Le damné

This was a knockout series on just about every level, from its singular look, to the writing, to the directing, and most especially to the acting! I had heard of Peter Horton previous to Brimstone only in relation to the yuppie self-indulgence fest known as Thirtysomething, which by no means recommended him highly to me. Turns out I had NOTHING to worry about. He gives Zeke Stone a note-perfect mix of soulful anguish and world-weariness, and he can still find the occasional light moment in his Purgatory on Earth. Make no mistake, though, this is a deep, dark show that deals with fundamental questions of right and wrong, Heaven and Hell. In fact, I'd recommend it to any devout Christians as a fantastic morality play. The line between light and dark is often obscured and who really deserves to go to Hell is pretty much the question each episode, but that's what made it such a compelling program. Can't finish without lauding John Glover's tour de force performance as the Devil himself. You might find yourself grudgingly liking this version of the Prince of Lies, even when he screws over Stone almost every chance he gets! I can't recommend this show highly enough, and I'm DYING to see this get to DVD! Anyone know who and how to lobby to get it?

Which is, unfortunately, mostly what succeeds on TV these days. Shows such as Brimstone are just too intelligent, and go over the head of Average Joe TV Viewer (or Average Joe TV Executive). With all the proliferation and specialization of TV channels these days, maybe some day we can have an "Intelligent TV Channel" where shows like these can flourish and those too dim to "get it" can just remove it from their channel rotation.

Black humor is under-appreciated, and intelligent black humor is just beyond too many people, unfortunately. And Brimstone was chock full of it. Add to that a completely original premise, some decent action, good acting and the wonderful, delicious Lori Petty (::melt::) and Brimstone was a real winner. Too bad the suits didn't "get it".

Any TV producers out there reading this -- there's an idea for you. Create an "Intelligent TV Channel", and give us shows like this, or Max Headroom, Key West, Cupid, etc. You could even call it that, as a dig at the mindless drivel that pours off the screen most of the time.

Sometimes, a television show comes along that goes against the grain. It doesn't play to any requirements to be successful...it allows the public to judge for itself whether they like it or not. This is TV on the edge. This supernatural story ultimately comes down to the relationship between the two main characters, one a tortured soul, the other his tormentor.

Despite the cracking storyline from week to week, the underlying story is remarkably developed. The true beauty of the show is each episode can be seen as a 'stand alone' or as a wonderful slice of religious science fiction. However, the series from start to finish leaves you with the feeling of hope for its main character.

This show showed the greatest amount of promise. It was a more realistic form of X-files with a focus more on the supernatural than the alien. Why was it better? Moments of dark comedy was one reason. The devil pops up in a cafe with Stone and orders " a big piece of angelfood cake." I almost fell out of my seat, laughing. But, it wasn't all dark comedy... some episodes mirrored "Its a wonderful Life," such as the one where Stone was visited by the other angel, one of the non fallen variety. Horton and the rest of the cast put on a marvelous show. The way the two characters played off one another was excellent, allowing the devil to be evil, but at the same time, full of trickery. He is afterall, the Lord of Lies, right? It was just a well rounded show, full of surprises, like Ash's true alliance. It had romance, drama, dark comedy, action, and mystery. It was intelligent, which, of course, means it could not take the Fox line up. I place this show above X-files because it advanced, while it seems X-files is still about Mulder believing and nobody else buying it.

It's too bad this show didn't live long enough for people to discover it.

At first glance, it seems just like another stupid fantasy show. However it's not like others of its ilk. It was well written and entertaining. Not the typical mind-numbing fare which is TV today.

Enjoy the reruns. It's a show which should have another shot but I doubt it will get the chance. If it did, it's unlikely the studios wouldn't destroy it in the next incarnation.