El Gato-4

As a big fan of the original, it was with much trepidation when I read that it was going Hollywood. Too many examples of bad remakes exist to bother naming them. Then again, lightning occasionally hits the target, too. Matt Reeves' remake is a lightning strike! While there are minor changes, there are fewer thematically or otherwise than in, for example, critical successes like Harry Potter or LOTR. So the real question becomes: does it succeed in creating its own reality? Happily the answer is a resounding YES! There's little purpose served in hair-wringing comparing it to the original. Better to enjoy two artfully-crafted versions of the story, each with their own unique merits. Take note filmmakers - this is how to remake a foreign-language movie into an English-language one. Like a great singer who covers another artist's definitive song, it does no disservice to the original when it's newly owned.

Hu$tle has risen to near the top of my "must see" list since it's debut in the US on AMC (yeah, I didn't get that either). The stings that form the plot of each episode have been consistently clever, with twists and turns you seldom see coming. (OK, there's been couple of instances where our protagonists have been a little too knowing, but that's a minor quibble.)

In general it's the contingency planning that saves the day ... literally and in keeping us viewers on our toes. That ... and the sly humor that permeates every episode, even the more serious one. The cast is uniformly wonderful, too. A highlight for me was the Bollywod parody in season 3. For those tired of the SOS, Hu$tle is a reliable breath of fresh air.

THIEF took its time revealing the full outline of its plot, but proved to have quite a few surprises in store. Andre Braugher confirmed he's still one of the best actors on TV and the rest of the cast -- with an annoying youthful exception -- is excellent.

Many critics put THIEF in the same cliffhanger-of-the-week category as "24", but unlike that potboiler, the climaxes here were genuine and continued to advance the plot.

By the end of its short season THIEF had generated enough tension to light up a major city. Whether or not those threads will ever be resolved is anyone's guess, but if you missed the original run, catch THIEF if you can.