The Cape

I was very surprised to see some of the negative comments expressed here. I have seen most of "The Cape" series, and I found it very entertaining.

I can easily believe that it is not entirely realistic (the confusion between KSC and JSC is so obvious I find it possible to ignore it) - but to me this series does at least give some sense of a dramatisation of the shuttle-era astronaut experience. Most of us mere mortals (and especially in the space-deprived UK) never get much closer than this. Even if you visit JSC (and I have, at least 3 times) it is fronted by the PR set-up "Space Center Houston", which, although an enjoyable experience, gives you a highly stylised view of the space programme, and leaves you with only the sketchiest idea of what manned spaceflight is all about. "The Cape" in my view does better, even if not greatly authentic. NASA seem to struggle with popularity and capturing the imagination of the ordinary person (non-space-cadet), despite needing their support. In my view, they were therefore unwise not to back this series. What does "access to space" mean for the average person? In a dramatic (and therefore fictional) sense, "The Cape" provides this.

And if you think Corbin Bernsen doesn't belong in space (perhaps his 'mature fighter jock' character play is not in keeping with the Shuttle era), then he is at least an engaging personality, and to my mind very watchable.

The age of the Shuttle cannot go on for ever, - and what better drama do we have to remember it by?

To whom it may concern - may we please have "the Cape" series on DVD - Region 2?

The Cape was a good show but never given the chance to find an audience or should I say the audience couldn't find the show. In my area it played at 1:30am on Saturday nights. The networks probably would have done it in even faster. Later I saw one of the actors selling real estate on HGTV House Hunters. With a large cast and a lot of location shooting it was probably and expensive show to do. The success of SPACE COWBOYS (AWFUL) tells me that a show about the US space program could have been successful if it had been given a good time slot. I wish the one season was available of DVD. Since it involved NASA the show had a real feeling about it. The theme music was also very good. One of the final shows that involved a Russian capsule with dead Cosmonauts aboard was excellent.

Some professions lend themselves better to television than others, and that of the pilot (let's face it, astronauts are little more than uber-pilots) is one of them - unless it involves adventure, that is. If it involves straight drama, the problem is that you're challenged to be just as involving when you're grounded as when you're in flight; the only thing anyone remembers about "Spencer's Pilots" is its stirring theme music*, and "Call To Glory" was similarly forgettable.

"The Cape" was no more successful in that respect; to be fair it wasn't really a BAD show - from Corbin Bernsen onwards nobody's acting stunk up the place, and the writing was okay (plus the sight of Bobbie Phillips post-"Murder One" and pre-those "Chameleon" TV movies was never a minus) - but it never really overcame the basic problem of what to do with the characters, and it played far too much like a soap for comfort, except when it launched into space... of course, it would have been too implausible to have a crisis occur every week (in real life, thankfully, accidents in the US space programme are rare), and they didn't. But it was at the expense of making the show more attention-keeping.

Mainly notable as one of the last shows produced by MTM before Twentieth Century Fox swallowed the cat whole - a sad comedown from the days of "Rhoda" and "Hill Street Blues."

I think that THE CAPE is a brilliant TV series. It stars Corbin Bernsen and Adam Baldwin and follows the lives of 7 ASCANS (Astronaut Candidates) and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The actors are brilliant and the storyline is excellent.

The show is also one of the most realistic there is. Many people at NASA and Buzz Aldrin (the astronaut) were technical consultants and helped make this one of the best shows ever.

Unfortunately THE CAPE is not being made any more because it was put on at 3am so nobody could watch it. Even so there is a group of people (including myself) that liked THE CAPE when it was on TV and are trying to get another series made. I recommend The Cape to everybody. 100%.

That negative Titusville comment was so ridiculous it should never been printed. -- There was more truth in those behind-the-scene episodes than he/she could imagine. It was purposely kept low-key, with most shoots off-base to MINIMIZE any impact on Launch Processing.

The only show we've seen come down the cinematic pike that did not overly romanticize the all-so-human aspects of our "Ascans" and Flight folks.

It was one HELLUVA good show and the effort to bring it back keeps on growing..