Adding my 2 cents to the mix: I watched this when it first aired and just watched again. In the end, I think it's a shame that this really good concept for a show, which could have lasted several seasons, never got a proper chance. The show runners are totally to blame for squandering this opportunity.
Firstly, the writing was very mediocre. You can't blame the time period because there was certainly plenty of well written, entertaining shows of this type throughout the decade prior to this. The alien of the week plots and action was decent. That was their strength. The weakness was all the terrible attempts at comedy and side characters living their mundane lives. Way too much of each episode was devoted to this stuff. Truly, they had no idea what they were doing. Ridiculous dialogue, 2 dimensional people, cringeworthy slapstick. I'm sure it wasn't the case, but it presents like the scripts were turned out by a group of early twenty something dude bros, who had spent years watching action movies but knew nothing about the real world or any type of adult relationships, especially concerning women who were not acting in porn. I know it's harsh, but this is why the show failed.
Obviously, Adrain Paul was a great choice to play Cole. He's the sole reason anyone watched the show and he makes it worth it. He got a great chance to show his acting skills by playing someone so different from Duncan MacLeod yet he's still charismatic and funny when called for while also believable in action scenes. I wish he had gotten more prominent roles since this went off the air.
But let's just say Amy Price Francis was very much miscast to play the already brittle, anxious Mel. Her character reminds me of a chihuahua - all big eyes, very skinny, and trembling nerves. I tolerated her character but never warmed to her. She was written and played mainly like a stressed out, exasperated, overbearing mother to everyone around her. She was never remotely believable as what we were told (but never shown) to be an intelligent and grown up business owner.
Jess was also a big mistake, which even the producers figured out by eventually writing her out, but I'm sure by then, only a few such as myself were still watching. The damage was done. Once again, writers and producers seemed to only have interest in and knowledge of women from porn. The less said the better.
There was some good. Geraint Wyn Davies was perfect as Zinn. If the show got a season 2, there definitely was an opening for him to return. I even thought Dean McDermott was good as the sometimes helpful cop who was jealous of Cole. Too bad Mel had even less chemistry with him than she did with Cole. Nestor character improved and got less annoying as the season went on. It was a good idea to increase his role as an ally for Cole to go on missions with.
If they got a season 2, it did seem like changes were going to be made, after giving the bar to Nestor and Cole taking off with Mel. But unless all the writers were fired, no change of scenery would have been enough. As I said at the start, someone had some good ideas, but they sadly were wasted.
Firstly, the writing was very mediocre. You can't blame the time period because there was certainly plenty of well written, entertaining shows of this type throughout the decade prior to this. The alien of the week plots and action was decent. That was their strength. The weakness was all the terrible attempts at comedy and side characters living their mundane lives. Way too much of each episode was devoted to this stuff. Truly, they had no idea what they were doing. Ridiculous dialogue, 2 dimensional people, cringeworthy slapstick. I'm sure it wasn't the case, but it presents like the scripts were turned out by a group of early twenty something dude bros, who had spent years watching action movies but knew nothing about the real world or any type of adult relationships, especially concerning women who were not acting in porn. I know it's harsh, but this is why the show failed.
Obviously, Adrain Paul was a great choice to play Cole. He's the sole reason anyone watched the show and he makes it worth it. He got a great chance to show his acting skills by playing someone so different from Duncan MacLeod yet he's still charismatic and funny when called for while also believable in action scenes. I wish he had gotten more prominent roles since this went off the air.
But let's just say Amy Price Francis was very much miscast to play the already brittle, anxious Mel. Her character reminds me of a chihuahua - all big eyes, very skinny, and trembling nerves. I tolerated her character but never warmed to her. She was written and played mainly like a stressed out, exasperated, overbearing mother to everyone around her. She was never remotely believable as what we were told (but never shown) to be an intelligent and grown up business owner.
Jess was also a big mistake, which even the producers figured out by eventually writing her out, but I'm sure by then, only a few such as myself were still watching. The damage was done. Once again, writers and producers seemed to only have interest in and knowledge of women from porn. The less said the better.
There was some good. Geraint Wyn Davies was perfect as Zinn. If the show got a season 2, there definitely was an opening for him to return. I even thought Dean McDermott was good as the sometimes helpful cop who was jealous of Cole. Too bad Mel had even less chemistry with him than she did with Cole. Nestor character improved and got less annoying as the season went on. It was a good idea to increase his role as an ally for Cole to go on missions with.
If they got a season 2, it did seem like changes were going to be made, after giving the bar to Nestor and Cole taking off with Mel. But unless all the writers were fired, no change of scenery would have been enough. As I said at the start, someone had some good ideas, but they sadly were wasted.