The other night, I watched the Bionic Woman on NBC and in my opinion it sucked. The only thing I enjoyed about the show was the fight scenes. The fight scenes were kind of cool, but the show was NOT good at all.
One of the things I didn’t like about the new Bionic woman is how much darker it is than the original series. The original series was much lighter and more fun. I wouldn’t have minded it being so dark if they could have at least thrown in some comedic relief (like Heroes does). But the season premiere of the Bionic woman lacked any humor whatsoever, and in my opinion was a boring mess. It was kind of like Alias or Heroes except… without humor, without an interesting story line, and without any surprises. If it doesn’t get more entertaining in the coming weeks I won’t be watching it for very long. It’s too bad, because I had such high hopes for it…
On the other hand, there are two new shows that show some real promise:
Life and Chuck on NBC.
Jill or I will have to talk about them some time in the future.
I agree. This show is horrible! After typing in Neilsen ratings to complain and then Bionic woman, only to come up with advertisements, I thought… how about type in “Bionic Woman SUCKS” and that is where I found your article. It sucks, it is so lame, it has horrible writing, it is nothing like the Bionic woman that I remember. I could watch the Bionic woman when I was a kid, like MANY shows that are on now, when my kids are around I need to turn it off, and believe me - in this case it wasn’t difficult. I mean what kind of creative writing expertise does it take to call someone a douche on Prime time TV? What a shock, a lame disappointment. I too was looking forward to this one.
Kind of like the show Kelsey Grammer is in now, where he’s stooped to calling people bastards and swearing and succombing to crap writers just for a gig. I miss smart comedy, smart drama, smart writing. Believe me I am not a prude either. What I would do for ONE good show I could watch with my kids, and a few I would like without them. I guess I have a couple, but with all that is on, you’d think I’d have more.
Thanks for letting me vent. This BW was more like a BM !!! Ha. Okay so I won’t get a writing job either.
Veronica,
I agree it’s very disturbing the direction tv has taken. I can’t let my kids watch commercials during shows on the cartoon network, because they are so adult oriented. It’s just crazy…
I’ll be writing a post today on the best of the new shows that are on television this season (at least the ones I’ve watched). Many of them may not be child-friendly, depending on your children’s ages and your own personal views, but there are a few clever ones this year. You might want to watch them quickly, though, as the clever ones often bite the dust early it seems.
What happend to the slow mo and that bionic sound? This show sucks painfully. It’s a crying shame they let this franchise end up like this.
Sam,
I agree about the slo mo and bionic sound. I miss that…
I agree with all of you. The Bionic Woman tv series is terrible! WAKE UP, NBC! Can’t you see that the majority of the masses are tired of this same old crap! We want to laugh again…..we want to be able to sit in front of the tv with our children and be entertained….we want to be enlightened and entertained. We DO NOT want any more dark and depressing show that makes us feel as though we just came back from a funeral.
The original Six Million Dollar Man and the original Bionic Woman were successful because they both had great writers, a good storyline, good drama and a little humor.
IF IT AIN’T BROKE…DON’T FIX IT!
Hire some good humorous, bright writers and bring a little joy back into TV. We all have enough stress and junk in our lives. We do not want to watch a tv series that is dark and dreary!
Make us smile again, okay! Your ratings will fly through the roof! It is that simple…it is that simple.
How right you are! I have never been so disappointed! I grew up watching THE BIONIC WOMAN & THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and Thank God I have them on video.Cause that is exactly what I pop in the VCR when I got through watching the lame piolt! Wish Universal would get their act straight and put these great series on DVD!! Cause I can’t watch another episode of the new bionic woman! I watch the second episode just to give it a chance and I pass! What a complete mess! Why is it they can’t seem to do any of the classic tv show justice today? They did well with THE ADDAMS FAMILY but then wow they ruin BEWITCHED & THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. Now they really out did themselves with this load of nonsense. What made the originals so much fun to watch is that they had class,humor,great sound fx,etc. This new show offers absolutely nothing but boring off the wall stories. I can’t believe how they completely change the entire premise! They should have changed her name! It’s an insult to the real JAIME SOMMERS! I can’t say enough of how angry I am that they ruin another great tv classic! My God maybe it’s just me but I am glad I grew up watching the originals and living in the good ole days when tv was fun. I’m a kid from the 70’s and 80’s and todays tv is just too dark and lacks any fun at all. No wonder kids today are so unadjusted and miserable. NBC, you ruin it the first time by not renewing Lindsay Wagner’s THE BIONIC WOMAN for another season. And it took you 29 years to finally bring it back only to alter every single thing that made the original special. What aggraviates me the most is the stupid comments the creators of the new bionic woman keep saying, “it’s not a remake of the original,it’s a whole new generation and she’s an average girl this time.” Ah no guys she was girlfriend to Steve Austin and a tennis pro. She wasn’t average. If that were the case then you should have renamed the show “A BIONIC BORING WOMAN”! Give us back our real story in todays world. Jaime Sommers has an accident, working for the OSI and fighting crime with all the special fx and slow motion running and the Bionic sounds!! What a waste of time!
