In a previous life, I was an editor at AOL’s TV Squad, where I wrote a regular feature called Jane After Dark. As a movie and TV writer, you might think the job is all fun and laughs, right? Not so. Especially if you work with AOL. But we’ll save that for another day…
The truth is that most of what we watch is crap. Like, about 98%. But sometimes the remaining 2% is actually worth watching, and that’s what I try to watch in my off-hours — the times when I can watch whatever I want and hope it’s good.
So I’m bringing Jane After Dark to Film Gecko, and will report back to you, dear readers, on whether I’ve hit the motherlode of 2%.
This week, it’s all about ‘Human Target,’ the DC-comics-based TV series that airs on Fox. It stars Mark Valley as a bodyguard (he’s the “human target” for whomever he’s protecting or saving) named Christopher Chance. His past is mysterious and checkered, but he’s all about doing the right thing now, and it usually involves fast-moving trains, skydiving and breaking and entering.
But much of my love for this show — I just finished season one on DVD — revolves around his two co-stars, Chi McBride as a world-weary ex-detective and Jackie Earle Haley as … well, I haven’t really figured out who or what he is. But he’s really fun. And I love how he calls people “Dude,” seems to know all the right people, and throws caution to the wind at every opportunity.
‘Human Target’ is a throw-back to those great action-adventure shows of the 1960s and 70s like ‘MacGyver,’ ‘The Fugitive,’ and ‘Hawaii 5-0.’ Christopher Chance is like James Bond, swooping in to save the day, but usually getting into some sort of trouble from which he has to extricate both himself and his charges.
Season two premieres Nov. 17, 2010, and if you like great escapist TV with a handsome lead, quirky sidekicks, and lots of action, definitely give it a look and see what you think.
Check out this video of the season two photo shoot and preview. Have you watched ‘Human Target’? Do you love it, too?
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