with some interesting cases-of-the-week and do a good job at creating suspense and intrigue. And Bello gives a strong performance, making Timoney an exciting and fun character. Yet Prime Suspect wasn’t able to find an audience and was canceled by NBC after 13 episodes.

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Almost Human

From Producer J.J. Abrams comes the sci-fi cop drama Almost Human. Set in the near future where new technologies are leading to an escalation in crime, the police force begins to supplement its ranks with androids. Season 1 follows Det. John Kennex who returns to the force after suffering a trauma, and is paired with an outmoded android that has a “synthetic soul” that allows him to think and act human. Several intriguing continuing story threads are set up in the first few episodes, but after a while they’re dropped and forgotten as the series turns into a weekly crime procedural. Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, and Minka Kelly give solid performances and make for a good assemble cast, and the special effects are especially well-done, making for some fascinating future technologies. Almost Human delivers an exciting and action-packed 13-episode first season, but it’s not always sure of what type of show it wants to be.

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Women's Murder Club

ABC adapts James Patterson’s best-selling book series into the short-lived crime drama Women’s Murder Club. In Season 1 a spunky newspaper report teams up with a homicide detective, a medical examiner, and a district attorney to help solve crimes together. Starring Angie Harmon, Laura Harris, Aubrey Dollar, Rob Estes, and Linda Park, the show has a pretty good cast and features some interesting guest stars, including Rooney Mara, Mark Pellegrino, Tamlyn Tomita, and John Billingsley. However, the writing’s rather poor, particularly in how the show forces in “girl talk” in the mist of the investigations; although, the murder mysteries themselves and fairly solid, with some intriguing twists and turns. Cancelled after only 13 episodes (partly due to the ‘08 Writers Strike), Women’s Murder Club is an entertaining show but failed to stand out among the myriad of other cop dramas.

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The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

Jim Henson’s cult classic The Dark Crystal is resurrected by Netflix as the limited series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. A prequel to the film, when the rejuvenating powers of the Crystal of Thra wane the Skeksis desperately seek an alternative and turn on the Gelfling whose loyalty to the Skeksis and tribal cultures leave them vulnerable, but a small group of rogues band together and attempt to stop the Skeksis. An all-star cast of voice actors are featured that include Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Isaacs, Simon Pegg, Mark Hamill, Lena Headey, Alicia Vikander, and Mark Strong. And the puppeteers do an excellent job at bringing the characters to life and at making them feel real. The set and production designers also do an amazing job; not only at recreating the world of Thra from the film, but also at expanding and enriching it. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance both honors the original material and delivers a new and exciting adventure.

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The Chicago Code

From Fox comes the edgy and daring police drama The Chicago Code. Season 1 follows the newly appointed Police Superintendent as she puts together a special task force to take down a corrupt alderman who controls the Irish mob. Starring Jason Clarke, Jennifer Beals, and Delroy Lindo, the show has a fairly impressive cast and uses a meta narrative that has each character take turns narrating as they tell their backstories, along with pieces of Chicago’s history, to the audience; which helps to create a connection to the characters. However, some of the episodes get a little unfocused; switching narrators up to three times, making it hard to follow the story. Still, the writers come up with some interesting cases-of-the-week and do a good job at building the overall season story-arc. Additionally, the show addresses some poignant sociopolitical issues; government and police corruption, race relations, and gender inequality. Yet while it delivers a strong first season, The Chicago Code was cancelled after 13 episodes.

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The Revolution

The History Channel presents the 13-part miniseries The Revolution. Beginning with the Boston Massacre the series follows the build-up to the American Revolutionary War on through to the Colonies’ victory over Britain, and the swearing in of George Washington as the first president of the United States of America. Narrated by Edward Herrmann and featuring numerous historians, the people and events that shaped the American Revolution are analyzed and discussed. Additionally, re-enactors and voice-over actors, along with famous pieces of art, are used to help give a visual component to the discussions. However, not allowing the re-enactors to speak kind of gives the scenes an artificiality, and a number of the same scenes are re-used over and over again and becomes quite noticeable (the worst of which occurs in the last two episodes which are more or less clip-shows). Still, the first 11 episodes are constructed very well; building the intense and drama as the fight for independence teeters between victory and defeat at every turn. Incredibly comprehensive, The Revolution is a remarkably compelling documentary series.

