Human Target - Hey I Liked It a Lot!

After my evaporating interest in the new V, I was wondering if I could hook into ANY new American TV series. Human Target was just about the only new thing I was going to give a chance to this year and well, well, well, it was actually a great bit of fun!

The concept, pulled from the DC Comics character of the same name, is that of a bodyguard who takes the place of someone close to you and lets the killer reveal himself, thereby allowing Christopher Chance the opportunity to stop him (or her). In the comics, Chance was a master of disguise à la Ethan Hunt, but in the tv series, Chance just goes undercover in the intented victim's environment. The TV Chance, played by the lantern-jawed Mark Valley of Boston Legal and Fringe, is a James Bond-type with incredible talents (learn a specific Japanese regional accent for a single job), a death wish that allows him to laugh as he jumps out of a bullet train, and a très très cool attitude. This is a character who takes jobs based on the cool stuff he'll get to do, and if he's having fun, I'm having fun.

The show looks like it has money behind it, with effects shots, a random Danny Glover cameo, and a really beautiful opening sequence. Just look at this beauty:

I can't say I care much for the theme though, and in fact, the one thing I didn't care for was the music. The show has wall-to-wall music that is never memorable, sometimes covers up dialogue, and frequently seems to play against the action.

But that's a minor complaint, really. Human Target is fun action show that doesn't take itself seriously, and manages to create set pieces I haven't really seen before, like Chance's no-nonsense confrontation with a hostage taker, and the fight inside an air duct aboard a speeding train:
Chance has a small supporting cast that includes the always solid Chi McBride as Chance's exasperated partner Winston, and Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero, a very interesting criminal type Chance employs.
This guy is a small as Winston is big, and yet he's the scariest character in the show. There doesn't seem to be anything he won't do, and so I predict he'll be a fan favorite if the show gets to go on for a while. This is FOX, so there's a good chance it'll get a solid following and be cancelled after half a season, but I'm trying to be optimistic. If you missed the pilot, the second episode is tomorrow on its regular Wednesday night time slot, and Chance gets to barrel roll a 747. Boo-ya!

[Edit: And the pilot re-airs after American Idol tonight.]