The tag line for Abandoned on the Viceland web site is: "Skateboarder Rick McCrank explores abandoned places with the people who love them long after the lights have gone out." However, the show is a lot more than this.
This is a powerful and poetic TV series. Rick goes to abandoned places - shopping malls, houses, towns, race tracks, etc - and reminisces with people who went to the places and enjoyed them in their hey day and lament their loss. Often these people are still looking after, protecting, or at least keeping an eye on and witnessing the destruction caused brainless vandals. Sometimes these people are speaking out and trying to save the place today before it deteriorates beyond the point of no return.
And then Rick magnificently enjoys the place one final time - sometimes as it is being torn down around him - by skating around the place, and performing amazing skateboard tricks.
By skating around the place, Rick helps the place "go with music" - going out with one final bang, one final celebration of what it once was. An approach very close to my heart.
And at the end of each episode, a superbly fitting song is played while showing highlights and close ups of key people from the episode.
Songs I have never heard before, by artists I have never heard of - and every song has fitted the video perfectly. I love each episode and each song ! Amazingly powerful and moving.
I think this is easily the best thing on TV. Only 4 episodes have been on my local TV so far, but I have watched each episode about 5 times now. Can't wait for the next episode each week.
And I enjoy tracking down the names and artists for the songs used in the wind up and ending credits of each episode.
Moose O'Malley, Australia
