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(More customer reviews)Grissom from "CSI" needs to be called in on this unusual homicide. It seems that a network ABC mysteriously killed a show that they wanted. It appears that they just pushed it in front of the runaway hit "CSI" but there could be much more to the murder than meets the eye. Remaking a classic whether it be good or bad is always tricky business because you risk alienating the original fans and can be unable to pull in a new audience. "Battlestar: Galatica" is a rare success in the area "reimagining" the concept for a more sophisticated audience. That show has polarized fans of the original they either love it or hate it but producer/writer Ron D. Moore shaped a new series from older material that captured a solid audience because of its intelligent scripts and well written drama. Frank Spotnitz a producer/writer on "The X-Files" and "Millennium" takes the inspiration for those shows "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler" TV movies as well as the humor laced camp classic TV show that followed and unsuccessfully updated it for today's audience by imitating the shows they inspired. While the show failed to live up to its potential it improved by leaps and bounds over time and showed potential after emerging from the shadow of its inspiration. It's possible the show may never of had much of an audience as Spotnitz alienated core fans of the original cheesy but fun TV series (these same people probably never realized that "The Night Stalker" began life as a serious modern day horror movie with humor vs. a humorous show with horror). For what it's worth "The X-Files" took much of the first year to find its groove and I believe that "Night Stalker" would have improved. After the promising pilot episode the show took a downward turn but began to improve again just as ABC pulled the plug. While actor Stuart Townsend can't hold a candle to Darren McGavin's charismatic performance in the original TV movies and the TV series (one of its saving graces) he does a credible job as does most of the cast.
As befits a new TV series "Night Stalker" looks quite good in this transfer. The gritty, detailed images from the TV show have never looked so good. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround audio sounds nice with the dialogue and music coming through with crystal clarity. My only reservation is that the entire series run of ten episodes plus the extras and commentary tracks have been packed on two single sided dual layered discs. The Show looks extremely good even with 5 episodes packed onto each of the two discs and with commentary tracks, deleted scenes and a featurette "A Conversation with Frank Spotnitz" included on the set.
"Night Stalker" only lasted 6 episodes. The extras here are pretty good considering the short run of the show. We do get an intelligent commentary track from writer/producer Frank Spotnitz, Daniel Sackheim and Michelle Maxwell MacLaren on the pilot discussing both the triumphs and failings of his new series as well as how he would have resolved the story arc that was designed to last at least a season regarding the murder of Kolchak's wife Irene. We also get a second commentary track with Spotnitz and Sackheim joined by co-producer John Kousakis "The Sea" the second on a two part episode (the second episode didn't air on network TV but did air on the Sci-Fi Channel). Spotnitz provided commentaries for some of "The X-Files" episodes he wrote so he's a pro here providing a wealth of information about the creation of the show and its brief development. Spotnitz and his co-producer also appear on "The Sea-Part 2" providing information about that episode.
You can also print two scripts commissioned for the show but that weren't produced due to the cancellation of the show via the Interactual player. The Interactual software is included on the second disc. The first is "Ascendant written by Melissa Blake & Joy Beth Blake and the second written by Emmy Award winner Darin Morgan ("The X-Files" episodes "Jose Chung's `From Outer Space'" and "The Final Repose of Clyde Bruckman" among many others). While it's not the same as having the final two episodes produced, it does allow fans of the series to continue to delve into the Kolchak's world.
"A Conversation with Frank Spotnitz" provides the background on the creation of the series and Spotnitz's approach with the material. While a big fan of the original TV movies and the TV shows Spotnitz also recognized that the original series could never work today. In tone the show is closer to the original TV movies and "Millennium" as well as "The X-Files". Spotnitz also discusses the reasons for the change in location for the series as well his choice to use high definition video cameras to shoot the show vs. film. Spotnitz discusses the resolution of the show much more in the commentary tracks but he also points out that although Kolchak didn't kill his wife he was born evil which makes him the perfect anti-hero for the story. At the conclusion of the interview we get a brief snippet of an outtake. We get deleted scenes for three episodes "The Pilot", "Three" and "Into the Night".
While "Night Stalker" didn't get the love it deserved and went passed into the world of cancelled shows that just didn't get a chance, we can still enjoy it on DVD. Touchstone has done a marvelous job of presenting the show including commentary tracks, a featurette, two scripts in DVD-ROM format that can be printed out and deleted scenes.
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Carl Kolchak returns in a new series of spine-tingling adventures. Produced by the X-FILES' Frank Spotnitz and based on the original '70s suspense drama, NIGHT STALKER updates the chilling classic in a startling new way. "There's something stylishly scary at work here," says The New York Times. Caught up in an obsessive hunt for his own wife's murderer, Kolchak (Stuart Townsend) discovers that his imagination is no match for the evil that truly lurks in the dark. Paired with skeptic Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union), television's favorite crime reporter will stop at nothing to uncover the supernatural side of the night. Featuring four episodes never seen on TV that complete the series and a host of exclusive bonus material, this 2-disc DVD set is so good it's scary.
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