The Best Show You're Probably Not Watching...and Shame On You.
One of my previous posts singled out a practice in the world of film named "re-imagining". The target of my ire was one "Trash Gordon" television program. I've since given the show a few more opportunities to redeem itself. It failed miserably. Particularly when it re-imagined The Hawkmen as 1) the not so cleverly renamed Dactyls (as in Ptero...) and 2) without wings.
Uh huh. See ya.
Conversely, I am quite pleased with a show that continues to get better & better. It is a show that is currently turned 44.
Conversely, I am quite pleased with a show that continues to get better & better. It is a show that is currently turned 44.
Kinda.
Doctor Who premiered on the BBC in 1963. It ran uninterrupted until 1989. A few movies aired sporatically over the next few years. Then, in 2005, the Brits jump-started the show again &
it continues to this day.
The premise of the show is, basically, a Time Lord, known simply as The Doctor (the last survivor of his race), travels through time with a human companion (most often an attractive female) and adventure & hi jinks ensue. He travels through time in a machine called a TARDIS (the machine once possessed the capability to change it's look to blend into it's surroundings but has become stuck in it's current form...an old fashioned Police Call box). One of the clever aspects of a show with Doctor Who's longevity (737 episodes have been filmed to date), is that The Doctor can regenerate himself completely changing his appearance & mannerisms. Effectively transforming into a different person with the same memories. Brilliant. This creative device allowed The Doctor to be portrayed by 10 different actors over the years. No re-imagining. Just CLEVER writing.
The Doctor first came to my attention in the 70s. The Doctor at the...um...time...played by Tom Baker (he of the multi -colored scarf & brown messy mop of hair). Until recently, he was the most popular actor to inhabit the role and enjoyed quite a bit of success. I would catch it late nights on the local PBS station. The show had cheesy effects and occasional wooden acting but it was always well written. It was one of those British Sci-Fi havens of the 70s (like Space 1999...equally cheesy).
I began watching the recent incarnation when it began to show on...gasp!...the previously maligned Sci-Fi Channel. The show started slowly but the effects were no longer cheesy. Since it decided to embrace what came before...the hit & miss nature was understandable. Forty odd years of history gradually seeped it's way into the show culminating into an unforeseen Doctor change at the end of the return season.
Enter David Tennant.
Tennant is one of those actors who can be very funny one minute & become somber and introspective the next. As Jon Lovitz used to say..."It's called AC-TING!!!" Tennent was born to play this role.
Doctor Who premiered on the BBC in 1963. It ran uninterrupted until 1989. A few movies aired sporatically over the next few years. Then, in 2005, the Brits jump-started the show again &
it continues to this day.
The premise of the show is, basically, a Time Lord, known simply as The Doctor (the last survivor of his race), travels through time with a human companion (most often an attractive female) and adventure & hi jinks ensue. He travels through time in a machine called a TARDIS (the machine once possessed the capability to change it's look to blend into it's surroundings but has become stuck in it's current form...an old fashioned Police Call box). One of the clever aspects of a show with Doctor Who's longevity (737 episodes have been filmed to date), is that The Doctor can regenerate himself completely changing his appearance & mannerisms. Effectively transforming into a different person with the same memories. Brilliant. This creative device allowed The Doctor to be portrayed by 10 different actors over the years. No re-imagining. Just CLEVER writing.
The Doctor first came to my attention in the 70s. The Doctor at the...um...time...played by Tom Baker (he of the multi -colored scarf & brown messy mop of hair). Until recently, he was the most popular actor to inhabit the role and enjoyed quite a bit of success. I would catch it late nights on the local PBS station. The show had cheesy effects and occasional wooden acting but it was always well written. It was one of those British Sci-Fi havens of the 70s (like Space 1999...equally cheesy).
I began watching the recent incarnation when it began to show on...gasp!...the previously maligned Sci-Fi Channel. The show started slowly but the effects were no longer cheesy. Since it decided to embrace what came before...the hit & miss nature was understandable. Forty odd years of history gradually seeped it's way into the show culminating into an unforeseen Doctor change at the end of the return season.
Enter David Tennant.
Tennant is one of those actors who can be very funny one minute & become somber and introspective the next. As Jon Lovitz used to say..."It's called AC-TING!!!" Tennent was born to play this role.
.
Over the next year, the show gained it's footing & delivered some really good episodes (powered by Tennant & companion Billie Piper's chemistry). They brought back classic Doctor Who villains like The Daleks & The Cybermen. Then, Piper decides to leave the show. Just when it was hitting it's stride.
It was barely a stumble.
The season currently showing on SciFi has been the best yet. Now paired with Freema Agyeman, Tennant made the role his own. Episodes "Human Nature/The Family of Blood (a two parter)" and "Blink" are EXCELLENT examples of how well acted & well written this show is. If you aren't currently watching it...give it a try.
Sure there is a lot of back story but they do a good job of filling in the uninitiated. The show is winding down the current season but it reruns frequently. Plus, in a world where "re-imagining" is ignoring the source material...it's nice to find a show that embraces it's rich history. The previous two seasons are on display on both BBC America & PBS. They are also available on DVD.
It was barely a stumble.
The season currently showing on SciFi has been the best yet. Now paired with Freema Agyeman, Tennant made the role his own. Episodes "Human Nature/The Family of Blood (a two parter)" and "Blink" are EXCELLENT examples of how well acted & well written this show is. If you aren't currently watching it...give it a try.
Sure there is a lot of back story but they do a good job of filling in the uninitiated. The show is winding down the current season but it reruns frequently. Plus, in a world where "re-imagining" is ignoring the source material...it's nice to find a show that embraces it's rich history. The previous two seasons are on display on both BBC America & PBS. They are also available on DVD.
.
You won't be sorry.
