As I write this column in March 2022, many of the U.S. mask mandates have been lifted, and I feel ready to return to movie theaters, but I haven’t yet. I’ll probably see director Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN (starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader) on disc, just as late last year I finally saw Daniel Craig’s much-delayed James Bond finale NO TIME TO DIE.
For all the anticipation, I felt NO TIME TO DIE was predictable with the continuity of Craig’s four previous Bond films. Though continuity has succeeded for Marvel and DC movies, I prefer Bond movies to be more distinct, even far-flung, showing off the range of each lead actor’s performance and of Bond’s adventures. Craig’s farewell was emotional but contrived. His run will be remembered for how it ended, but we know it’s not the end of the Bond franchise overall. Amazon’s purchase of Bond studio MGM means Amazon will want to make a splash with the next Bond actor.
In other Amazon news, many fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, not to mention Child himself, have for years voiced disappointment with the Tom Cruise movies JACK REACHER and JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, primarily pointing out Cruise is a foot shorter than the literary Reacher. While I went to the movies open-minded and thought Cruise’s star quality went a long way, I was also glad to hear of Amazon Prime Video’s new Reacher TV series from SCORPION creator Nick Santora with more input from Child than the movies. I liked the casting of accomplished superhero actor Alan Ritchson as Reacher. I liked that each season would adapt one of the novels, but one never knows how well a show works until you watch it.
REACHER premiered on Prime Video February 4. I binged all eight episodes and thoroughly enjoyed them. Six foot two, 230-pound Ritchson is a better physical match as Reacher than Cruise and this may already be Ritchson’s signature role, but the show’s most impressive achievement is the supporting cast. Malcolm Goodwin plays police captain Oscar Finlay, a Boston transplant to Margrave, Georgia. Willa Fitzgerald plays Roscoe Conklin, a deputy assigned to trail Reacher. The show retains key elements of the first Reacher novel, KILLING FLOOR, but doesn’t lean too heavily on Reacher to drive the action. Finlay and Roscoe pursue their own subplots that contribute vitally to the overall investigation.
REACHER was promptly renewed for a second season, and with the character’s wandering nature, each season can feature all-new supporting players around him. I hope the show keeps up the quality casting and subplots.
Also coming soon to TV is a reboot of the 1989-’93 historical fantasy series QUANTUM LEAP. The original may just be my favorite show of all. It may not be straight crime like most of what I cover for this column, but the show’s premise, “putting things right that once went wrong,” is close enough for me.
The reboot follows Dr. Ben Seong (Raymond Lee) as he and a new team piece together what became of Sam Beckett and the original project Quantum Leap. In the process, Ben leaps from the present back to the 1980s. His support team includes Herbert “Magic” Williams (Ernie Hudson), a Vietnam veteran who liaises with the government to keep the project running. This reads close to what Dean Stockwell’s character, Al Calavicci, did in the original, but Magic also appeared in the original as a Navy SEAL in Sam’s brother’s platoon.
Other new Quantum Leap characters include head of security Jenn (Nanrissa Lee), programmer Ian (Mason Alexander Park), and communications specialist Addison (Caitlin Bassett). The production team includes BLINDSPOT’s Martin Gero, LA BREA creators Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, and original creators Don Bellisario and Deborah Pratt. Filming is set to begin this month.
Meanwhile, Bellisario’s longest-running show, NCIS, remains highly-rated in its nineteenth season. Longtime series star Mark Harmon has moved solely behind the camera as executive producer, while his gruff character Leroy Jethro Gibbs has given way to easy-going Special Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole). Clearly there’s something in the show’s makeup that sustains it through any cast changes. That said, CBS was smart to move NCIS from Tuesdays to less ratings-competitive Mondays
Perhaps I should be covering a newer, more varied selection of TV shows and movies, but for much of the past two years, TV and movies haven’t been the same priorities. I think some shows and franchises have run so long because executives recognize that viewers crave familiarity and comfort as much as we say we want something never seen before.
One new show that tries to offer familiarity, spontaneity, and parody is Netflix’s MURDERVILLE, based on the British sitcom MURDER IN SUCCESSVILLE. Will Arnett plays Sr. Detective Terry Seattle, a world-weary cop partnered with a different celebrity trainee in each episode. The celebrities (Conan O’Brien, Marshawn Lynch, Kumail Nanjiani, Annie Murphy, Sharon Stone, Ken Jeong) aren’t in on the script and must deduce the murderer on their own. The results are uneven, with the comedians more up to improvising. The show has the potential to be as funny as WHOSE LINE IS IT, ANYWAY?, but I have a feeling it won’t get a second season.
Until next time, let’s be careful out there.