Agreed! This new bionic woman is a tragedy waiting to happen! I saw the pilot and was more than disappointed. I think I like the evil bionic woman better than this Jaime LOL. This show is too dark and depressing. There is no humor just boring, cliched “kick-ass” fight scenes mixed in with sarcastic, supposedly witty humor that has been used over and over and over again! And I don’t like this Jaime’s bitchy attitude. If she is going to be this way throughout the entire series, I don’t see how anyone is going to root for her!
Let me begin by agreeing with all that I have read so far. I was so excited to hear they (NBC) were going to do a remake series of a childhood favorite, but I have officially watched MY last episode of this feeble attempt to entertain. The death knell being the scene when Sara is shaking so bad that she can’t put a forkfull of beans in her mouth, but somehow is able to both get a needle in a vial and inject herself in her BIONIC ARM!?!?!?
Are you kidding me? This is an over-produced horribly written bandwagon jumping attempt to cash in on the superheroe cash-cow.
I can see the suits in their development meeting, rubbing their hands in anticipation of getting their mitts on some of that “Spiderman” money. Shame on David Eick for even having his name attached as the writer for this junk.
There are too many inconsistencies to address, but my favorites are the fact they are privately funded, which means non-governmental, yet the bad guy is locked up for treason for trying to sell bionics to the highest bidder. I think I better close my Ebay account. lol They can afford to put 50 million dollars worth of equipment in one person, but can’t afford a proper facility with lights, a good paint job, and no debris lying about in their training area?!! Dark and brooding is a mood, not a lack of illumination. Did they rip that right out The Matrix, or Underworld without a thought to context? By far my favorite has to be “Bionic exercise”. Did they forget their built in excuse that she has been programmed with the ability to perform as if by instinct? So why the pull-ups with the bionic arm, or Sara doing push-ups in her room? Wasting time maybe? Sounds like how I feel having watched this.
They took all of the joy out of the original. To be able to do all that superheroes can do and not see the exalted amazement that is the staple of every transformational experience is bad enough, but to treat it as mundane is missing the boat entirely, and speaks to the lack of understanding for the entire genre, and fans that enjoy it!
Bionic woman does suck. Its terrible and there are probably better fight scenes in Dark Angel anyway. Im sick of shows like this and Heroes, Supernatural and Smallville. Whatever happened to clever shows like Gargoyles, Buffy, Charmed and Dark Angel? And why have they gotten less ratings then the stupid shows that try to copy them?
N.B.C i have never written to your Broadcasting station in my life, but i can’t get it out of my head. The New Bionic Woman is so terrible and so cold & depressing. I cant believe the remake of the second best TV show of my life when i was a kid, is so lifeless and dull and so nauseating, it makes my head whirl. What did you do with The Six Million Dollar Man??? When i was a 7,8,9 & 10 in the 1970’s The Bionic Man & Woman was everything. EVERTHING !!!!! The next day the whole school was talking about the show aired the previous night. Now a lot of people in Canada talk about how bad the show is and how their never going to watch it again… You have destroyed Jamie Summers with HORRIBLE writing & Plot. I can do better…. Cancel it !!!! Please your killing me and 12 of my friends, who used to be Giant fans of the original……Rewrite it and come back in January..N.B.C… SIMPLE QUESTION ??? ARE YOU HIGH !!!!! Come on… The Bionic Woman???….Horse Crap… Sorry…
Pissed off Canadian, That had their Favorite Television show made a fool of…..
Jared,
I have to agree with the rest of your comment, but I protest putting Heroes on that list. Heroes has quite a bit of humor and an overall uplifting message.
I’m so very sad and have no more faith in television remakes, the new Bionic Woman is God awful!!!!!!!!!
I loved the original though!!
I miss Buffy soooooooo very much!!!!
