"Highlander: The Raven" (1998) TV series 1998-1999

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Dennis Berry

Writers:

Karen Harris (episode), A")
André Jacquemetton (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

7 November 1998 (Portugal)

Genre:

Action | Adventure

Plot:

A female Immortal and thief tries to redeem herself with the help of an ex-cop.

Plot Keywords:

Highlander | Immortality | Based On Film

Cast

Paul Johansson	...	Nick Wolfe (22 episodes, 1998-1999)
Elizabeth Gracen	...	Amanda Darieux / ... (22 episodes, 1998-1999)
Patricia Gage	...	Lucy Becker (9 episodes, 1998-1999)

Also Known As:

"L'immortelle" (France)

Runtime:

Canada:60 min (22 episodes) | USA:45 min

Country:

France | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Filming Locations:

SkyDome, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Chum Television

Quotes:

Amanda: I'm going to consult the Immortal Yellow Pages.

Movie Connections:

Follows Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

Lots of wasted potential

Being a huge fan of the original series, it's pretty much required that I watch this one as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to it's predecessor's quality. Elizabeth Gracen reprises her role of Amanda, the 1200 y/o immortal. Gracen is one of those actresses you either absolutely love, or absolutely hate. I happen to be one of the former, so it's a shame to see her going to waste like this.

The storylines are thin at best. Basically they consist of, "Bad thing happens. Bad immortal from Amanda's past behind it. Amanda runs around for an hour, then kills said immortal." Not exactly groundbreaking stuff. To make up for the stories, you'd expect them to at least play up the action and have some fun with it (a la V.I.P.). However, they go in just the opposite direction and take it too seriously.

Paul Johansson plays Nick Wolfe, who is just as benign as his character's name. He's one of those cookie cutter sydie-action actors: about 6' tall, overly athletic, abnormally above average looks, abnormally below average acting ability. When Amanda is on the screen you want the scenes to last forever. When Nick is the lead, you cringe and hope for a quick death.

The show could use a major rewrite, possibly putting the focus more on Amanda's past. A character who has seen the last 1200 years gives you lots of potential settings. As for a quick & dirty rating using imdb's 10 star system, I'd give this a 5 for now.