Alvo Humano

Honestly, I had no idea this was coming and know very little about the show's star, Mark Valley. While I'm a little old to care about TV shows that fit the "action" genre, I have to admit this was quite a thrill ride and a fun one at that.

Valley stars as Christopher Chance, a sort of private eye with a penchant for taking chances (living up to his name). Actually, if there's one thing this pilot lacked it was background info. I'm assuming we'll be filled in a little at a time as the show progresses throughout the season. For now, we'll have to be content to know very little and discern the rest about Chance's firm.

There's a wise cracking, tough guy element to Chris Chance, but not in an adolescent way. It's more of a "I'm smarter than you, but I won't hold it against ya", approach not unlike the role Robert Conrad played in The Wild Wild West. In fact Valley reminds me very much of Conrad. Neither are terribly big guys, but their tougher than nails attitude combined with real life experience (Conrad was an able boxer, and Valley was a West Point grad with martial arts training) allows them to play these kinds of roles with great aplomb and relative ease. It takes a man with a certain swagger in his step to capture the attention of viewers in an action show, and Valley has it in spades.

Despite the show's uninventive title, it has the kind of punch that combines the wit and wisdom of The Wild Wild West with action writing comparable to Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne novels. Throw in a bit of 007 and a couple of Macgyver moments (ala the rigged parachute scene) and you've got at least a small bit of what this show has to offer. I haven't been this excited about an action show since Tales of the Gold Monkey. Let's hope it doesn't suffer the same fate.

Below is a rant that I have been bottling in for some time. Should you read further, I will not blame you should you disagree. I just needed to get a few things off my chest.

Why is it that FOX will do everything in its power to back reality based shows and continue to stifle promising shows such as Human Target. Yes this show had flaws, but the acting was decent and the story line was intriguing. I may be naive, yet I still believe that we as viewers deserve well written shows without the distaste of inflated human drama that has been reality TV. I think that we can grow from the train wreck syndrome of not being able to pull away from people making complete jerks of themselves for pay and start to realize that there is still novel ideas out there and intelligent writers. Reality TV has its place in game shows and the odd hidden camera series that draws upon the young and the old viewers. The time slots of 7pm to 10pm should still be reserved for reserved for shows that entertain. Instead I have to resign to watching DVR of shows on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to avoid this seemingly endless onslaught of contrived melodramatic human tragedy known as Reality TV.

After seeing terrific shows such as Life and The Unit cancelled, it's nice to find something to fill the void. Human Target does this effectively, creating a show that doesn't take itself too seriously - it's like watching a comic come to life.

Over-the-top fights, grin-inducing action sequences and the banter between Mark Valley et al (including some fantastic guest stars) will keep you smiling through the episodes' "villain of the week" plots. Hopefully the writers will make more of the arcs in the future, which would add a little depth to a show that's already hugely entertaining - which, if you're anything like me, is just what you need after coming home from work. Recommended.

I get the sense this show is made by smart people. It's not an intellectual show but it doesn't insult my intelligence like so many action movies. It is as advertised and as expected and as is made clear from the first ten seconds of every episode. The last one I watched had Mark Valley diving through the air within the first ten seconds of the show.

This show certainly doesn't leave me thinking about it afterwards. I watch it, it makes me feel good and I go do something else. It has a certain cheeseless charm. I feel when I start watching the show gives me a promise of giving me some good action, a little bit of information on the protagonist's past, some fun interaction between the three main characters and a few new characters. This never feels forced, it's the nature of the show. When I watch a Michael Bay movie I expect some romance, a kissing scene, some sexy scantily clad ladies, some car chase scenes and a lot of explosions but he's putting it in there because he feels like it. We expect it but we expect it because we know he's gonna force it in there regardless of the story.

I remember how people used to talk about every episode of The West Wing being like a small movie. The Human Target is the same but in the action genre. They came up with a good formula for a show, they had a great concept, they hired likable and talented stars, the direction is straightforward, the production values are extraordinarily high. Why even mention the flaws? A show is supposed to make you feel a certain way and give you a certain something. The Human Target delivers.

I imagine The Human Target's episode formula is gonna start to bore me eventually but I have trust in the people running this thing for some reason. I get a strong feeling watching it that the people in charge of this know what they're doing. Maybe I'm wrong.

Not something you can say about most things on TV. Valley, mcbride and haley get along well together. Can't believe the idiot they had valley playing in boston legal.

He's cool yet tough. Smart but soft spoken. None of that abrasively obvious tough guy crap. Am fed up of "gritty". This guy is good natured and doesn't even abuse his enemies, just eliminates them when necessary. He's smoother than bourne but not as oily as bond.

In short he feels real despite the larger than life antics which are on par with the aforementioned two. The cgi is OK, action is good. The stories are coherent. Credibility is stretched with the manner in which he accepts payment but it's forgivable.

3 episodes in still find it worth watching. Do worry about it's longevity because the action could get old really quickly. Still, wish valley and this show the best.