I’ve never watched anything so painful in my life. So depressing. Even younger kids who never SAW Bionic Woman in the 70’s, think this one sucks. Ewwww…NBC needs to get their act together. Make Bionic Woman not Psycho Average Looking Girl We Care Nothing About. There’s no reason to watch this show. What a waste of money.
Yah, it sucks. I don’t like the writing, the colors, the little sister, the plot and the lead actress cannot act. A good actress can make me overlook a bad script, at least to a point. The actress playing Sarah does that a little. But Michelle Ryan, good American accent aside, is a weak, weak actress.
Cancel and redo this turkey, or scrap it…NOW!
I am so surprised this show is successful, because it’s sucks so bad.
I gave two episodes a shot and that was all I could take. The second episode was better than the first, but not enough to make the Bionic Woman worth watching.
Thanks for all the great comments…
PS. Jared, I agree with Jill, Heroes is a really good show. Not kid friendly… but really good.
The unfortunate thing is that there are actually people that LIKE the show. There are even fan sites, like this one: http://www.bionicwomantv.com/ Ewww. Why?
The only thing that I can assume is that
1)They obviously never saw the original.
2)They’re part of the video game generation. The show does kind of resemble a video game– lots of violence, poor writing, no plot.
JojosMom,
I like the idea of starting over with the Bionic Woman. Wouldn’t that be cool if they just scrapped this one and made a new, new version of the Bionic Woman?
ok seriously…stop the whining…is the show sub-par? yes i will agree..
but to lump it into the category of one of the worst shows ever just cause it doesn’t match your memory of the old bionic woman - is plain stupid.
clearly the majority of people responding are old-timers who think EVERYTHING from music to tv to sports to …well EVERYTHING…was better “back when I was yuuur age”.
But i will just be a little more frank…if you honestly thought this was going to be like the 70’s bionic woman, you DESERVE this kind of shock, because you are clearly an idiot.
Okay, I’ll admit. I gave this series a couple of episodes hoping it would get better. I’m still waiting. This has nothing to do woth comparing the old and new. It’s about good story lines and (can we say) plot.
Even the special effects tell me that NBC was “testing the waters” with this one. Seems like they went low budget on those.
But above and beyond that, how about some good writing?
I imagine(hopefully) that this series will be cancelled.
Once again, it’s not about the original. It’s about quality.
John
Jeremy,
I guess I am an “old-timer” at the age of 40, but seriously the show sucks. The story is bad, it has bad writing, it just sucks. Alias was 100 times more interesting (until the final season) and Alias was not like the old time shows. Heroes is 100 times better and it’s not like “old-time tv shows”.
It would be nice to have more shows like the old ones that you could watch with your kids, but even when compared to modern tv shows the bionic woman is just bad. The bionic woman is boring, plain and simple.
Although I watch this thing EVERY SINGLE WEEK, I find it is because of Katee Sackhoff..
If she was actually the Bionic Woman, I think this would be a HUGE hit. She is friggiin awesome in this role and show.
THE show sucks terribly but Katee ROCKS.
why dont the people at nbc watch the show before they put it on?? no one in their right mind would think this show is any good let alone a “hit”. i tried and tried to find a way to express my comments to nbc but all i got was a survey and that was it. i will go so far as to say “anyone out their that likes the new bionic woman is an idiot an obviously rode the short bus to school with a helmet!” this show was a HUGE let-down because it is a remake. if it was just a pilot, then it sucks and move on. but to watch the promos calling it a hit is insulting.
Why is it so bad? I really wanted for this series to succeed because I really had fun with 6 Million dollar Man and Bionic Woman when I was a 5 years old. However, this one is painful to watch. From the very beginning it sucked.
This is funny to me… I thought it was great…
This is being produced by the same group that is doing Battlestar Galactica (BSG). The bionic woman re-make has the same gritty feel as BSG.
IN fact, Katie Sackhoff is starbuck from Bsg, and the doctor that is treating her plays Romo Lamkin in that series as well… There was even an apearance by Aaron Douglas who play the chief Tyrol in BSG… I wouldn’t be suprised if there’s a walk on role with Edward James Olmos or MAry Mcdonnnell… In fact it would be cool to have Olmos play a high ranking general or admiral and her be the president in an episode… Great cross promotional idea.
hey you guys, this show is trying to be environmentally aware by recycling other tv shows, the soapy cloak and dagger of alias, the angst of dawson creek, (god if jaime and her kid sister had one more sullen sarcastic fight I was going to implode) and the fight scenes are the lamest on tv, bad circus wires like the walmart version of the matrix
and the main characters aren’t likeable, you wind up rooting for the bad bionic woman to kill them all - they’re trying to remake a series from the seventies but make it politically correct like I am going to kick your ass but do it in the most eco friendly, all inclusive, recyclable way
>walmart version of the matrix
That’s funny! I have to remember that one!
