"Bugs" (1995) TV series 1995-1998

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Creator:

Brian Clemens

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

1 April 1995 (UK)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Ed, Ros, Alex and Beckett form the high-tech crime fighting team who work for the mysterious, secretive Bureau 2 chief, Jan, and are only assigned the most difficult and dangerous cases.

Plot Keywords:

High Tech | Spy | Industrial Espionage | Gadget | Surveillance

Cast

Jaye Griffiths	...	Roslyn 'Ros' Henderson (40 episodes, 1995-1999)
Jesse Birdsall	...	Nicholas Beckett (40 episodes, 1995-1999)
Craig McLachlan	...	Ed Russell (30 episodes, 1995-1997)
Jan Harvey	...	Barbara 'Jan' (20 episodes, 1997-1999)
Paula Hunt	...	Alex Jordan (20 episodes, 1997-1999)

Runtime:

50 min (40 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG

Company:

Carnival Films

Trivia:

Described by a BBC continuity announcer as "The Avengers of the 90's".

Quotes:

Nicholas Beckett: It had to be voice-activated. But they didn't find any trace of the bomb. Well, nothing you could identify, anyway.
Ed Russell: From what I hear, they didn't find much of the Admiral either.

unsatisfactory sci-fi thriller

the premise of this series is very good and the original cast of Jaye Griffiths,Jesse Birdsall and Craig Mclachlan are charismatic. The show has a very distinctive look and yet somehow the episodes are tepid and uninvolving.It is not just the reliance on technobabble or the poorly-staged action and stunts.The series is simply less than the sum of its parts.The problem was compounded in later years as changes to the format meant that the number of recurring characters was almost doubled and the already thin plotlines were spread pretty thinly between them. The final straw came when Craig Mclachlan left and was replaced by Steven Houghton as the same character.He was simply a dull wet piece of wood and enjoyed none of the rapport with his colleagues which had come naturally to his predecessor. The audience turned away in droves and the BBC stopped transmitting halfway through the series.