Maximum Bob

This wonderful series veered slightly from the book, but mostly in ways necessary to make an ongoing TV show. The tone, the characterization, the feel were all right on target.

The casting was superb. Although Elmore Leonard pictured Harry Dean Stanton to play the judge, Beau Bridges brought so much verve and energy to the part it became difficult to imagine anybody else in the role. Liz Vassey was excellent, and the supporting cast and guest stars pulled the whole thing together.

Production values were very high, and writing and direction top-notch. Ordinary and eccentric people, getting on with the day to day business of living -- or not -- in some backwater of Florida isn't something we see every day on TV, and credit is due the producers for going out of their way to get this series on the air.

There was a higher ratio of comedy to drama than is usual in a one hour show, and this may have scared the network. Is ABC so crammed with exciting, original, well-written, well-produced programming that it could afford to let this one get away?

Only a few episodes were aired, and, alas, no other network picked it up; one might imagine that Showtime or HBO, with their commitment to original programming might have been interested.

It's interesting to note how well Barry Sonnenfeld captured the spirit of Elmore Leonard's book in this series, and how poorly he captured the spirit of "The Wild Wild West" TV series in his ghastly, unbelievably bad film version.

Call it a high-budget cult-classic. One viewing will get you hooked. To me - - the most original and creative show on TV.

I saw this show on its only run on English TV a year before i moved to the swampy part of the USA and loved it. It was reminiscent of Twin Peaks in its quirkiness. Mr Bridges was excellent in the role of the southern judge and the portrayal of the "bubbas" was spot on, and yes those people do exist down here.

Its been 8 years since i saw this show and still i am looking for a DVD of the season or anything about it. I swear I thought i was the only one who liked or even saw this show. I often cite this as one of the high points in American broadcasting, but i am just met with blank stares and bemusement. I guess it was on against some other mega show when it was on ABC(?, but who knows they might show it again when they cancel a show mid-season and need six weeks of programming.

i was glad to find other bob heads out here who still remember this show and mourn its passing.

all in all one of the best shows i have ever seen despite being made by one of the major networks

I thought it was funny and different and it's something new to watch. I laughed and laughed. Beau Bridges is right on the money as "Maximum Bob"; Liz Vassey is spunky; and Sam Robards is a dream. Hope we continue to see more of this show.

I loved this show. I knew with every bone in my body that it would be cancelled before the end of its first season, but I loved it. Elmore Leonard is a closet vice of mine (as a grad student, we are not encouraged to read these types of things, but hey Leonard writes about my people ;).

As white trash from both rural and urban roots I can honestly say the Leonard has a certain understanding of that element of the population and really knows how to tell an interesting story (even if he is not a particularly great writer, he grammar is really atrocious... ;).

Anyway, I saw Maximum Bob before reading the book and find that the show really filled out the much of what was interesting about the story. I thought that it was funny, intelligent, witty and charming. Though not as good as Twin Peaks, it occupies a similar place in my heart. Hopefully, someday the re-runs of this show will turn up somewhere, or I will meet someone who taped them all, but until then it will live on in my dreams...

Good television is soooo hard to find.