Human Target

I'm not going to push too hard here, because this isn't the greatest TV program, or even the greatest TV program based on a comic. BUT, Human Target is better than you might think. This series is loosely based on the Wein and later Milligan work on Christopher Chance: bodyguard, detective, and general badass. The character is cool. The concept is cool, but the books haven't exactly been gang busters. The heady Milligan run was cool; Chance is a master of disguise who loses his own identity. This exploration into the post-modern self was well-executed with a mix of intrigue, noir, and philosophy.

Enter the Mark Valley series on Fox. This Christopher Chance isn't a master of disguise. Valley is Valley all of the time (and who besides me is shocked he ISN'T playing Cap in the First Avenger movie?). His entourage is well done. Chi McBride plays Winston well, the level-headed jack-of-all-trades former cop who screens and preps Chance's assignments. And Jack Earle Haley is an excellent Guerrero, combination smug, effective, and batshit crazy intel guy for Chance Investigations ("Dude!").


The cast has a good synergy. The banter plays well. It has a bit of an Indiana Jones feel to it (the old ones -- the good ones). Of course, Valley is stiff, which feels weird for Chance who isn't portrayed in this series as a robot who has lost his personality but as a man defined (haunted?) by a sordid past. But in spite of his Chance, you still feel like these guys are over-matched, but can win when the deck is stacked against them, as it always is.

The action is really well done. McG produces, so you know what you're getting there (if you've seen Alias, or any of the other handful of excellent McG action series). There's hang-gliding, plane rescues, train fights, and a variety of other strong action beats throughout the series.

The damsels in distress are hot and cool. These aren't your old Batman babes who can't defend themselves; they're largely butt-kickers in their own rights. They're typically genius professionals in trouble with bad elements for doing the right thing. The episodes have a stand-alone plot typically driven by the girls' stories, but unified by Chance's mysterious past, only partially revealed in the final couple of episodes of Season 1.

I expected Human Target to be a throw-away series. I didn't predict it'd last a season, much less that I'd watch and enjoy every episode. It did, I have, and it was good. I think most people would like it. It reminds me of the old action shows from the 80's: nothing that will blow your mind, but some good clean fun, like TJ Hooker, Magnum, or Airwolf. Check it out.