Crusoe: The Complete Series (Review)

The Monday after Christmas, a package arrived from Amazon. It was a DVD set I had ordered a few weeks prior, which I had gotten for a serious bargain price. I paid less than $9 with my Goldbox deal of the day, so it was a low-risk entertainment investment.

The set was Crusoe: The Complete Series on DVD, a short-lived television show which ran for only 11 episodes. It was filmed primarily in South Africa, with some bits done in the UK, and overall it was a very fun production, with a lot of swashbuckling, pirates, cannibals, and other exciting island adventure. The writers were very creative, inventing new scenarios each week to keep the stories fun and entertaining. While the storyline did not follow the original book, it was a very well done series, and I'm sorry it didn't run longer. The DVD set has no extras, but the episodes themselves more than make up for it. There is nothing really offensive about this show (no nudity or swearing) so it's suitable for the whole family.

I've seen big budget movies that weren't as good as this series. I can think of a lot of modern blockbuster movies about pirates and the carribean that look like pathetic garbage compared to this intelligent work of cinema. Why this show didn't take off is anyone's guess, but I'd personally wager that an executive at some network didn't like it. Maybe I'm just feeling a little mean spirited today with the conspiracy theory angle, but that's the way a lot of good tv series seem to die. The infamous "powers that be" decide a show isn't "right" for some reason, so they manipulate things to assure its quick demise.

I put this series up there with "Firefly" in the pantheon of slaughtered television shows that should have run a lot longer, but for whatever reason weren't given a fair chance. Unlike that brilliant sci-fi show, however, I don't think they'll be making a movie to conclude Crusoe. At least they left it in a decent place, and not with some cliffhanger.

I would certainly recommend this show for everyday viewing. 4 out of 5 stars.