Right around the time that The Avengers was maintaining steady airplay in syndication, at least in New York, the series was revived in England, but lasted two seasons (or series, as they're called over in England).
The New Avengers was actually a sequel to the original series, with only one constant---Patrick Macnee, reprising his iconic role as John Steed. Macnee was in his 50's when this series began, and the producers questioned whether or not he could keep up with his new, younger co-stars. Steed had not one, but two partners this time around----Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt), who was fulfilling the playboy aspect of Steed's younger days, and the mono-named Purdey (Joanna Lumley), who was described by sources as an amalgam of her predecessors, such as, of course, Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). It's explained that Purdey was a former ballet dancer, which would explain her high kicking fighting style, which here in the US would remind fans of Yvonne Craig's portrayal of Batgirl on Batman a decade earlier. Craig, you see, was also a dancer.
It took about 3-4 years before the series reached American shores, picked up by CBS for the now-anthologized CBS Late Movie, but since then, the series has not seen the light of day here in the US. After production ended, Macnee returned to the US and made appearances on shows like Battlestar Galactica (the original), Super Force, & Thunder In Paradise. Joanna Lumley's only other notable TV hit was Absolutely Fabulous, which spent some time here in the US on Comedy Central several years back. Personally, I prefer her as Purdey.
Musical director Laurie Johnson revamped his classic theme......
It's just too bad ABC, which was home to the original series here in the US, passed on the sequel. Would've looked great right next to Charlie's Angels.
Rating: A.
I remember watching this with Dad back in the day - it was OK, but not up to the Diana Rigg years.
ReplyDeleteWhen ABFAB was in production, it was mentioned during an interview that Lumley was in this show and I nearly fell over! What a chasm between those characters!
You know, I could see Avengers going on in a sequence of series, like Dr. Who.
Would that they did that, but no. This was the last incarnation of the series, and it didn't last as long, as I noted. Of the three, only Gareth Hunt is no longer with us, as he passed away a while back. Wish it was back in syndication in the US, though.
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