Random Characters…

In a poll by UK Science Fiction magazine SFX, Serenity, the spin-off movie from my favourite short lived TV show Firefly, won the title of Favourite Science Fiction Film, beating the likes of Star Wars and Alien.

I have to say that Serenity is an absolute blinder of a film, and, in my list, it’s certainly near the top, but still behind Star Wars. Clearly this SFX poll is somewhat off the wall, but it may be just what is needed to convince network executives that a new series of Firefly is a viable product to grace our screens once again. We can but hope.

Like many wise souls, I have my uTorrent RSS feed set to pick up pilot episodes, and it found a bit of a gem in Andy Barker PI.

The premise for the show centers around the lead character, Andy Barker, a middle-aged chartered accountant, who takes up a new office, formal inhabited by a Private Investigator. A mysterious woman shows up looking for someone to find her dead husband and Barker is reticent to pursue the investigation but given her $4,000 retainer, the offer is too good to refuse, and when the issue of the husband’s tax returns arises, Andy is hooked.
What ensues is mistaken identity and similar shenanigans, and it’s not half bad. A highlight for me is a high speed car chase with Andy at the wheel whilst discussing tax law with a client.

An added bonus is that NBC are putting the first 6 episodes freely available on the web here.