You know why I dislike this show? I don't believe any of the characters, I don't believe any of the situations, it's soiling a cool memory from my childhood, and each of the plots of the first two episodes seem forced. That's only four things to dislike, but that's a lot when you're talking about the aspects of a TV show or movie, especially a new one. But that's how I'd summarize my feelings about the new Night Stalker.
A guy kills sits in the stands of a Little League and is told by a ghost "you know what you have to do." And apparently what he had to do was go to the snack stand and kill his wife with a baseball bat. Really bad form. He should have choked up more.
Kolchak annoys authorities at a press conference and Vincenzo isn't thrilled with his dead person/possession theory. Perri doesn't believe it either. Um, didn't she go through a rather scary time last week? Why is she so quick to say "oh, that can't be true! Don't be silly!" One of these days someone is going to make a TV show where people have an open mind and aren't always doubting their partners who continually save their lives.
Another person kills someone after hearing that phrase. This "you know what you have to do," if they play their cards right, could be this decade's "where's the beef?" or "whatchoo talkin' bout Willis?"
Carl, Perri, and Jain stop another husband from killing his wife, and Stuart Townshend continues to give the most bland performance since...well, last week's episode of Night Stalker.
This show isn't even Night Stalker. It's more like The X-Files. Not in quality (believe me, not in quality), but the banter (lame as it is) between the two leads and the plots they're doing (so far).
Tell me: why am I watching this again? There was more personality and scares in the 30 second ad they showed for the original Night Stalker DVDs released on Tuesday. Go out and buy them instead.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-07-2005 @ 11:03AM
Jeff Kahrs said...
This show stinks. They miss the whole Night Stalker theme set. Oh, and one of the the things I really like about the campy Dead Zone is that when Johnny says he has had a vision everyone believes him.
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10-07-2005 @ 1:37PM
The Jeremy said...
You know, I'm tired of the criticism of this show. It doesn't have the humor of the original tv series, but that humor was not present in the original tv movies that spawned that series.
I like this show. I'd rather see it televised than ludicrus and overhyped trite such as "Alias" and "Lost" any day.
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10-09-2005 @ 9:51PM
Bruce Wayne-Johnson said...
hmmm..I never saw the old one - I did see X-Files and that should be the main criticism that its like X-Files just replacing FBI with the LA Beacon...IF you want to criticize it.
Watched 2 eps so far and both are pretty cool. I think Stuart Townsend looks creepy and cool enough to pull it off. As Duchovny was a tv-version of Harrison Ford, Townsend is a TV-version of Johnny Depp and even a watered down Depp is cool.
I think a show proves it can go the distance at around episode 7-10 where it has the set up down and now introduces the sub-plots and the mythology - Spotnitz knows all about this from his X-Files days so as long as he stays true to form by not showing the monsters like he did in X-Files and bring in more weird-ness and make it original (no Sharkmen please) and we find out more about Kolchak that ISN'T like the original then the show can go the distance...until we find out I'll be watching.
Any fictional show that says Viewer Discretion is Advised better be damn scary!
PS
DId anyone else notice the cut and paste shot of the original Kolchak in the Beacon in the first part of epsiode 2...he's the guy that totally doesnt fit in because of the lighting on him.
Wish I could get a screen shot of that to post.
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10-14-2005 @ 10:11PM
Mike said...
Right on! This show has it all: scripts that are long on child endangerment and short on anything approaching wit,imagination or creativity, actors who have zero charisma to carry it and all surrounded by pretty visuals.This is like the X-Files that nobody wants to remember, the Doggett and Reyes episodes, which it turns out the writer of this episode contributed heavily.Way to start out with a winning team.The reason people hate this show is that it takes a perfectly decent existing character and situation and makes it all wannabe angsty.This is like fan fiction not professional entertainment.Have people's entertainment standards gotten so desperate that this what they think makes a good show?Gar-Bahge!No more for me thanks, I'm driving-a stake through this worthless update's heart.
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