Hi. I'm back. By back, I mean this is the first Thursday Movie Picks I've participated in quite a while. As always, it's hosted by the wonderful Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. Of course, I picked the Thursday when it's all about TV. That's cool. The chosen topic is one with lots of options. By the way, I figured since I'm just going to pop back up like nothing happened I might as well make it interesting. So I went with a theme within the theme within another theme. Hmmm...let's see what we've got.
The Bionic Woman
(1976-78)
Whenever there's a big hit on TV, you can be sure a bunch of clones are coming. In this case, the original hit was ABC's The Six Million Dollar Man. It's success gave us this spin-off. It features Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) as a tennis pro who gets hurt in a terrible accident. Of course, she was given bionics and made better, stronger, faster, and then becomes a super-secret agent. It was a fun show, but if I'm being honest, the best episodes of this or its predecessor include her teaming up with bionic man Steve Austin (Lee Majors). The series was "reimagined" in 2007. It could've been great, but never really got off the ground.
Alias
(2001-06)
During the summer of 2001, I found myself on ABC watching the NBA Finals and a few other random things here and there. Every other commercial was for an upcoming series premier called Alias. It looked like a fun time, so when September rolled around I tuned in. And. I. Was. Blown. Uh. Way! It stars a then-unknown Jennifer Garner as CIA operative Sydney Bristow, who's assigned to a unit called SD-6. The twists and turns came non-stop and the action was insane. I locked in for the entirety of its run. That was a tall commitment back in the Dark Ages - before streaming. Not only was the show awesome, Jennifer Garner was spectacular. Her work in this show is the reason why I was pumped to see Daredevil. And Elektra. And Peppermint. And whatever action vehicle she shows up in next. None of those lived up to Alias, but you never know.
Quantico
(2015-18)
It was during another year's NBA Finals that I heard about this show. Once again, when it premiered in September, there I was checking it out. This one stars Priyanka Chopra (drool) as Alex Parrish, an FBI recruit who is also, somehow, a suspect in a terrorist attack. The show is told, at first, using two timelines. Like Alias, there are lots of twists and some really good action scenes. Our star has proven to be distractingly beautiful a very capable lead, and the writing is outstanding. Unfortunately, it didn't gain quite enough traction to be allowed to fully play out and was cancelled last year. The saddest part of all this is I no longer have an excuse to look at her every week.
I remember a few people I knew watched Alias but I never got into it. I haven't seen any of your picks this week.
ReplyDeleteI'm highly recommending Alias. Not sure if it's streaming anywhere, but it should be.
DeleteLindsay Wagner turns 70 in June.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I made you feel old.
Dammit, Ted! Is this one of those sorry, not sorry deals. Good thing I like you, so I'll let it slide. We're still good. Just don't mind me crying myself to sleep before 9 every night.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these shows but man, those ladies are fine and I like to see them kick ass. It's a shame that Priyanka is now married to a zero when we all know that she can find real heroes like you and me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just found out who she married a few weeks ago. Still haven't picked my jaw up off the floor.
DeleteAwesome list! I still haven't watched Alias yet, even though I heard a lot of good things about that show.
ReplyDeleteHere’s my Thursday Movie Picks!
Ronyell @ The Surreal Movies and TV Blog
Alias is a good time. I highly recommend it!
DeleteI wanna be in The Bionic Woman remake.
ReplyDeleteUm...kay.
DeleteI've done the same as you, missed a few weeks and then came back for a difficult theme!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of your picks but Alias sounds very interesting.
Alias is very interesting. Hope you get to check it out.
DeleteCripes The Bionic Woman!! Haven't thought of that in a dog's age. Can't say I was the biggest fan but I caught the odd episode here and there. It certainly made Lindsay Wagner's career.
ReplyDeleteI didn't caught the Alias bug or even the desire to watch it until well into the series run, though my sister was an ardent fan. By the time I was curious about it they were several seasons in and as you said in those pre-streaming days it was tough to go back....so I never did. I do like Jennifer Garner though so perhaps some day.
