The shadow of wicked olde Jack hangs heavy over "Ripper Street." Is this a specter, or a warning of the Ripper's return? The creators of this terrific BBC One series wisely keep Jack the Ripper sidelined, at least in the first season, which just wrapped season 1 on BBC America. Good move. We didn't need another Ripper procedural. Think of it … [Read more...]
‘I, Claudius’ on DVD: Thumbs up … finally
Acorn's new five-disc retelling of "I, Claudius" opens with an ominous warning about the condition of the 1976 miniseries. "Occasional flaws ... that were beyond our ability to correct." "I, Claudius" fans could be excused a shudder of paranoia upon reading the disclaimer, especially given the treatment the BBC presentation received on home … [Read more...]
‘The Fades’: Adolescent vs. apocalypse
They're hot, sexy and dead -- and they want to eat your flesh. The apocalypse looms, but fortunately the world has a savior -- a 17-year-old bed-wetter who cowers before his twin sister. The title of the BBC teen horror series "The Fades" refers to ghosts who can't quite cross over the other side. Despairing of the limbo, they start to chomp on … [Read more...]
Long live ‘Prime Suspect’ U.K.
Maria Bello is a fine actress and all, but NBC's remake of "Prime Suspect" has a lot going against it. First and foremost, the new "Prime Suspect" soon will be drowning in comparisons to the British source material -- arguably the smartest, best-written and best-acted cop series on any continent. The series spread out across 15 years, with the … [Read more...]
‘The Prisoner: Complete Series’ on Blu-ray
At the least, we can be grateful for AMC's "reimagining" of "The Prisoner" because it hastened the arrival of the classic cult series on Blu-ray. "The Prisoner," of course, was in no need of a remake. The '60s spy series feels more relevant than ever ... and yet remains very much a product of its time -- 1966-1967, the glory days of psychedelia … [Read more...]