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Night Stalker

X-Files writer/producer Frank Spoitnitz helms ABC’s reboot of the classic supernatural thriller Night Stalker. Season 1 follows reporter Carl Kolchak as he investigates strange and unusual stories along with the mysterious murder of his wife. Starring Stuart Townsend and Gabrielle Union, the show employees the standard believer/skeptic dynamic (a la Mulder and Scully). And the guest stars featured include Susan Misner, Tony Todd, John Pyper-Ferguson, and Jane Lynch. The writers to a pretty good job at varying the different types of stories Kolchak looks into, and avoid some of the more clichéd and fantastical creatures (i.e. vampires and ghosts). But with only 10 episodes (4 of which didn’t air), the show wasn’t able to do a lot of character development and leaves a number of questions unanswered; particularly those concerning the murder of Kolchak’s wife and the mark he bears. While short lived, Night Stalker delivered a strong first season full of exciting mysteries.

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Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is a poorly made sci-fi film that adds absolutely nothing to the series. The story follows a young Bill Adama during the First Cylon War as he embarks on a secret mission to transport a scientist who has critical information about the Cylons. The acting is awful and is almost unbearable to watch. The writing is also really poor; jumping around from scene to scene without much of a through-line holding it together. And the CGI is hit and miss; as some scenes are extremely good and others are terrible. Still, the film delivers some exciting action and tries to say something about the gritty reality of war. Incredibly disappointing, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome is a half-assed effort that fails to live up of the vision of Ronald D. Moore’s reimagined series.

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The Haunting of Hill House

Based on a novel, The Haunting of Hill House is a supernatural horror series from Netflix. The story follows the Crain family who went through a traumatic experience in their youth in which their mother was killed while renovating an old mansion known as Hill House, and 26-years later another death in the family brings the Crains together again and forces them to face the ghosts from their past. Featuring Timothy Hutton, Carla Gugino, Elizabeth Reaser, and Kate Siegal, the show has a pretty solid cast and delivers some good performances. The writing however, is a little weak as most of the episodes focus on a specific character; and some characters are better developed and more interesting than others, resulting in some unevenness from episodes to episode. Yet they do an impressive job at building up the mystery and suspense of Hill House. Also, the look and style the series sets up a creepy and atmospheric tone that’s really effective. Captivating and full of intrigue, The Haunting of Hill House is a fresh a creative adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s work.

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Swamp Thing

From executive producers Len Wiseman and James Wan comes the DC superhero series Swamp Thing. While investigating a strange viral outbreak in a small-town in Louisiana, bio-researcher Alec Holland is murdered and left for dead in the swamp, but comes back as a plant creature and helps CDC doctor Abigail Arcane to continue to investigate the virus. Starring Crystal Reed, Andy Bean, Virginia Madsen, Will Patton, and Jennifer Beals, the show has a solid cast. However, the writing is rather weak, particularly in how the overall story-arc is structured. Still, the special effects and creature design are quiet impressive, and show does good job at setting a dark and foreboding tone. And there are several exciting fight sequences. Yet while Swamp Thing delivered a solid first season, behind-the-scenes turmoil led to a swift cancellation.

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Emerald City

Emerald City is a dark and gritty re-envisioning of L. Frank Baum’s classic Oz book series. Season 1 follows a young woman named Dorothy Gale who gets swept-up in a tornado and is transported to a strange world where she gets caught in a war between a tyrannical ruler named Oz and a coven of witches lead by Glinda, who’s been secretly building an army. The episodes pull plot threats from the first couple of Oz novels, but usually with a macabre twist. However, the show bears little resemblance to Baum’s Oz, and is more of a medieval fantasy tale. For the most part the show is well-cast, particularly Vincent D’Onofrio and Joely Richardson; who both have tremendous screen-presence. And the writers do a fairly good job at developing story arcs that build over the 10-episodes (often in unexpected ways). But Emerald City’s bold and edgy take on Baum’s work tried to turn Oz into something that it’s not, and as entertaining as it was, it had trouble finding an audience; leading it inevitably to be cancelled.

