Hyperdrive (2006 - 2007)

The 1999 SciFi-comedy, Galaxy Quest, was heralded as the flick that nailed parodying the mighty Star Trek franchise itself. As an ardent fan of all things Trek, I thoroughly enjoyed that film and was in full agreement with the aforementioned assessment of its significance.

...until I recently watched Hyperdrive.

This little Brit TV comedy show gives Galaxy Quest a run for its money.

In the tradition of the best moments of comic story telling - i.e. not the hijinks's perpetrated by Jerry Lewis and then taken to a disgustingly nauseating extreme by Jim Carrey - the cast of Hyperdrive do what the best comedic actors do: portray seemingly normal, everyday people (meaning "normal" and "everyday" within the context of the universe they're inhabiting) doing their best to cope with the circumstances that come there way - circumstances that, from the audience's point of view, are absurd.

What makes the (mis)adventures of the crew of the HMS Camden Lock such a great parody of Star Trek has nothing to do with references, obvious or otherwise (any one can do that), nor becasue of specific characterizations (anyone can do that, too). It has to do with the fact that the ship's mission is basically the same as that given to the various incarnations of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701.

...and how well they do (or don't) carry out that mission is for you to watch and decide!

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Wire in the Blood (2002 - 2008)

When Chris Carter created the the main characters for The X-Files, he gave Fox William Mulder the nickname "Spooky".

Forget that.

Sans UFOs, aliens or behind-the-scenes government conspiracies, the world of Dr. Anthony "Tony" Hill puts the spooky in SPOOKY... and into the CREEPY, TWISTED horrifying-train-wreck-that's-too-unpleasant-to-watch-and-yet-I-can't-avert-my-eyes ballet dance of it all.

Professor, practicing clinical psychologist, and consultant with the local police, Tony Hill can't help himself - for better or worse, no matter where it may take him, he is perpetually compelled to strive to understand.

Robson Green's portrayal of Dr. Hill is very vivid. Being only part way through the first series (what we refer to as a "season") was enough to inspire in me one of those rare moments where I blurted out loud to myself, "This guy's a really intelligent actor!"

By the way, the show's title is derived from a line in the poem "Burnt Norton", by T. S. Eliot.

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A Touch of Frost (1992 - 2010)

A British cop drama with bits of humor shaken in (somewhat like those iced donuts that have the multicolored sprinkles on top).
Take the scruffiness, intelligence, affability, and keen skills of Peter Falk's Columbo, stir in the bull-dogged stubbornness, and piss & vinegar, of a politically incorrect working-class-hero, and you'll have the show's main character: Detective Inspector Jack Frost.

Portrayed by David Jason (who, until this show, was known as a comic actor - skills which I believe contributed hugely to his success in this role), one sees that what makes this character work is his not being a shiny hero. He is, in fact, a rather rusty-crusty-barnaclely hero... a gray haired, grizzled veteran who knows too much because he's seen too much, and wishes the world would change for the better. Yet, he knows no other way to live.

By the way, be sure to have your "deciphering UK colloquialisms" hearing-ears on. You'll pick up some interesting idioms, such as the use of the word "porkies".

Oh, and I can't help but think that The Thin Blue Line (Brit TV comedy starring Rowan Atkinson) intentionally parodies aspects of A Touch of Frost.

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