Jekyll — or, “I guess there is a reason for Britain.”
Watched a couple of episodes of Jekyll recently on a whim, and I am extremely impressed. This is not always the case with British television, which often seems to have an air of naval-gazing and insularity that I dislike—same problem I have with Seinfeld, although in a rather different manifestation. And British science fiction seems to me mostly very Dr. Who-ified—not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a pretty tight niche.
Jekyll is a modern extension of the classic Jekyll/Hyde story. It is not, as is customary, a retelling, but rather takes place in a universe in which the Stevenson story reported semi-true events; the protagonist of the series is supposed to be a “descendent” of Jekyll, although there are indications that this doesn’t mean standard sexual reproduction in this case. Our Jekyll Jr. and his other have achieved a truce ruled by means of a voice recorder and mutual surveillance, and their ability to punish each other in absentia. Add to this a shared psych nurse/personal assistant, a couple layers of conspiracy, a very pissed-off wife, a couple of lesbian detectives, and a dead-lion-gram, and you’ve got the setup.
This is all reasonably interesting, in a sort of Nowhere Man meets Dark Shadows way. But what makes the show really engaging is the performance of James Nesbitt, who is perfect as both Jekyll and Hyde—demanding total audience attention at all times, and managing somehow not to seem to be reenacting a string of ancient cliches. (The supporting cast is good, too, although they don’t generally get to hit the same fever pitch. )
If you get a chance, take a look—this is easily not only the most entertaining British show I’ve seen in a long time, it raises my expectations for science fiction, especially superheroes and super-antiheroes; I feel like I can’t look at a show like Heroes witout feeling it’s diminished just a bit by comparison. (Not that I ever felt Heroes was the cream of the crop—but even something like Lost, which has built its own little industry around intense morally ambiguous or unknown hero/villain performances.)