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Dracula

Absolutely abysmal, NBC’s Dracula has no interest in adapting Bram Stoker’s work and focuses instead on condemning oil companies and promoting “green energy.” Season 1 (and thankfully the only one) follows the vampire Dracula as he poses as a rich American industrialist set on launching a geomagnetic company in London; but secretly he’s working with Dr. Abraham Van Helsing to bring down a secret society known as the Order of the Dragon. In the anti-hero tradition Dracula is made to the good guy, and the actual good guys, Harker, Van Helsing, are turning into villains. And while it’s set in the 1890s, there’s no attempt to adhere to the social mores of the times; especially those concerning women, sexuality, and race. The writing is just incredibly poor, with things just happening with little explanation or set-up. However, the costumes and sets are extraordinarily well-done and create a rich visual aesthetic. A chaotic mess that doesn’t seem to know what it’s doing half the time, Dracula was cancelled after 10 episodes.

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Dexter: New Blood

Showtime’s limited series Dexter: New Blood is an unnecessary epilogue that attempts to fix the widely criticized finale if the original series and give the character a better sendoff. After faking his death, Dexter has settled into a quiet life in a small-town in northern New York, but when his estranged son tracks him down looking for answers Dexter grows concerned than he has inherited his Dark Passenger. Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter return to reprise their roles (with Deb taking Henry’s place as the Dark Passenger), and are joined by Julia Jones, Jamie Chung, and Clancy Brown. The writers come up with a fairly good villain for Dexter to go up against, however, there are a number of inconsistences and plot holes; as certain parts of the show canon (like Astor and Cody) are ignored. Yet, while Dexter: New Blood has its problems, it succeeds in delivering a thrilling conclusion to the character’s journey…which somewhat makes up for Season 8.

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Damien

From A&E comes Damien, a continuation of the classic 1970s horror film The Omen. Set 30 years after the film, Damien Thorn has grown up and become a photographic journalist, and when a series of strange occurrences and deaths start happening around him a mysterious woman tries to convince him that he’s the prophesied Antichrist. The season begins fairly strong, with a lot of mystery as to whether Damien is the Antichrist or the victim of the machinations of a satanic cult; but before long it devolves into out-and-out craziness. And Bradley James doesn’t give a strong performance, though Barbara Hershey is rather impressive as a maniacal villain. Also, the music and cinematography do a good job at setting a dark and foreboding tone. However, the writing is inconsistent; making it hard to get a handle on the characters and plots. A lackluster supernatural thriller, Damien failed to recapture the terror of The Omen and was cancelled after one season.

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V Wars

Based on the comic series, V Wars is an exciting horror series from Netflix. Season 1 follows Dr. Luther Swan as he works with the NSA to try to contain the spread of a virus that activates a dormant gene that causes people to turn into vampire like creatures with superhuman strength and feed off blood. Starring Ian Somerhalder, Adrian Holmes, Laura Vandervoort, Kimberly Sue-Murray, Nikki Reed, Kandyse McClure, Greg Bryk, and Peter Outerbridge, the show features an all-star cast of genre actors. And the writers do a good job playing up the moral ambiguity of whether the infected are diseased or an emerging species. The action too is well-done, full of intense and thrilling chases and fight sequences. Additionally, being Netflix, the show doesn’t hold back on the blood and gore; making for some disturbing creature effects and kills. Yet the powers that be cancelled V Wars after 10-episodes, bringing an end to what was promising to be an epic battle for the future of civilization.

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Stephen King's It

It is a terrifying tale of horror from bestselling author Stephen King. When the small town of Derry experiences a rash of killings, a group of childhood friends must return after nearly 30 years in order to face an ancient evil. The casting is pretty good, and includes Harry Anderson, Annette O'Toole, John Ritter, and Tim Curry; who all deliver great performances. However, it's Curry's charismatic and frightening depiction of Pennywise that makes this film so powerful and terrifying. Additionally, the storytelling is well done; crafting a number of intense and horrific scenes. Haunting and chilling, It is a nightmare brought to life.

