The Prisoner

problem = "avant-garde social science fiction television series" = too weird

I was certainly skeptical of this but I guess I couldn't help myself. I have a fondness for the original even though the second season was unnecessary and kind of terrible and even though the whole series has dated rather horribly. But I don't know what these guys were thinking; they have changed enough of the story to make it somewhat unrecognizable: the village is significantly less creepy this time around and far less sinister given that there are actually people who want to get out. The new version is an excuse for over-directing galore and some pretty odd pacing and editing. The whole thing is significantly more confused than the original, which was already somewhat confused- but at least it was also inspired. I really don't know what to make of this mess - especially given the presence of McKellan - and I really think this was a missed opportunity to update a pretty classic TV premise with better technology and some more consistent storytelling.