>you wind up rooting for the bad bionic woman to kill them all
That’s funny too, although I would like it if NBC sent Sylar from Heroes to kill off the Bionic woman and company. That might be more fun, because the special effects on Heroes are better…
All of you who are saying that the old Bionic Woman series was better than this one are doing the selective memory thing. You are remembering the series through the haze of childhood. If you rewatch the series you would see how bad it is. You have plotlines in the old series like Jamie lives, Jamie dies, Jamie lives again but has amnesia. Oh how about the bionic dog, Max? Or Jamie and Steve vs. Sasquatch?
I don’t find the new series very engaging at all so I’m not defending it. But I like overall the darker and grittier tone some of the remakes have taken. It’s TV made for adults not for kids.
>Jamie and Steve vs. Sasquatch
The bionic man and bionic woman vs. big foot was one of my favorite memories from the old show. Sure it might have been a little hokey, but it was fun. Didn’t you like it?
I wonder if I can buy that somewhere…
Hi, I really hate, hate, hate, the show, and yes I do see the old series and it is great. I loved the bionic dog also. You could have came back with Lindsay wagnor being this silly new non acting womans mom, and her she has an accident, which follows getting the bionics her mom has, after that her mom could have helped her in some crime fighting. And that place they meet wow it is so dark and ugly, get a grip. I have kids they hate it so much they don’t even watch it. I am looking forward to buying the whole series of the Old bionic woman cd’s and I refuse to be ill watching that non acting young woman do Jamie sommers. I would rather watch Lindsay doing the sleep number commercial and get more action then I would watching this mess. Put Lindsay back on tv she is a very pretty and good actress, she is prettier than this chick even at her age. Come back Bionic Woman of yesterday. And by the way I still look for any movie she is on, the last I saw the other day she played a mom that died of cancer and she done better on that than this child could do on this new bionic woman in a lifetime.
Found this blog by googling “bionic woman sucks”. Glad to find like-minded people here. Pilot sucked, lead character sucks, “quirky” asian roommate sucks (wtf is up with that character).
They should have made Katee Sackhoff the main Bionic Woman. If they really need an evil Bionic Woman they should just use cgi and green screens and put a goatee on Katee Sackhoff ala evil-Bender and evil-Knight Rider. Usually I like british accents but for some reason I find the starring actress’ accent irritating.
As for the “darker and grittier” tone, that’s fine. That seems to be the soup du jour. But it’s becoming a euphemism for “crappy”.
The show stinks. I like the dark edge, but the storylines blow, and I HATE Jamie (the Bionic Woman). She’s just a filthy bar slut. How the heck can you root for a filthy bar slut? I wonder if they gave here bionic tramp stamp, too!
Lindsay Wagner as Jamie Summers (the bionic woman) was much better. I wonder when the new Bionic woman will stop being labeled as “the big new hit tv show”? It should be labeled the “the worst new tv show”….
I’ve been calling this show “The Bionic Pee-Pee”, don’t ask because I don’t know why. Anyways, I tried and tried to keep up with the show, but I just can’t get myself to like any of the characters. I kind of, maybe like the Bad Bionic Woman and yeah she should have been the good BW. Every character is a complete and utter a-hole. It’s a show full of a-holes, from Jamie’s lying and b-tchy sister to Jamie’s lying and b-tchy bosses, next is Jamie’s grumpy and b-tchy trainers and oh yes, Jamie is the b-tchiest one of all. And thus, the show is imbalanced with more negative energy. I look at Jamie’s face and her eyes and I don’t see a hero that everyone is hoping for. The show takes itself way to serious and if it is trying to be realistic, it shouldn’t be because it’s make believe time. The only reason most people watch tv shows is because they want to get away from the real world and be entertained. I liked the idea of a new BW, but some goof at NBC dropped the ball on this one.
Please remove this show. Its horrible and NBC is hurting from this. The writing and acting really really sucks. Who needs Bionic Woman when you have Heroes.
Most of us agree that the Bionic Woman sucks, so why in the world is it doing so well?
