Where Ingrid returns not orange but green. Ingrid... The Grinch Edition.
THE 2200
Let's call that the Bernie Lomax Syndrome, old tv shows can't rest in peace. Of course, remakes allow new generations to discover a character or a concept (
http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2008/08/young-barnaby-jones-chronicles.html). Without remakes the only on-screen Batman ever would be Lewis Wilson in the 1943 serial and the 2005 version of
Doctor Who would not be the best series in the History of television (until
Voyage of the Damned at least).
And the worst thing than the remake of an old show is the remake of a British contemporary show for the US market. We could hope that the demises of
Life on Mars US and of the remake of
Eleventh hour (
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/primetime-pilot-panic-more-cbs-moves/) will vaccine American television executives but there's a Warner Brothers
Primeval movie coming and even a US
Primeval spin-off series(
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a156144/reports-primeval-spinoff-in-the-pipeline.html).
But now Hollywoodland doesn't just remake old shows, it "re-imagines" them, "reinvents" them, thanks to the success of
Casino Royale - the 2006 James Bourne movie. And I suspect "reinvention" will be seen as the golden access pass to Penny Lane now that the new
Star Trek is a worldwide phenom. The latest tv classic to be "reinvented" is
V, the 1983 miniseries by Kenneth Johnson. The remake, produced by Scott Peters (
The 4400), is due to be shown on ABC during the 2009-2010 season
(1) and we can have a first look at the show through clips (
http://scifiwire.com/2009/05/first-look-at-clips-for-a.php).
The original
V was a political metaphor,
It can't happen here or Jean-Paul Sartre's choice with lizards in orange mechanic outfits, and Brecht or Rod Serling in the shadows. A television event too: at the time the most expensive miniseries ever made, with stunning special effects, magnificent actors, an incredible soundtrack, the talent of Kenneth Johnson - one of the most brilliant television authors of his time (
http://www.kennethjohnson.us/) - and some effective scenes still terrifying a whole generation by their single evocation. Sorry, but from what I see of the new
V we're very (very) far from that. Monuments should stay untouched, and if the new
V succeeds expect
Alien Nation 2010 but experience shows that it's not a good idea to try
V without Johnson.
NOT THAT ONEWe all make mistakes sometimes. May I please suggest that comedy genius Matt Lucas (of
Little Britain fame) has made one with his "impersonation" of
Britain's Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle for Heat Magazine (
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/susan-boyle/5346071/Matt-Lucas-impersonates-Susan-Boyle.html).
Think what you want of producer Simon Cowell and his programmes (I personally believes he knows how to pack entertaining shows) but this was not funny at all and far from the standards of Lucas's duo with David Walliams. Susan Boyle may or may not win BGT (dance group Diversity is my favourite) but her first appearance on the show was really wonderful.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
Your humble servant is always amazed by your growing interest about this little blog and I was recently intrigued by the sudden affluence of visitors from a forum about the American version of
Life on Mars (
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Life_On_Mars/index.php?). I had to register to learn more and discovered that my use of the adjective "Unnecessary" to qualify their favourite show raised a honest, open-minded, fair, balanced and interesting four-page discussion.
No hard feelings for the
Dead Pool quote as I often use it myself in private (preceded by "As a great philosopher of the 20th century once said") and the site administrator is a gentleman. The forum is also a "think tank" for a campaign to bring back
Life on Mars US (
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Life_On_Mars/index.php?showforum=1) so I mention it as some of you, faithful readers, are true fans of this version.
(1) http://abc.go.com/fallpreview/index?pn=v
May the great Nikki Finke forgive me this not so humble use of her legendary "Toldja!" but I cannot resist (1): the fantastic dance group Diversity wins Britain's Got Talent 2009. On May 26, I wrote: « Dance group Diversity has the artistic and even the sociological relevance to win the series ». 
