"CI5: The New Professionals" (1998) TV series

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Creator:

Brian Clemens

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1998 (Denmark)

Genre:

Action | Crime

Plot:

CI5, the British squad formed by George Cowley to combat 'anarchy, acts of terror, crimes against the public'...

Cast

Edward Woodward	...	Harry Malone (13 episodes, 1999)
Kal Weber	...	Chris Keel (13 episodes, 1999)
Colin Wells	...	Sam Curtis (13 episodes, 1999)
Lexa Doig	...	Tina Backus (13 episodes, 1999)
Adrian Irvine	...	Spencer (11 episodes, 1999)

Runtime:

50 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Filming Locations:

Brands Hatch racing track, Kent, England, UK

Company:

David Wickes TV

Movie Connections:

Follows "The Professionals" (1977)

A bit of a letdown

The original late 70s / early 80s "Professionals" was all British, politically incorrect, often mindless and frequently placed more emphasis on gunfights and loud explosions than it did on character development. Yet strangely this was part of its appeal and it was (and still is) hugely popular all over the world. The "New Professionals" tries to be a more international and more politically correct show than its predecessor, and that's its main downfall. Two of the main four characters are Americans - one can only assume that these characters were cast with one eye on the American export market. We also now have the male head of CI5 reporting to a female minister and a young and savvy "anything the boys can do I can do too" female sidekick on hand to get the two main (male) leads out of assorted sticky situations. In short, like so many other modern series, pandering to the politically correct lobby. This wouldn't be so bad if the plots weren't so thin and the dialog so weak and corny. "Who are CI5?" asks an FBI man in the pilot episode. "They're the best", replies his colleague, sounding suitably impressed. And so it goes on. A shame - the idea of continuing the CI5 story was a good one. Shame that the end result was such a let-down.