The Saint from ‘Rome’

The latest from The Hollywood Reporter is that The Saint is getting a modern redo and will star James Purefoy (Mark Antony from HBO’s Rome). The Saint was originally a series of novels (by Leslie Charteris) turned TV series (twice) turned movie (once with Val Kilmer in 1997). Simon Templar, aka The Saint, is a Robin Hood-like adventurer and master of disguise, stealing from criminals, putting them behind bars and keeping the loot for himself. A 2 hour movie pilot will be produced independently and shopped around to studios. I loved Purefoy’s Mark Antony and the concept of The Saint is awesome. Read more here.

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Remember Oz? Six Feet Under? Sex and the City? The Sopranos? Rome? Deadwood? The Wire? Extras? HBO, where’d you go? What’ve you got left? Entourage is great, but I want more. Big Love can bite me. Why’d you take my Rome away? My Deadwood? The good stuff? No, correction, the damned good stuff. The stuff that TV should be? Porquoi?

Oz (1997-2003) was the first HBO show I watched. That was back in the late 90s when Friends was considered “good TV”. Back then it seemed that HBO began to change the quality of quality TV. Prime Time Network TV was all about gimmick shows with high concepts and mediocre writing. Friends, Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, ER and so forth. Though I watched some of these shows and countless others, it’s because I didn’t know any better until HBO woke me to the wonders of smart writing, high caliber acting and no bloody commercials! Of course there was some good Network TV shows back then that had substance like Felicity, NYPD Blue, and Daria (back when MTV was standing on its last leg of credibility). But, in the years following, especially while The Sopranos (1999-2007), Sex and the City (1998-2004), Six Feet Under (2001-2005) was on the air, it seemed Network TV saw what HBO saw, the opportunity for good writing AND entertainment. Who would have thunk it!

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