Hide Article Text (OCR)
oCr5iuo»•Hi/’tcnlt;vcccDouCL»cnc03■i * *oOfJZcncncnrnrfl*or0X3CIKINNEYLITTLEFIELDRegister columnistYouth on the run.It’s hot for fall. Premiering this week, four new dramatic series relish the young and the reckless, running from relationships, responsibilities — and evil forces of the night. Each has its own attitude. Here’s how they rate.Fallen Angel? Campyand intermittently clever, new WB vampire drama Angel” has the makings of a cool view. Hope runs high since it’s helmed by savvyproducers-writers Joss Whe-don and David Greenwalt ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer.”In its premiere, though, this noirish spinoff of “Buffy” hasn’t quite found its stride. ‘‘Angel’s” humor is only half there, its bloodsucking action is not up to Buffy” snuff.The premise: Brooding David Boreanaz stars as Angel,the conscience-stricken, centuries-old vampire who was Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gel-lar) main squeeze. Angel left the slayer behind in Buff’s”monster-bashing season-end-er because sexual pleasure stoked his blood-lust too much.,Now he hangs in vampire-packed Los Angeles, redeeming himself by saving hapless humans from nasty fang-bangers. Assisting him is half-human Doyle (GlennQuinn), whose visions point Angel toward those in need.Also on board is Buffy” alum Cordelia (CharismaCarpenter) whn^p air-headedyammering plays nicely against Angel’s tortured mindset.Too often, though, Boreanaz looks like an actor in need of something to do. Maybe a good pun. He can easily play the deadpan funny guy.Irish actor Quinn is cool.One hilarious visual bit on Tuesday’s premiere: Doyle briefly showing his way-weird alien side.Right now “Angel” lacksbite. With more “Buffy”-styled irony, more vampire action — if Boreanaz loosens up — it could fly right.Alienation or alien nation? Hip, smartly honed alien-angst drama Roswell slices it both ways. The clever WB series gives us raging'ROSWELL': From left, Katherine Heigl, Jason Behr, Shiri £'s new show about teenaliens in a New Mexico town.teen hormones and sci-fi paranoia.The premise: think My So-Called Human Life” or The Young Sex-Files.” Troubled teens from another planet try to evade the law and pass for human in alien-crazed Roswell, N.M. — where legend says a UFO crashed in 1947.Max, Id, (Jason Behr)landed in Roswell in ’47 in an incubation pod from which he later emerged looking human but endowed with awesomereadingpowers. He and sister Isabel (Katherine Heigl) and alien friend Michael (Brendan Fehr) were raised by humans and blend in until Max heals human teen Liz Parker (Shiri Appleby) from a lethal gunshot wound.That proves a bit much for the suspicious town sheriff(William Sadler) — who ishot on Max’s otherworldly tail.Meanwhile Max is smitten with Liz and serious interspecies sparks ensue. And Michael uses his powers to melt locks and Isabel plays a CD with her ear.In all, Roswell’s” executive producers David Nutter (The X-Files”), Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Jason'Angel'When: 9 p.m. Tuesday Channel: KTLA/5 Grade:B'Roswell'When: 9 p.m. Wednesday Channel: KTLA/5 Grade: B +‘Wasteland'When: 9 p.m. Thursday Channel: KABC/7 Grade: C-‘Harsh Realm’When: 9 p.m. Friday Channel: KTTV/11 Grade: C-FKatims (My So-Called Life”) have cooked a cool genre-bender. There’s plenty of ironic humor and an appealing innocence to Max and Liz’s hesitant romance.Also a great pop musicsoundtrack. The premiere features Sarah MacLachlan, Garbage and Hole.Plus a signature food gag: Aliens love Tabasco sauce. Max, Isabel and Maria slath-ejr it on everything.Unfortunate title but fitting: New ABC drama Wasteland — from Scream” writer Kevin Williamson — is flat, vapid, poorly written and a vastHARSH REALM’: D.B. Sweeney, left, Rachel Hayward andScott Bairstow star in a new show from 'X-Files' creator Chri Carter. It airs Fridays.waste of valuable viewing time.The premise: A group of 20-something friends (Rebecca Gayheart, Marisa Cough-lan, Sasha Alexander, Brad Rowe, Eddie Mills, Dan Montgomery) runs from adulthood. They kinda live, sorta work, often yearn and mostly kvetch — all in meanol’ Manhattan. They’re full of self-doubt and scared stiff of love. Only Gayheart’s bossVince (Jeffrey D. Sams)seems to be a grown-up.Yawn.What a bummer coming from Williamson, who created smart ’n’ edgy teen drama Dawson’s Creek.”The premiere’s dialogue is dumb. It includes this bit from tough nut Jesse (Alexander), who unexpectedly finrk hpr hnvfriend nn a Hafpwith another vacuous face:Repeat after me, you arepowerless over your penis.You are powerless over that penis!”Or try this from perkyblond Dawnie (Coughlan) to her thesis adviser: I amacutely self-aware to thepoint where I am clueless and slightly suicidal.”Clearly, Williamson is stretched too thin after “Dawson’s,” Scream 2,” and his film flop TeachingMrs. Tingle.” He should have sat this one out.Reality — virtual reality. Not the same. Chris Carter’s seminal X-Files — Carter’s gratingly bleak and seemingly pointless new dramaHarsh Realm. Not thesame at all.A hunk-on-the-run caperakin to “Nowhere Man, “Harsh Realm” stalls from cliched writing, cardboardcharacters and too muchshadowy retro-high-tech atmosphere that is empty filler.The premise: Lt. ThomasHobbes (Scott Bairstow) returns from being a war hero in Sarajevo, gets manipulates by the military into playing a virtual reality war game called “Harsh Realm.Or is it only virtual?Once Hobbes starts the game he can’t exit — and hislife is constantly threatened. Mean-minded Mike Pinocchio (D.B. Sweeney) becomes an iffy ally as Hobbes trres desperately to beat Realm ruler Omar Santiago (Terry O’Quinn) and return to his real-life fiancee, Sophie (Samantha Mathis).Like “X-Files,” “Harsh Realm” heaps overt paranoia on covert government conspiracy, adding its own deep dose of pseudo-macho menace.Like Carter’s previousflawed drama-in-search-of-it-self Millennium,” Harsh Realm” looks like it could feed endlessly on is-it-or-ain’t-it-real mind-shtick. Frankly, who cares?What’s best is Sweeney, who plays mean with a humorous eye-gleam.He, too, has a food thing.His Pinocchio keeps wanting to eat Hobbes’ cute little dog. Where’s that darn Chihuahua when you need it?■'■•|(L ■Kinney Littlefield is The Orange County Register's television critic.
Newspaper Details
Santa Ana Orange County Register Sunday
Santa Ana, California, US
Sun, Oct 03, 1999
Page 176
Full Page
Clipped by
Rotten T.
USA 11 Oct 2022
Other Publications Near Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana Pacific Weekly Blade
Santa Ana Excelsior
Santa Ana News
Santa Ana Evening Blade
Santa Ana Orange County Register Evening
