It appears, from the scuttlebutt, that this series is now history after two seasons of relatively low ratings.
So, what happened to James Cameron's first TV effort?
It's hard to say, at least as far as its popularity goes. So much in television is so complex, including time slot, competition, etc., etc., that its difficult to know.
On paper, this had a lot going for it, including an unusual story line, at least for TV, a fetching star and first class production values.
I watched only sporadically the first season, finding the plot lines a little confusing. Things didn't really get much better in the second year, but there was some clear improvement, not with the plotting, but with the star.
This show had to live or die with Jessica Alba, its butt kicking, genetically enhanced super soldier who longed to be just a regular girl. The character was not unique. In fact, two rivals with the same longings are still on the air, Buffy and Sydney, in the form of Sarah Michelle Geller and Jennifer Garner, already a hit in "Alias."
Why didn't Jessica's Max capture our hearts, too? Alba, who was probably best known from her work in the "Flipper" TV series, is more beautiful than either of her rivals, but probably does not yet have their acting skills. In fact, she started off poorly, far more able to express emotions with her eyes than she could with her mouth. Her ability to handle dialogue was poor. (In her defense, so was some of the dialogue. But she grew into the role and began to be more believable in the second season.
The trouble may have been with the stories. "Dark Angel" only seemed to be going somewhere at the very end of its run, when Max and her mutant friends took a stand. Up until then, it was simply a vaguely depressing dystopia story which didn't really have much point.
In the end, it seemed to be saying the outsiders are people, too, but that may be a message that only resonates with outsiders and not mass audiences. It may also be a difficult message to put across when the star of the show, unlike her mutant friends, is drop dead beautiful. It's not too easy to feel sorry for a girl who is faster, stronger and better at everything, and oh yes, also looks like a movie star.
The show also suffered from too much deferred passion. Max and her true love Logan, played by Michael Weatherly, were being kept apart because of a virus. Okay, we know that TV plotters worry that once the boy and girl get together, things can go down hill from there. But watching Max and Logan NOT consummate their love in episode after episode simply got old.
The script writers needed to finally get them together and then figure out another plot twist to keep things interesting. Two full years was a very long courtship. You can't have a beautiful central character who does not at some point tear her clothes off and throw herself at the man she loves. That's not what movies are about.
Could this series be resurrected? Probably not. It was no doubt expensive to make and Alba's profile never rose to the place where there was much outside buzz about her. For some strange reason, the girl didn't seem to pop up all the time on TV talk shows or other places where her visibility would increase.
"Dark Angel" appears to have been laid to rest and perhaps justifiably so. Hopefully, Jessica Alba's career will go on,because she appears to have grown some as an actress. But next time, she needs to find a project with a little less darkness and a little more love in the picture.
So, what happened to James Cameron's first TV effort?
It's hard to say, at least as far as its popularity goes. So much in television is so complex, including time slot, competition, etc., etc., that its difficult to know.
On paper, this had a lot going for it, including an unusual story line, at least for TV, a fetching star and first class production values.
I watched only sporadically the first season, finding the plot lines a little confusing. Things didn't really get much better in the second year, but there was some clear improvement, not with the plotting, but with the star.
This show had to live or die with Jessica Alba, its butt kicking, genetically enhanced super soldier who longed to be just a regular girl. The character was not unique. In fact, two rivals with the same longings are still on the air, Buffy and Sydney, in the form of Sarah Michelle Geller and Jennifer Garner, already a hit in "Alias."
Why didn't Jessica's Max capture our hearts, too? Alba, who was probably best known from her work in the "Flipper" TV series, is more beautiful than either of her rivals, but probably does not yet have their acting skills. In fact, she started off poorly, far more able to express emotions with her eyes than she could with her mouth. Her ability to handle dialogue was poor. (In her defense, so was some of the dialogue. But she grew into the role and began to be more believable in the second season.
The trouble may have been with the stories. "Dark Angel" only seemed to be going somewhere at the very end of its run, when Max and her mutant friends took a stand. Up until then, it was simply a vaguely depressing dystopia story which didn't really have much point.
In the end, it seemed to be saying the outsiders are people, too, but that may be a message that only resonates with outsiders and not mass audiences. It may also be a difficult message to put across when the star of the show, unlike her mutant friends, is drop dead beautiful. It's not too easy to feel sorry for a girl who is faster, stronger and better at everything, and oh yes, also looks like a movie star.
The show also suffered from too much deferred passion. Max and her true love Logan, played by Michael Weatherly, were being kept apart because of a virus. Okay, we know that TV plotters worry that once the boy and girl get together, things can go down hill from there. But watching Max and Logan NOT consummate their love in episode after episode simply got old.
The script writers needed to finally get them together and then figure out another plot twist to keep things interesting. Two full years was a very long courtship. You can't have a beautiful central character who does not at some point tear her clothes off and throw herself at the man she loves. That's not what movies are about.
Could this series be resurrected? Probably not. It was no doubt expensive to make and Alba's profile never rose to the place where there was much outside buzz about her. For some strange reason, the girl didn't seem to pop up all the time on TV talk shows or other places where her visibility would increase.
"Dark Angel" appears to have been laid to rest and perhaps justifiably so. Hopefully, Jessica Alba's career will go on,because she appears to have grown some as an actress. But next time, she needs to find a project with a little less darkness and a little more love in the picture.