RoboCop

This TV series actually manages to capture more of the original than either of the two theatrical sequels. Okay, it's toned down for television, but the self-parodying humor is there in all the right places. It's basically a live-action cartoon, as the like of Cray Z. Mollardo, the E Coli Brothers, and Pudface Morgan return time and time again to battle the stone-faced Robocop. We get a bit more on Murphy's background (although his wife shows up _way_ too often), and there are lot of parody-commercials. It's a lot better than a lot of the first-run syndication stuff out there. Catch it on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Now, I know that many people have been knocking the '94 RoboCop series.

As much as I'd like to put a stop to that, I sadly cannot. I saw the series back when I was about 10 or so, so I can't remember much, and I only saw occasional glimpses, and maybe an episode or two in '98, or around that area.

I grew up with RoboCop, needless to say. The Series had a big influence on me, and since I was 10 (around there), I was astounded. Violence didn't matter much to me, but I always looked up to RoboCop as my hero. RoboCop had became a household name in my family, and I can recall watching the original movie endless amounts of time when I was 5 or so.

But this isn't about the original RoboCop.

It's about the supposedly live-action series made in '94. (I honestly couldn't tell the difference, I was too young.)

Though I noticed that the violence had been toned down a bit, it didn't matter to me. It was RoboCop, simply put, my childhood hero (whom is still my hero), and that was all there was to it. RoboCop: The Series was a finely done project, and I'm sure many think that way. Many seem to think violence is what made RoboCop so good, and I agree in many situations.

RoboCop: The Series is a classic. In fact, aside from Prime Directives, which, might I add, came out this year, or around there (I can't recollect the date.), The Series is one of the best RoboCop sequels/continuations of the 'franchise'.

It goes deeper into Murphy's past, explaining much more, but it only had 23 episodes. People just got sick of it, I guess, but, I loved every second of it.

Remember, friends, before you bash RoboCop: The Series, remember the positive things about it and the little things that made it at least a smidgen good. It was made in 1994, not now.



... If they could have only gotten Peter Weller back...

Low-key series version of the blockbuster film does much with its far more modest resources. The story is much the same, but the satirical elements and personal stories are done more stylishly here; they take up some of the slack left by the absence of much of the large-scale violence and futuristic hardware (necessitated by the lower budget inherent in syndicated television). The cast is surprisingly strong: Yvette Nipar as lead cop Madigan and Andrea Roth as Diana/Neurobrain are both highly charismatic. Richard Eden does a fine job but is largely wasted. Emmy-nominated on "Santa Barbara," here he is stuck playing a machine with little opportunity to show even the slightest bit of emotion. The satirical elements of the show are particularly strong; I have some feeling "Robocop" would be much more successful had it been produced in 2001 or 2002 rather than 1994. Unfortunately, only one season of episodes was produced.

I remember watching this as a young teenager and thinking it was pretty enjoyable but after approximately 15 years, I decided to watch this with a fresh perspective. I'm a big fan of the original movie and while the series is toned down a lot from the movie, the show is still a great Robocop production. Plus, if you have kids, you can watch this with them in the same room. I don't understand the critic reviews being so harsh on this show. Most of the episodes are good. A few great. Some fair. I can't say there was an episode that didn't keep me entertained.

Richard Eden does a great portrayal of Robo/Alex Murphy. Yvette Niper as Lisa Madigen is more than just a smoke show. The rest of the cast perform well for the most part. The effects are great and the sets look good although the CGI has aged pretty poorly but it's admissible given the age. The show deserved at least another season.

At the time this series was released in '94, I was 14. Most of my friends didn't like the show, but I did. This was a show that seemed as if it was well thought out, the writing scored huge points in my book. I really enjoyed seeing Robocop on his downtime or with a virtual friend (Diana). The show was interesting to watch and what kept me coming back each week was not the violence, but wondering what new wisdom the cyborg would hand out. With as much terror in the world, it's nice to see an alternative measure. I believe this show could do really well if produced today. I think a reunion episode is long overdue.

If you enjoy quality television with great writing, then this show is for you.