H & M 2006

[skidfan]

I noticed the thread about who might play these guys in a new production....but what I'm wondering is, given BK and DHK in 2006 doing this show...what kind of a production would it be....sort of like a Lost or 24....where you have to watch every week to keep up with it, or would it be like csi-like or bones where they rely on a lot of special effects for evidence. Would our guys be more flawed. Any thoughts?

[lmlewis]

Excellent question.

I'm sort of in the camp that says you can't go home again. The era of the 80's action show is gone, and the chemistry of those two particular characters was unique.

And the whole 'big-budget movie remake' of a TV show idea-- 'I Spy, 'The Wild, Wild, West', and ''Starsky and Hutch' were all parodies. I kinda liked the last one, but I wouldn't want to see that done to a show I was really fond of, not unless it was extremely well done, and none of these have been.

But if somehow H&McC was heading into 'season 23', I'd like to think the guys (now, at least in theory, 85 and 52) wouldn't be climbing in the Coyote and running the bad guys off the road. But I would hope they'd still be firing smart remarks off each other and harboring a passionate sense of justice.

And if you could adjust the settings on the time-space continuum, and give us back the 'younger' versions of the guys, starting out again in Rolling Thunder/2006, I'd ask for the show to do a cable-TV programing approach with fewer--but better written--episodes a year, tight stories that make sense, and a more consistent back-story.

I'd still want some action, but I'd want the relationship to develop a bit more slowly, with some continuity from episode to episode. No more multiple time-lines.

Oh, and more recurring characters: Frank, right from the start, and maybe Mattie Groves. And some explanation for Sara's departure.

Well, that'd be a start.

[skidfan]

A cable show would be interesting....though I would hope they wouldn't vulgarize or sex it up too much...which sometimes seems to be the case.

I'd certainly love to see it as more of a character development type show...like how did these two ever just start their relationship...which to me would be rocky at best....there definitely had to be some interesting conversation going on when McCormick is brought home and moved in.

The problem I have with a lot of shows today is that every TV character carries around so many flaws...even the so-called 'good guys' have some evil, devilish traits...I know it's supposed to be realistic...but I guess I, like old Hardcase, like the clear cut right and wrong, good and bad....

[Liz]

Put Stephen together again with Donald Bellisarius and let DPB show/remind SJC how it's done. The problem with a cable series is, as skidfan states, a tendency to put more sex and violence into a show. But as NCIS shows (you just knew I'd get around to mentioning it sooner or later, didn't you?), you can still do a quality series that has decent relationships (Tony and Gibbs just for the best example) as well as action and suspense.

Naturally, I'd like the whole time/continuum thing with them being the same age as they were twenty years ago. If it was on cable, the focus of the crimes and criminals would change, with still more cases about the crimes of the day: drugs, terrorism, child abuse, all of which would be such a downer.

[lmlewis]

Aw, see, that's just me not being clued-in, I guess. There aren't any shows on the big three that I watch anymore--maybe not for five or six years. The last shows I watched regularly were SG1 and Farscape, which were what I was thinking of when I mentioned 'cable' because they're on those oddly split production schedules that give the writers, casts and crews some kind of a break.

The only show I'm watching even semi-regularly now is 'Monk' (which I also consider cable because USA doesn't have a regular outlet here). It, too, puts out episodes in a shortened season. I just don't think it's possible to do 22 or 23 episodes of a non-ensemble show without running into quality issues--either over the short haul or most certainly over a few years.

For some strange reason, I think good scripts are the key to a good program (that, and casting). A script the equivalent of every 2.5 weeks is a killer pace. Start adding more writers (like they did after the first half-year of H&McC) and you get continuity issues, not to mention some serious plot logic failures ;-).

I'd rather have six or eight good episodes twice a year, than 22 over seven months, with moments where I want to put my fingers to my temples and say, 'what the heck were they thinking?"

[jadzia2000]

The only shows I watch are mainly on NBC. Primarily, The office, My name is Earl, and now studio 60 on the sunset strip, which IMHO is the best show on TV. I hope it find an audience soon.

I have banned all ABC ever since they canned DHK's show Second Noah back in 96. I thought it was a well-written show, and ever since it dumped it on Saturday nights during it's second season, never found it's audience. And, of course, it shamelessly cancelled Hardcastle and McCormick even though the ratings were respectible. Now, I find that ABC has no morals for airing good TV. Unfortunately, tho, since DHK was appearing on OLTL, I had to make one exception. But that's where I draw the line with the network.

As for Hardcastle and McCormick 2006. I do see a second generation, perhaps with DHK and maybe a young hardcastle, nephew of Milton Hardcastle, who was in jail, and this time Mark's the one who's going to straighten him out by fighting the bad guys.

Thanks to Peter's idea from a fanfic idea.

The judge is now deceased, in honor of the great Brian Keith, Mark has inherited Gull's way, and is carrying on the Judge's tradition of rehabilitating ex-cons in the name of justice to nail the bad guys....you know the rest.

Mark can still be either a successful lawyer or now a judge, not retired, but uses his influences to muscle his way through the system.

If this were to happen, that would be the only way I would accept an updated version of Hardcastle and McCormick. Otherwise if this show were played by different actors, I would steer clear as the new actors could never have the same amazing chemistry as DHK and BK ever did.

[theyankeeclipper]

Stephen J. Cannell shoudn't touch anything involved with TV at this point. He hasn't had a good show in years, and although the short-lived "Hunter" revival in 2002-03 wasn't bad, it only lasted two movies & 3 one-hour episodes on NBC.

The last several Cannell shows have been AWFUL. "Silk Stalkings", "Cobra", "Street Justice", etc. "Renegade" had it's moments, but overall was poor in comparison to Cannell's 80's efforts such as "The A-Team", "Hardcastle & McCormick", and "Wiseguy".

The last truely well-done & good shows associated with Cannell Productions was "Hunter", "21 Jump Street", & "Wiseguy", all of which ended in 1991, fifteen years ago.