The Count of Monte Crusoe

Streaming TV is a beautiful thing, because it means I can go watch the first half of NBC's pilot for its new British production, Crusoe.

It's British? And a new take on Robinson Crusoe? Why didn't I watch the whole thing? Well, I blame CityTV, Crusoe's Canadian broadcaster, because a) most of what's aired on City is beyond crap, and b) their previews made the show out to be Harlequin-grade at best. But then, at the end of Numb3rs (which, by the way, has been really picking up speed these past few seasons), Corey channel-surfed as he is wont to do and then hollered at me that Crusoe's dad was played by Sean Bean, and said dad's best friend was played by Sam Neil. That caught our attention pretty quick.

Crusoe is a series that looks to be only one season long, according to IMDB. It appears to have combined Robinson Crusoe with The Count of Monte Cristo, the website alleges it will span the whole twenty-eight years of the story, and from what Corey and I saw of the two-hour pilot, it also appears to be very solid. The acting, particularly from Crusoe and Friday, is just fantastic, it's packed with very familiar international actors in small roles, and the writing is also above average. Crusoe's story of what happened in the lead-up to his being marooned is told in flashback and dream sequences that a) feature Sean Bean and Sam Neil, and b) often come up in the course of a conversation, being started by one character and finished by another. For example, Crusoe and Friday are having a heart-to-heart and thinking back to the day Crusoe saved Friday from his fellow cannibals. Crusoe begins the flashback; Friday finishes it, and the whole sequence takes on a new and more potent meaning. Brilliant.

I'll be watching the first half of that episode shortly, at the very least before next week. Crusoe will be airing in Canada on CityTV, Fridays at 10pm (Edmonton time - CityTV.com will automatically rout you to your local time zone's page).