Le voyageur

This old 1980's show from HBO is 10 times better than the stuff the studio puts out today, like Sex in the City and Sopranos. The problem is it was well ahead of its time as proven by the success of a similar show, the X-Files.

The series was basically a set of independent shows, the only common them was the pre- and post-show dialogue from a mysterious hitchhiker who passes through each episode. Creepy and sexy, each show had its own moral as some (usually more than one) character would get their come-upance in the end. All sorts of Hollywood stars signed up for guest appearances, Gary Busey, Harry Hamlin, Kirstie Alley, Willem Dafoe, even KISS lead singer Gene Simmons, and many many more.

I've caught rebroadcasts recently on one of the gazillion HBO channels now being broadcast (HBO Zone is what I think it is called), so it is out there someplace. The last poster and I agree on one episode "The Legend of Billy B." was my favorite too. If I remember right, it starred Kirstie Alley as a reporter trying to track down an Elvis-like rock star who was supposedly dead.

Catch this show if you can.

The Hitchhiker was a television series that was truly imaginative with every episode. Each episode was unique in that you as the viewer did not know what to expect. One episode you could be scared as hell and next could leave you in a state of bewilderment. This series also launched many successful acting careers such as Helen Hunt, Gary Busey and others. "The Hitchhiker" was a series that was ahead of its time. It is certainly one of the most underrated shows that I know of....not to mention the most frightening opening songs which helped set the tone for the viewer and the "hitchhiker's" journey in each episode.

The Hitchhiker, a man of mystery traveling the land and being the Rod Sterling of the 1980's introducing stories that have great twists. I love HBO's first series that titillated and terrified. Great writing and one of the eeriest theme songs of all time.

To get right down to it, this show makes Tales From the Crypt look like a Disney series. The main character almost always dies. It is hilarious to see them so arrogant and ignorant in the beginning and then have all of this horrible stuff eventually happen to them. Some of the episodes are a bit corny, but they are so in that bizarre, remote 80's way. I remember watching the re-runs on USA when I was in grade school (that song gave me nightmares), and those showings were edited. The unedited episodes are the real deal, but unfortunately only a few are for sale on VHS and they are no longer shown on any HBO channel. A DVD with ten episodes is due in March 2004, but with only ten episodes. If you are an enthusiast of the series, buy the DVD and maybe there will more to come.

This tv show was one of the best ever made. It kept audiences hooked, and you never could predict exactly how the episodes would turn out. With a style somewhere between The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, everything about this show from the opening theme and hitchhiker's opening monologue to the final shocking scene was first-rate. Try either to catch it on tv or the episodes available in the video store. You won't regret it.

*** out of ****