Your last is a complete miss for me. I heard of it but that's as far as it goes.
I also did a sort of theme within the theme focusing completely on 60's era spy shows, they're the ones I love the most usually anyway.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-1968)-Secret agents Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) work for secret international counterespionage and law-enforcement agency U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) under the direction of Alexander Waverly (Leo G. Carroll) to battle evil organizations such as THRUSH and other nefarious forces that threaten freedom with much gadgetry thrown in. A trendsetting hit in its day this received a decent big screen treatment in 2015.
It Takes a Thief (1968-1970)-Sleek international thief Alexander Mundy (Robert Wagner) temporarily incarcerated is offered a deal by Noah Bain (Malachi Thorne) head of the Secret Intelligence Agency (SIA) to be free if he steals important information or objects for the government. Breezy, stylish series globetrots around the world providing a time capsule of 60’s high fashion and high quality guest stars (among them Bette Davis, Teri Garr & Suzanne Pleshette) and in the later episodes Fred Astaire as Mundy’s master thief father Alistair.
Get Smart (1965-1970)- Maxwell Smart (Don Adams), a highly intelligent but bumbling spy works for CONTROL, battling the evil forces of rival spy agency KAOS with the help of his chic and competent partner Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) while their often exasperated Chief (Edward Platt) looks on. Daffy fun with Adams’ deadpan delivery even under the most extreme conditions priceless. Tons of cool gadgets, gotta love the shoe phone!
The Bionic Woman IS Lindsay Wagner's career.
DeleteI'm familiar with all of your picks, but I've only seen Get Smart. Lots of Get Smart. Love that show. Not sure I would call the protagonist highly intelligent. Agent 99 was always the hero while he continuously screwed things up.
True it might be a stretch to call Smart intelligent but there is no question that Barbara Feldon rocked the world!! Along with Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel in The Avengers and Barbara Bain as Cinnamon Carter in Mission: Impossible she was one of the coolest, most stylish and cleverest women on TV in the 60's.
DeleteNo arguments from me.
DeleteBurn Notice is the single greatest spy/spy-related televsion show in television history. Smart, funny, great cast, tremendous weekly stories and a great continuing story from week-to-week. Never jumps the shark and, after seven seasons, has a top-3 all time series ending episode.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't quite hit your theme, aside from the Gabrielle Anwar character--ex-IRA bomber and gun runner who is a little too excited to make things blow up.
Can't recommend it enough.
I've heard good things about Burn Notice, but I've not seen a single episode. I'm pretty curious about it, though. Thanks!
DeleteWelcome back! I missed you! I could kick myself for not thinking about the Six Million Dollar man and the Bionic Woman. They were so much fun with the sound effects when they would spring in the air and the slow moving (but really fast) running. I still remember poor Jaimie in the phone booth dealing with the pain in her ear. I loved Alias but I lost track of the show so i missed so many episodes but I loved the one when she was on the airplane. I never watched Quantico but love the strong female leads
ReplyDeleteThanks! The sound of the bionics! Yes! Bu-nu-nu-nu-nu-nu-nu! And always with the theme song playing.
DeleteI watched few seasons of Alias years ago and I remember enjoying the show a lot! It was a lot of fun, and very surprising. It's crazy how many series Cooper was on before he became huge movie star
ReplyDeleteOh, it's loads of fun! I totally forgot Coopr was in it, though. Thanks for the reminder.
Delete"Our star has proven to be distractingly beautiful a very capable lead, and the writing is outstanding." The order of this sentence :)
ReplyDeleteAlso the word "Reimagined" does cause a shudder.
Yeah, that was a typo. Sorta. The distractingly beautiful part was supposed to have a slash through it. I forgot to add that, but I think it works. You got it, right?
DeleteYeah for sure.
ReplyDeleteAlias was a lot of fun. I have not seen Peppermint but I thought Elektra was awful and was way below what Garner did in Alias.
ReplyDeleteI had watched a few episodes of season one of Quantico, but I didn't really enjoy. I dunno...I thought it was too sleek.