In the year 2001 the powers that be decided it was time to give Australian actress Melissa George her own show on U.S. television. The previous few years had seen this gifted performer gaining momentum in Hollywood and she had spent the years before that honing her craft on Aussie TV. This new project was called
Thieves and it would bring Melissa George, briefly, to a very large audience.
Since Melissa George wasn't yet very well known to the average American viewer, for her show
Thieves she would have to be paired with an established star...and that star would be the suave actor John Stamos. Stamos had been working steadily in television and film since the 1980s and had rocketed to TV stardom on the hugely popular ABC sitcom
Full House. That series had ended in 1995 and now the time had come for him to return to ABC and have his own show. But for the show to work, his female co-star would have to match him in the looks and personality departments, and that match was found in Melissa George.
The premise of
Thieves is simple. Two professional criminals (both attractive, both slighty neurotic) are nabbed by the authorities and given an ultimatum: go to prison or put their unique skills to good use working for the government (they, of course, choose the latter option). It's a classic Hollywood trope and one that often leans heavily on the charisma of the performers involved. Stamos and George were clearly up for the task and so a pilot episode was made and eventually a series was given a green light.
The pilot episode of
Thieves is, as one would expect, silky smooth and immensely appealing. The well-established John Stamos brings his customary charm and solid looks to the table and accomplishes his task effortlessly. But (as mentioned previosuly) it would all be for nothing if he didn't have someone to perfectly compliment him...and so in comes the visually stunning Melissa George and she as able to match her co-star step for step. Her fresh and fun energy enlivens Mr. Stamos and together they are able to bring to life this portrait of an entirely enticing screen couple.
This introduction to world of
Thieves succeeds in it the most important way: it makes the person watching want to tune in next week for more. Of course, I didn't see this program back in 2001 and I would probably have been too cynical back then to sit back and appreciate a frothy adventure such as this. Fast forward a couple of decades and I'm all in and ready to watch and enjoy!
Stay tuned for more!
No comments:
Post a Comment