Le damné

TV executives are a strange breed. They often commission a series and order a certain number of episodes from the producers. They will then proceed NOT to publicise or market said series, before either scheduling it in a prime-time slot opposite an established runner on a competing channel, or consigning it to a late-night "graveyard" slot to be screened when the world is sleeping. They will then hold up their hands in dismay and wonder why on earth their hoped-for viewing figures have failed to materialise, before abruptly cancelling the show half-way through its planned first season before it has even had a chance to build up an audience base. Such a fate almost befell the now massively popular and seemingly never-ending `X-Files', and alas DID befall the wonderful and innovative `Brimstone' which I believe would have become a huge hit if only it had been given a fair chance. This is particularly galling in view of the utter dross that DOES get renewed season after season – the singularly awful `Friends' and the massively overrated `Quantum Leap' springing immediately to mind here. The basic premise of `Brimstone' is as follows: In 1983, a New York cop, Zeke Stone, takes the law into his own hands and kills his wife's rapist. Soon afterwards he is killed in the line of duty. Because of this one `evil deed' in an otherwise good life, his soul is sent to Hell. Fifteen years later, the Devil returns him to Earth to hunt down `113 of the most vile creatures' – other damned souls who have broken out of Hell and have returned to Earth to sow more evil. The deal is that if Zeke can round up all 113 of the Devil's `wayward children', he gets a second chance at life on Earth as a normal mortal. Outwardly Zeke looks like a normal living man, and he can eat, drink, sleep and feel all human emotions. Yet he is – like the damned souls he is hunting – a `walking dead man' and cannot be hurt except by another damned soul. And the only way for Zeke to return a damned soul to Hell is to get up close and personal and take out their eyes (the `windows to the soul'). Clearly, by giving Zeke so many damned souls to hunt down (he basically rounds up one per episode), it seems that the original intention was for the show to run for 5 or 6 seasons. As it was, it managed to run for just half a season (a total of only 13 episodes) before the Men in Grey Suits at Fox pulled the plug. Unfortunately the final episode of `Brimstone' (which of course was never meant to be the final episode) was a massive anti-climax – Zeke didn't even manage to send that week's damned soul back Downstairs – and the viewer is left with a feeling of the story being left hanging in mid-air. Which unfortunately it was. Series cancelled prematurely just as an ongoing story sub-plot was getting established. The casting of Peter Horton as Zeke Stone and John Glover as The Devil was nothing short of inspired. Horton gives a superb performance as the shabby and down-at-heel detective Stone, with Glover's whimsical, humorous yet obviously `evil' Devil stealing every scene he's in. The interplay between the two leads is an absolute joy to watch, with Zeke simply wanting The Devil to leave him in peace to get on with the job of hunting down the wayward souls, and The Devil constantly popping up at inopportune moments to chide, tease and sometimes threaten the harrassed detective. Lori Petty also does a semi-regular turn as the manager of the run-down hotel that Zeke uses as his base. The show's overall look and feel is dark, gothic and not a little spooky, much of the camerawork being shadowy and brooding, giving the whole thing a very eery atmosphere indeed. The Devil's humour is likewise quite dark, and in keeping with the show, it never degenerates into silly comedy. One can only wonder about what other evil souls Stone would have had to round up in subsequent adventures, had the series been given a fair crack of the whip. As it was, we saw him round up and send back to Hell such adversaries as a Carthaginian general, a sexy but deadly 1920s plague carrier, a beautiful Medieval French temptress who sets her suitors on fire, a former SS concentration camp warder, an ancient Chinese poet who writes using the blood of virgins and – in a nice twist in Episode 3 – his wife's rapist, whom he has to hunt down and `kill' a second time. Originally Fox ordered 19 episodes for the first `Brimstone' season. And some time ago I found on the Web a short synopsis (written by the show's producers) of the six episodes that should have been made but weren't. If anybody reading this wants to know what would have happened in the rest of Season One, mail me and I'll happily send you the synopses. No doubt it's too much to hope for a relaunch of the show by another network. And a DVD or video release are probably just as unlikely. I fear that this great show will soon be forgotten by all but a small die-hard following. So if you see this show in syndication on a local TV channel, watch it while you still can. Don't miss out on this wonderful series.

Brimstone is (was) one of the best shows on TV. I only got a chance to catch the rerun of a few episodes in March. If FOX ever attempted to market this show, I missed it. I only found it by chance. It only took a few minutes to see that this show was different. OK, so maybe I never got through much of Milton, but I loved the universal themes of good and evil and how it's difficult sometimes to tell them apart. The creators of this series pick up on the basic premise of fallen angels and marry it to a slick detective series. The mix makes for some great moments, both funny and remorseful. This show should have been given more of a chance to build an audience before they pulled the plug.

It's too bad this show didn't live long enough for people to discover it.

At first glance, it seems just like another stupid fantasy show. However it's not like others of its ilk. It was well written and entertaining. Not the typical mind-numbing fare which is TV today.

Enjoy the reruns. It's a show which should have another shot but I doubt it will get the chance. If it did, it's unlikely the studios wouldn't destroy it in the next incarnation.

Don't view with eyes thirsting for the macabre- it's more than that. Brimstone is about a guy who gets to come back from the dead, metaphorically speaking. Many of the psychological elements, take the flashbacks that torment Stone, tell us a story about a fair man who's not perfect, like any person, yet has to struggle with the frustration of the reality that is his afterlife. He's gone, but Stone won't let go. Brimstone is more of a dead man's odyssey of seeing the fruits he missed out on had he lived on, as well as his regrets often cruelly reinforced by the Devil. The chemistry between the two is phenomenal! They nearly had the makings of the `textbook classic duo', perfectly complementary, opposite polars, and ironically comedic together. Intelligent scripts with line after line of worthy quotables, the dark tone of the pictures dictating its Hellish imagery, and the cleverness of the creators to add love to what would otherwise be a typical Sci-Fi flick make this motion painting a true cult classic!

The people who cancelled this show need shooting! This was one of the most darkest, well written, directed, acted, funny TV dramas of the 1990's.

You do not get a better fantasy-horror story line than this. Every character was perfectly cast from Ezekiel Stone to The Devil to the priest. Well at least 1 seasons worth of episodes was made. That has to count for something hey? I really wish it was still here.

Sorry folks i can't really stress how good this show was. You just have to watch it and catch the episodes wherever you can; on the net, on ebay, anywhere find it and watch it ASAP! Trust me this is a quality show; i would bet my life on it.

Brimstone (1998-1999) R.I.P.