CI5: The New Professionals

This Nineties update of a Seventies show is very enjoyable, although not as good as the original.The new cast take a few episodes to fit into their characters and Edward Woodward,excellent as he is, never matches the inventiveness of Gordon Jackson's Cowley.The first few episodes are very similar to the old series but the new crew develop a different and original style as the series progresses.Later episodes are more in the James Bond mould but boast impressive action sequences and an excellent score by Hywel Maggs and Chris Winter.As with the old series no one watches the Professionals for the writing but the spectacular action and the enjoyable interplay between the characters.

I had the misfortune of coming across this one boring evening. The two leading characters are totally characterless, Edward Woodward is not much better, and having a pretty gun toting female cannot save it. Very disappointing. The 'old' Professionals worked well because the two leading characters were interesting, they were likeable, they had some depth, and that's why it worked. This doesn't.

Whilst not as good as the old series this is considerably better than anything currently showing on British tv.The scripts vary in quality but when they work they are superb.The new CI5 is far more in the mode of the CIA and the new cast and characters are more plausible and free of the "loose cannon" attitudes that reduced the old series to caricature. The cast work hard to breathe life into their characters and the action sequences are superior to most movies(although they were needlessly cut for UK transmission).

This series probably tries to capture some of the spark that BUGS had - two beefcake male leads, a spunky female sidekick, hi-tec gadgetry, and an added bonus of around-the-world locations. Well, the scripts were weak, the leads had to struggle with piss-poor dialogue and ludicrous situations - and the worst of it is - they were expected to take themselves seriously. Something that should have been a seventies send-up that ended up like a seventies remake.

Apparently, CI5 is no longer hiring members from the police or armed forces, and has started recruiting at modelling agencies. The plot-lines are ludicrous, the scripts are laughable and the cast, supposedly portraying the dangerous, highly-trained peak of global law enforcement, have all the menace of rice pudding and are about as attractive. A pathetic attempt to relive the original series of "The Professionals", this latest series is totally lacking any drama, suspense, wit or talent. George Cowley would eat this bunch for breakfast.