Forgotten Television: The Bionic Woman 2007

Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan) is a bartender whose boyfriend, Will (Chris Bowwers) is a professor and surgeon, what she doesn’t know is he works for the Berkut Group, a secret organization that works with advancements in nanomachines and bioengineering.  Jaime is also the surrogate mother to her teenage sister Becca (Lucy Hale) who has had some legal problems in the past.  Jaime is nearly killed in a car accident Will saves her by replacing both her legs, right arm, right eye and right ear with bionic implants giving her enhanced speed, strength and hearing as well as computer interfaced sight.  She initially resists joining the Berkut Group but eventually agrees and is assigned missions by Jonas Bledsoe (Miguel Ferrer) who is a bit ruthless and has questionable ethics.  She is approached by Sarah Corvus (Katee Sackoff) who was the first Bionic Woman but who has turned evil and becomes Jaime’s nemesis. Jaime must learn how to balance her new life, going from barmaid to secret agent, learning how to use her new powers and keeping her sister safe and out of trouble.

The Bionic Woman is an American science fiction drama series based on the original 1972 series by the same name, which was a spin-off of the Six Million Dollar Man which in turn was an adaptation of a book called Cyborg by Martin Caidin. The new series ran from September 26 to November 28, 2007, on NBC.  Due to the Writers Guild of America strike, the series only produced 8 episodes and then was cancelled when the strike ended due to low ratings leaving much of the show’s storylines unresolved.  The show got mostly negative reviews commenting on the casting of Michelle Ryan as the lead and focusing on special effects and fight scenes instead of character development.  Most critics felt that Katie Sackoff’s character and performance were more interesting and the show either “got the wrong bionic woman” or they should have focused more on Sarah Corvus giving Sackoff more screen time.  The reviewers do site that Ryan does become a likeable lead as the series progresses.

I watched the first episode when it originally came out and thought it was alright, but I didn’t continue watching, probably due more to my schedule than a dislike for the show.  As a huge fan of the 1972 series, I think I might have been a bit disappointed with the darkness of the series and the lack of finesse that the original series had.  The original Jaime Sommers was played by Lindsay Wagner who instantly connected with the audience.    The Bionic Woman needs to be more empathetic and although the original series could be a bit campy it was also more enjoyable and fun to watch.  Within the original series there were dark moments, but the overall tone of the series was lighter and less focused on fighting with a bigger emphasis on story. In the new series, I thought that Ryan’s performance was good, and I don’t think she was the ultimate issue with the show, I do think that Sackoff’s performance and character was much more interesting and mixed the darkness and humor expertly.  It does make me wonder how the show would have been different and if it would have attracted a larger fan base should Sackoff have been cast as Jaime or if the series focused on Sarah Sackoff’s character.  Overall, this isn’t a bad show, but by the time it came out I was tired of everything being dark and gritty and I think I would have liked something a bit more campy.