Its not only that the show sucks as a whole, its the main character… Shes to winy and acts like a five year old. Whats with the big suprise about her dead boyfriend doing a back ground check on her? I mean who the hell wouldn’t if they worked for a covert company and had access. I’m don’t think he planed on getting in an accident cuttin her legs and arm off then getting himself killed. Its a stupid story line. I just saw the most recent episode and they tried to doll her up but from behind she looked like a man in a dress. Before the women jump on my back I know everyone doesn’t have to be a size ZERO but come on all the money they spend on the show and they cant get her in something to maker her more appealing? While they were at it that should have replaced her face and made her the billion dollar woman she to plain. To bad her sister isn’t older she would be perfect It seems as if she has a inferiority complex, “I’m strong enough to know down the door like the boys”
I typed in Bionic Woman Sucks too! She is horrible. Starting a multi care accident where bystanders could get killed because you were talking to your boyfriend and missed the drop? Talking to a head of state like equals? She is dressed like it is the 1990s, looks like a man compared to her tiny little sister - they look so weird in the same frame. And I can’t figure out who Washington is supposed to be? I’ve believed his acting in other things (personal drama aside) - he is so over the top corny and unbelievable in this. This show is a failure on every level - horrible writing, acting, directing, casting, and even wardrobe. I’ve never commented online about a show before. I watched last night (for the last time) and just had verbalize how bad this show is. Okay, now I can let it go.
PS I never watched the original and I don’t play video games. Jeremy and TVGuy - I just wanted you to know my opinion was based on today. Not old memories.
Yeah it sucks. And some of you are in desperate need of a grammar class.
I wasn’t around when the original Bionic woman aired (or the 6 million dollar man for that matter) so I went into this show without bias. Call me crazy but I think it’d be a better show with the blonde bionic woman whose a little nuts. She has more personality (unaware if that’s how she’s written or if the actor is simply better). But currently I don’t care about any of the characters, the main, the supporting, the bf, the sister, even her partner who died last episode. The only reason I watch it is, at least from what i’ve seen, there’s nothing on tv wed. nights.
Couldn’t agree more. This version of the Bionic Woman truly sucks!
I couldn’t watch more that an episode and a half…
1. No adjustment period to get used to her new powers because she’s such an incredible human being.
2. She happens to be a genius. Sure why not… let’s toss that in.
3. She’s giving and caring… takes care of her menapuasal kid sister who treats her like crap.
4. sister also happens to be a genius - so much so that she’s a hacker worthy of having her computer taken away. Never mind that she spends her school time in the bathroom smoking pot.
5. She was born with unbelieveable fighting skills and immediately knows how to use these skills with her new powers.
6. sets her own hours - home by 7pm, health plan for sister, etc, etc… and gets it because her tough boss is really a eunuch (I predict all men in this show will be portrayed as either scum or eunuchs). Never mind that as a waitress/bartender she probably was forced to work all hours.
7. She’s a slut - which is apparently okay these days if you’re the female lead of a new series. Strong, independant women need to be sluts or lesbians these days - sometimes both. Fiancee dies - makes out with the first guy she sees… in a public bathroom no less. Classy… despite having cried her eyes out earlier.
8. Not overwhelmed by this new world she enters - with people trying to kill her because she was born wise and all-knowing. Being a waitress really helped here with this.
I think the directing is TERRIBLE. For example, many of the fight scenes are very difficult to follow because they are filmed very close up and with a moving camera. I know other directors use this “effect” if you want to call it that, but it really sucks. It allows them to cut corners on production (because they don’t have to pay close attention to as many details), but in my opinion, it really degrades the quality of the show.
Also, the writing is not too good in my opinion. And these are the same over-paid people that are on strike? Puh-Lease - outsource the writing and fire the greedy b***s already. They should be EASY to replace, especially with the money the studios could afford to pay if they were saddled with excessive writers’ royalities and such.
Just my opinion!
Michael
I mean, they had an awful “go back to college” episode already. The had to play that stupid card early in the first season. I couldn’t get through that episode, and haven’t watched it since.
Oh dear, this didn’t last long, did it?
Was jamie Sommers that bad?
I am from britain and Michelle Ryan, I’m afraid, did not get recognised as a good actress in even this low-quality soap called Eastenders.
I knew this programme was never going to work!
I had such high hopes for this show, but it sucks like no other. It makes no sense at all. There is no way a private agency like that could exist. It has to be the government. Why on earth would the writers do that, I have no idea. It’s so stupid to see these guys run around in full gear, questioning people–and they work for a private agency??! I quit watching after the third show.