I’m still at Press Tour (there probably will not be a post on Tuesday, as a result). But while the big news remains the Jay and Conan war, not much else is going on. However, we have a preview of a show (based on a comic book) and another installment of Nick News.
Nick News with Linda Ellerbee,The Face of Courage: Kids Living With Cancer
Okay, I haven’t actually seen this one, which is airing tonight at 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon. But Ellerbee’s track record with these specials is so good that I feel reasonably confident in noting that it’s on. The title pretty much says it all, too.
Human Target
Fox’s is offering a preview tonight at 8 p.m. of its new series Human Target, based on the comic book. The story is pretty basic, Christopher Chance (Mark Valley) is hired by people in trouble to act as a human shield to draw the bad guy out into the open and thus eliminate the problem. In the comic book, Chance actually “becomes” the person in trouble. But since that’s more than a little tough to pull off in live action, Chance just goes along.
For example, in the premiere episode, Chance is hired to protect a woman who has designed a high-speed train and is now a target from an unknown source. Not only does Chance, acting as her interpreter, accompany her on the improbable assumption that she will be attacked on the train’s maiden voyage, but he tries to figure out who the killer is while dodging poisoning, gun shots and sabotaged train brakes. Never mind, of course, that he’s had several days already to start his investigation.
Which, of course, leads to the main problem. The show is violent – with lots of shooting, fighting, a high-speed defenestration, blood and even a fire-bombing. Chance, as a character, has no problem killing people, which works against him, but he seems to be doing it in self-defense. Overall, it’s such a comic book, it doesn’t quite mitigate the violence, but you can’t really take it seriously, either. Which is why you’ll want to approach this with extreme caution.
The comic book nature of the show probably means that it will appeal to younger kids. Nor does it help that the show will regularly air at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. That being said, the quality of the writing doesn’t come close to covering up all the implausible events. That can work in your favor, if you can get your kids to question what they’re seeing.
For straight up, grown-up, mindless entertainment, the show is serviceable – especially since the violence is so ridiculous. But it’s little more than that. The dialogue isn’t horrible, but it’s not all that good, either. Which is ultimately good news if you don’t want your kids watching it. Most kids beyond pre-school don’t like watching bad TV any more than we adults do. And while Human Target isn’t that bad, quality-wise, it ain’t that good, either.
Anne Louise Bannon
Your Family Viewer