Search
Search results
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Avengers in TV
Mar 4, 2018 (Updated Mar 4, 2018)
Iconic British cult adventure series. Very few shows change as much as The Avengers did over its seven season run; what started off as a gritty thriller about Ian Hendry's crime-busting doctor gradually transformed first into virtual science fiction (the Diana Rigg episodes feature mind-swapping machines, killer robots and a brain-controlling alien plant) and then a much more whimsical fantasy show for its final year or so.
Many of the early episodes are quite hard work now, but the two seasons where Macnee is paired with Diana Rigg are classic TV, and the sometimes-maligned final season with Linda Thorson also contains many neglected gems (the episode with the murderous clowns, for instance). Even when the show is not quite firing on all cylinders, there is always Patrick Macnee's inimitable performance as Steed to enjoy.
Many of the early episodes are quite hard work now, but the two seasons where Macnee is paired with Diana Rigg are classic TV, and the sometimes-maligned final season with Linda Thorson also contains many neglected gems (the episode with the murderous clowns, for instance). Even when the show is not quite firing on all cylinders, there is always Patrick Macnee's inimitable performance as Steed to enjoy.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Avengers - Season 6 in TV
Dec 11, 2020
The Avengers' final season is an infuriatingly inconsistent mixture of a couple of brilliant episodes, quite a few ones which just about pass muster, many which have clearly been cobbled together in a hurry as a contractual obligation, and a handful which are just plain dreadful. Linda Thorson, Diana Rigg's replacement as Patrick Macnee's co-star, tends to get a lot of stick, but it's not her fault the producers were fired, replaced, and then re-hired midway through the production of the season - hence the mish-mash of approaches. The relentless deadlines of the American networks the show was now being made for probably didn't help much.
It still mostly looks excellent, and Patrick Macnee is always good value, but coming after the peerless Emma Peel seasons it can't help but seem like a show which has visibly lost its way. As noted, there are some terrific individual episodes here, but you definitely have to know where to look for them.
It still mostly looks excellent, and Patrick Macnee is always good value, but coming after the peerless Emma Peel seasons it can't help but seem like a show which has visibly lost its way. As noted, there are some terrific individual episodes here, but you definitely have to know where to look for them.