TARGET MISSED?

[6.30 - French Time] Interesting review of the new Fox series Human Target in The Hollywood Reporter.

Human Target is adapted from a DC comic book by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. Its character, Christopher Chance, was a private eye/bodyguard who literally endorsed the appearance and personality of his clients to protect them. This is not the first TV adaptation of the comic, in the nineties the team behind The Flash tried for ABC with Rick Springfield as Christopher Chance.

From what I've seen in the trailer and from what I read now in this review (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/tv-reviews/human-target-tv-review-1004059114.story) the show owes more to Walker Texas Ranger than to the ultracool but unfortunately short-lived ABC show. Nothing wrong with Walker (the CSI franchise even borrowed its formal aspect to the Chuck Norris vehicle) but the 2010 version misses the essential: Christopher Chance no longer assumes the identity of his clients.

The star of the Fox series, the excellent and always credible Mark Valley, justifies the change with narrative necessities (http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/01/13/human-target-star-explains-the-differences-between-the-comic-book-and-tv-series/) but Chance is not THE Human Target without the masks, the impersonations and the Mission: Impossible "peel-off" thing.

Should this new series succeed expect revivals of Stingray (the Stephen J. Cannell show) and The Equalizer.

Human Target premieres this sunday on Fox.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB10oLE7sKM (Promo)
http://humantargetonline.com/

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/05/last-shout.html