Los siete magníficos

It is Saturday Jan.4,2003. The Hallmark Channel has picked up the syndication of The Magnificent Seven TV show. I just finished watching the 2 hour pilot show. I still love the show. We watched the show every week when it first aired. We were saddened when it went off the air. Thank you Hallmark channel for running it in syndication. I now can enjoy a wonderfully done, televison remake of a classic movie.

As a dyed-in-the-wool western fan for most of my life, I was a little dubious about the series, but when it finally aired in the UK I loved it!

Some of the direction in the Pilot was a little poor and haphazard, but I loved the chemistry between the seven actors, all of whom looked as though they were having a whale of a time.

The subject matter has been varied, from prostitution to slavery, serial murder to religious intolerance, a welcome change from the shoot-em-up mindless tosh we have been offered previously. Coupled with well-written, witty scripts and a fabulous cast, it has been a revelation.

Each of the seven is well-delineated, their characters complimenting each other; from the haunted leader to the smiling ladies'-man, the earnest healer to the acquistive gambler, the quiet, deadly sharpshooter to the brash greenhorn, and, of course, the great Ron Perlman as the penance-ridden ex-preacher, it has been a true delight.

Very saddening that it only lasted two seasons - the Powers-That-Be should be ashamed of themselves.

This was an amazingly well crafted show, that was over too soon! In a market that was glutted with cookie-cutter dramas and sit-coms, Magnificent Seven was a welcome change. Sylistically, it didn't look like anything else on TV, and it certainly didn't have the same story lines as anything else on any other network. Unfortunately, westerns on TV were not destined to make a comeback that season.

I'm a big fan of the original with Brynner and McQueen, and believe me -Biehn and Close were well able to fill those remarkable shoes! Eric Close even LOOKS like Steve McQueen! And believe me - the chemistry of the seven actors is something I've not seen on TV since - and likely will not see again. There was a friendship between all seven main actors, which made their characters easier to believe and twice as engaging to watch.

This show had action, drama, comedy, brotherhood, and just a pinch of romance. It was clean enough, yet entertaining enough for younger kids to watch, and interesting enough to keep adults coming back each week. I think it's still viewable on the Hallmark channel, but not everyone has that channel available. What I wouldn't give for DVD's...

The Magnificent Seven is one of the best series already shown in the TV. In spite of a minority not to like of the show, happily for us a minority, the Internet is full of sites about the series, proving that it´s really an excellent show. With great actors and great histories. I hope that this show returns some day.

The Magnificent Seven, the original movie, is one of my favorites, and the TV series does justice to it. Although it's been somewhat cleaned up for TV, and the characters live every week, it's still a classic, serious TV western worthy of mention with other greats like Maverick, Have Gun, and Gunsmoke.