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.

I thought it was funny and different and it's something new to watch. I laughed and laughed. Beau Bridges is right on the money as "Maximum Bob"; Liz Vassey is spunky; and Sam Robards is a dream. Hope we continue to see more of this show.

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.

Call it a high-budget cult-classic. One viewing will get you hooked. To me - - the most original and creative show on TV.

Sadly only a six-episode series which to date has only had one run on British TV, but which gave Beau Bridges perhaps his best (and certainly the funniest) screen role ever as the southern judge who was more than a bit odd... there was a mermaid in there somewhere, and a creepy collection of people with identical glasses, and a dancing sheriff (Sam Robards, again little seen on TV and served well with his role in this).

I'm laughing while I'm typing this just thinking about this. There was just something so addictive about the series and I'd love to see it again. I was kicking myself at the time for not taping the episodes when they aired - if this series gets shown near you, give it a go. Small, mad and hugely enjoyable.