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The Stand

CBS presents a new 9-part adaptation of Stephen King’s The Stand. When a deadly plague wipes out the majority of the world’s population, a select group of survivors, guided by visons, travel to Colorado and begin to rebuild; meanwhile, a mysterious man recruits another group of people to setup a rival community in Las Vegas. Featuring James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgård, Amber Heard, Greg Kinnear, Odessa Young, and Whoopi Goldberg, the series has a pretty impressive cast that delivers some strong performances. And the writers do a good job at developing the characters and at structuring the story arc over the 9-episodes (save for the rather weak epilogue). However, there are some problems with the depictions of the plague and the sex and violence, which don’t always feel congruent with the overall tone. Yet while it has some problems, The Stand is a compelling tale of survival and the power of good to overcome evil.

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The Haunting of Bly Manor

Netflix follows up their hit haunted house series The Haunting of Hill House with The Haunting of Bly Manor. Based on the works of Henry James, the story follows an au pair who’s hired to care for two orphaned children at a mansion in the English countryside, but grows concerned when a mysterious man appears and the children start behaving strangely. Several of the cast members from Hill House return as different characters, and it follows the same basic structure; switching between two time periods and focusing each episode on a character. However, the series ends up being more about a lesbian romance than a haunting, and the directing is rather weak. Still, the mystery of Bly Manor is fairly interesting and has some creepy, frightening moments. The Haunting of Bly Manor isn’t as good as Hill House, but it’s a decent enough series.

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Resident Evil

Resident Evil comes to Netflix as a short-lived 8-episode horror series. Season 1 follows Dr. Albert Wesker’s daughters Jade and Billie as teenagers as they move to New Raccoon City and begin investigating their father top secret work for the Umbrella Corporation; and in a parallel story an adult Jade searches for a cure for the T-virus that has turned most of the human population into zombies. Unfortunately Jade and Billie are angry, spiteful, mean spirited characters that are no fun to watch. In fact, most of the characters are horrid; the Umbrella managers, the survivor gangs, the zombies. And the zombie effects are pretty ghoulish and grotesque. With dislikable character and little connection to the video game series, Resident Evil was quickly cancelled.

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The Innocents

From Netflix comes the supernatural series The Innocents. In season one teens June McDaniel and Harry Polk run away together hoping to escape their small town and start a new life, but June soon develops an ability to shapeshift into other people and becomes trapped in their bodies unable to control her power; meanwhile a genetic researcher who runs a sanctuary for shapeshifters and studies them sends his people to find June and bring her to him. The cast gives fairly good performances, but the writing is a little uneven; as the research sanctuary plot quickly loses its intrigue and becomes confusing and tedious. However, June’s plot is quite compelling; showing the terror of losing one’s self to a new body and its mental and physical toll. Season 1 of The Innocents has its problems, but is entertaining full of thrills.

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Bionic Woman

NBC tries to get lightening to strike twice by having Battlestar Galactica’s David Eick reboot Bionic Woman. When Jaime Sommers is severely injured in a car accident she’s saved using experimental cybernetic implants and gains enhancers abilities that she then uses to help the Berkut Group (a private security company) combat terror threats. Starring Michelle Ryan, Lucy Hale, Miguel Ferrer, and Katee Sackhoff, the show has a pretty solid cast and features several interesting guest stars. However, the writing is uneven; setting up an ongoing story arc in the first few episodes and then completely dropping it (though this can partly be blamed on the 2008 Writers Strike). Still, the action is exciting and the special effects are used fairly well to show Jamie’s enhanced abilities. Only 8 episodes, Season 1 of Bionic Woman is entertaining, but isn’t given a chance to fully develop.

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Charlie's Angels

ABC relaunched and then quickly canceled their 2011 modern revival of the ‘70s action series Charlie’s Angels. The series follows three young women who have each run afoul of the law but are given a second chance by Charles Townsend, who recruits them for his detective agency to help people who are in trouble. Featuring Minka Kelly, Rachael Taylor, and Victor Garber, the cast isn’t too bad; though their performances are pretty weak. Either through poor writing or directing, the Angels always seem to be playacting rather than being genuine badass detectives. And their adventures are all rather run-of-the-mill things that every other crime procedural does; kidnappings, drug smuggling, etc., etc. Additionally, the production values and stunt work are all second rate; more on the level of cable television than network. Neither fun nor exciting, Charlie’s Angels fails to recapture the spark that the original series had and was axed after only 8 episodes (not all of which aired).

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