Thieves

Courtesy of a mate in the US, I've been able to witness this latest attempt to out-moonlight 'Moonlighting' and out-Steele 'Remington'.

Two thieves - one male, one female - blackmailed into working for the government. Cue loadsa scenes of the two diametrically opposed characters sparring away ... and nothing more.

John Stamos was okay in his role as the whiny Johnny but Melissa George never convinced me. Life's too short for the level of disbelief required to believe in the Kung Fu kicking, forever-moaning Rita (as portrayed by Ms George). A stronger actress should've been cast, even if it had meant sacrificing the 'babe' factor.

I could excuse the silly plots, the daft storylines, the trite dialogue and the ridiculous scripts if the writing had been cleverer, wittier and far less predictable. So many times I said the next line before Johnny or Rita did. And as for their no-brainer assignments? Let's not go there...

In addition, 'Thieves' tried too hard to emulate the sexual tension of the aforementioned 'Remington Steele' and 'Moonlighting'. Having the chief protagonists discuss a supposed relationship every bloody five minutes was a huge mistake. It eroded the UST factor to such an extent that you just wanted them to do it so they'd stop talking about doing it .... and whether they should do it .... and how they should do it .... and when they should do it. Enough already! And apparently the Network has had enough.

ABC has flushed this show down the toilet.

The postscript? 'Thieves' was the McDonalds of TV programming. Fast food entertainment. Forgotten as soon as it's consumed.

The chemistry between Johnny and Rita makes for an enjoyably curious evening each Friday night. John Stamos is again his funny self, yet at the same time delivers a side I haven't seen much -- action and drama. So this show has it all! Very nice and refreshing new series. Both of the main stars look great and their acting is really good, and the stories make sense. The addition of Tone Loc however is surprising, considering he's yet another rap star-turned-actor, but with a very strange voice of course. I guess he's somewhat convincing for his role, but we'll see.

This series seemed like it had promise. A flexible premise, a tongue in cheek sense of humor, and the ever-telegenic John Stamos at the helm. So what happened? I'd lay the blame with the show's direction. Both action and humor require exquisite pacing...yet scene after scene thuds along with no sense of momentum or energy. The pictures are framed nicely, the talents know their lines - and yet it seems no one behind the camera knows how to breathe life into a scene. A pity...and entirely unsurprising that the series died almost immediately. Here's hoping that Stamos, a genuinely appealing performer, can find talent behind the camera to match his own next time.

I thought that this was the best new show of the fall--even better than Scrubs and Alias (which have garnered a lot more praise). Action, charm , romance, humor--this show had it all. It also had the kind of fiery chemistry between leads (Stamos and George) that doesn't come along very often. I hope any fans of the show who read this won't let ABC cancel "Thieves" without letting the network know how they feel about it.

Two TV stars John Stamos (Full House) and Melissa George (Home And Away) star in "Thieves" as Johnny and Rita, two professional thieves who, after being caught, are given an ultimatum by the Government: serve time in jail or serve America.

And so, Johnny and Rita are blackmailed into stealing things for the U.S. Government. Of course, the mounting sexual tension is there, the quick wit is there and the cool butt-kicking fight scenes are there. It's perfectly made television.

An hour escape a week - let's face it - the world of 'Thieves' is much more interesting than who's dying on 'E.R.' or who's kissing who on 'Dharma And Greg'! Let's hope this action-packed crime-comedy will be around for a while. 10/10