Nikita

This series is unique. Unlike the banal witty dialog in all of today's action series...this one was quite different and pleasing. Finely emotionally nuanced so that communication takes place by a glance or a turn of the head. This series is the antidote for all other series where everything is conveyed via dialog and nothing by character development. An organization dedicated to public good, but using evil techniques. Are its principals evil themselves or simply amoral? Characters have everything money can buy, but freedom or individual destiny. Nikita herself flourishes at Section, and is redeemed from a meaningless life on the streets..but is this redemption worth it? Does she lose herself or find herself? The moral contradictions alone are spellbinding. I recommend following director Joel Surnow's work for similar treatment of new series.

When "La Femme Nikita" premiered I thought the show would be a typically cheesey USA show: no plot, lots of naked women. To my surprise I genuinely think the show is among the best on TV.

The show's plots are complex and well-thought, taking the usual conventions of the action genre and turning them on their head. Even Peta Wilson, who looked like she was originally cast in the title role solely on her looks, has turned out to be a talented actress. She lends an emotional depth to the role of Nikita that is surprising.

Very good.

The TV series, "La Femme Nikita" is a spin-off of the fine early-90s French film, "Nikita". The first episode, although it deviates in many points, generally parallels the entire movie through the point where Nikita starts to perform missions.

However it does not try to look like the original, instead it has spun its own look that is every bit as captivating as the film, for a TV series. Peta Wilson who stars a Nikita is so perfect for the role she has created that it is impossible to imagine anyone else playing it now. She is all-in-one beautiful, sensitive, tough, loyal, in a superb acting job. I suspect the real Peta Wilson is not too far away from this character.

I find the series so captivating because of its mix of good and bad. "The Section" exists to foster good in the world, but any means justifies the end, and a lot of people, both innocent and crooked, get in the way and get "eliminated". However, Nikita and Michael both have consciences and in every episode there are ambiguous situations that their characters must deal with. You can't watch it and not ask what you would do in a similar situation. The dark tone of the show, the clandestine operations, the high-tech tracking and communications, the action - it all blends to pull you in and keep you in its grip, until the episode is over. Today, 01/01/01, USA network is running a "Nikita" marathon - 12 straight hours of the best episodes. Very compelling watching.

DEC2004 update: I am watching the DVDs for season one, very nice set.

I think this is one of the best written shows on television today! The creators of this series are really in-tune with what a tv "series" should be like. They are not afraid to have really good character development.

But each episode is also great on its own! They have got an incredible blend of character development and action and intrigue all blended together in each episode (granted with differing amounts in each episode).

The cast is truly amazing at creating the complex relationships (so that you never see the "same old" interactions all the time). And each episode delves a little deeper into at least one character (and not just the main one or two characters, but there are six relatively majorly developed characters).

This show is one of the few that I attempt to regularly tune into each week. I'm not a die hard fan analyzing every sentence/glance/breath of every character, but I certainly enjoy the show. A person who says this show has poor acting or poor character/plot development is most likely disappointed by every TV series and not being fair to the genre. This show says more with a moment of silence than most shows say in an hour of dialog. It is impossible for a show that has run as long as this one to dot every "i" and cross every "t", of course there will be holes. But by and large the show remains true to itself and at the top of it's genre. The acting and action are appropriate, the plot works well enough to be create a suspension of disbelief and the character development is the best I've witnessed from any long term series.

Thank you for creating a thoroughly entertaining show, I will miss it greatly after this season.