Fantasy Island

I used to LOVE the Mantalban Fantasy Island, so when this one came out I was happy to watch it.

This one, to me, seems to be better written, and far more enjoyable. the characters are more than one-dimensional; who in their right mind would stay on an island in the middle of nowhere catering to a bunch of spoiled whiny people? This series answers that question - someone who HAS TO. I thought that gave a dimension of "humanity" to Roarke et. al. that the original lacked.

And the humor and twists really do point out the old maxim "be careful what you wish for - you just might get it."

Legacy or no legacy, how the producers of Fantasy Island talked the Absolutely Banal Content network into running this is a mystery up there with why Roarke's suits have gone from white to black -- yet another thing we'll never know, but you can bet there's a story behind it. Bless Sci-Fi for picking up this gem; wish they could afford to resurrect it, but I'll happily take (and TAPE) what I can get. (And I won't be watching ABC again. Any network that could can this and Wonderland and keep Regis Philbin on eight days a week is angling for a much *dumber* demographic than mine.)

I'd caught a couple of episodes of this when it was on network TV, but it kept being moved around, and was tough to catch.

SciFi Channel shows it, and I find I adore this twisted version of the classic I loved as a child. It's darker, edgier, has a bit of a mean streak at times, but there's just something I love about it. Not quite sure what it is, but I could start with Malcolm McDowell's Mr. Roarke. I have to wonder if his first name is Prospero, considering all the other _Tempest_ parallels...Ariel, Cal(iban), even Miranda.

Nothing ever quite goes as planned in the guests' fantasies, but it's not always bad -- oftentimes they discover that what they wanted would not have satisfied, and the new solution is *far* better, even if it means major disappointment to start. Sounds treacly, doesn't it? Nope. There's a healthy dose of reality in this _Fantasy_ -- Roarke doesn't let guests get away with simply living out a dream. There's always something...extra. [wicked grin] Lessons to be learned.

It's not that Roarke's *always* mean -- there are guests he seems to genuinely like and takes care of accordingly. But there's also an angle of "Be careful what you wish for" that makes this version a cautionary tale as well as a fantasy. It does seem that he has his guests' best interests at heart, when it comes down to it. Realistically benevolent, as it were.

The bits about the budget are pretty funny too -- adds a touch of amusing realism to the fantasy angle.

It's a shame this show didn't make it. Sure, it wasn't the original. I liked the original too, for its own merits. But I really love this one, and wish it had stayed around longer.

This series was far too good for ABC, home of Boy Meets World. (It survived but half a season and was replaced in late January of 1999.) I liked it very much and think that its god-awful Saturday-evening time slot was a huge disservice. The series had a terrific premise and some really wonderful actors (McDowell, Amick, Lombardi); pity that Sci-Fi Channel or some other outfit with a triple-digit IQ didn't get a crack at giving this show the run it deserved.

This revival of the 1970's series is a little darker and a little edgier than the one starring Ricardo Monteblan and Tattoo. This version harkens to Shakespeare's "The Tempest", with Malcom McDowell taking on the Prospero role accompanied by an Ariel and Cal(iban). In one episode we even meet Roarke's daughter Miranda. I found the original series bland and unappealng, but this new version (appearing on the Sci-Fi Channel) is certainly much more entertaining. It just goes to show that network programmers get everything bass ackwards.. throwing out the gold and keeping the dross.