Maximum Bob

It appears this TV series has been taken off the air as I have seen neither an episode nor a promotional spot for the series in the past several weeks. Hopefully it is because they are busy filming several more episodes and intend to bring it back in a big way.

It's one of the first series since Northern Exposure that has some intellectual qualities to it and is not just a bunch of buffoons reading dog tired lines that should have been put out to pasture long ago along with their writers. It seems all and any of the television being offered to us is exactly the same and only the faces and the locations have been changed to protect the writers and the producers and maybe even the Networks.

People say that education is lagging in this country. Well I agree; and if we are now clearly the Television Generation then the programs we offer should have some content that at least makes a person think a little bit and/or generates some sort of mental stimulation.

Maximum Bob definitely does that; let's get it back on the air.

MaxBob was a six-episode series, apparently never intended to be a 'regular' series, based on an Elmore Leonard novel set in FLorida. I saw the episodes before reading the book, and I have to say the show was better, though both were mean-spirited and vulgar (what novels or tv are not any more?) In the book, MaxBob was a dried up little codger wanting to off his wife, a former beauty who was gaining weight and dabbling in mystical bogusness. Kiersten Warren in the show was a delight, and I enjoyed the family with the glasses (the large twins were not in the book). My favorite episode dealt with MaxBob's ex wife, involved with Cuban freedom fighters, none of which was in the book. Atmosphere and 2dry characters were terrifically done, and Mr Bridges portrayal of a larger-than-life-political-southern-judge was terrific, better than the book's character. Not as good was a subplot involving a young man impersonating a (female) mermaid in an aquatic show; typical liberal attitude; The People are Negative and Ignorant, but we will overwhelm them with our Artistic Presentation and make them think the way We want them to think, with all the subtlety of a 10 pound splitting maul. Eventually this will probably surface on Bravo or at least VHS; try it.

This show was great, it was beautifully witty and it had a lot of heart. It's a comedy that treads the edge of convention. Each character had an individual and unique impact on the individual stories as well as on each other's way of seeing and doing things. There was a common progression of character development from episode to episode and I was looking forward to seeing how each character would change and adapt, which is why I was so very sad when it was canceled. It didn't run long enough to make it to syndication but hopefully ABC will run the episodes again one summer or something. It was truly an excellent show and one that's worth seeing if you ever get the chance.

The critics loved Maximum Bob. (See the article by Matt Roush in this week's TV Guide) The public loved Maximum Bob. (See the comments in various newsgroups and here) Let's let ABC know we want more. Call them at 212-456-7777 and express yourself!

I loved this show. I knew with every bone in my body that it would be cancelled before the end of its first season, but I loved it. Elmore Leonard is a closet vice of mine (as a grad student, we are not encouraged to read these types of things, but hey Leonard writes about my people ;).

As white trash from both rural and urban roots I can honestly say the Leonard has a certain understanding of that element of the population and really knows how to tell an interesting story (even if he is not a particularly great writer, he grammar is really atrocious... ;).

Anyway, I saw Maximum Bob before reading the book and find that the show really filled out the much of what was interesting about the story. I thought that it was funny, intelligent, witty and charming. Though not as good as Twin Peaks, it occupies a similar place in my heart. Hopefully, someday the re-runs of this show will turn up somewhere, or I will meet someone who taped them all, but until then it will live on in my dreams...

Good television is soooo hard to find.