The TV Column

Danger, Will Robinson: Lost in Space breaks camp

Netflix’s lavish reboot of Lost in Space features Max Jenkins as young Will Robinson, with Brian Steele inside the futuristic suit of Robot.
Netflix’s lavish reboot of Lost in Space features Max Jenkins as young Will Robinson, with Brian Steele inside the futuristic suit of Robot.

There's not much new happening the next few days on broadcast or cable, so let's spend some time with the latest thrilling, big-budget adventure from Netflix, Lost in Space.

This, fellow baby boomers, is not the campy Lost in Space of our youth.

The family drama is rated TV-PG -- due to some moments too scary for small fry -- and debuted a couple of weeks ago. All 10 hourlong episodes are available for binge-watching for those who indulge. I wouldn't recommend that. I watched the first four episodes in one long evening, then saved the rest in order to savor them.

Netflix bills the series as "a dramatic and modern reimagining of the classic 1960s science fiction series." For those of us who were around when it aired from 1965 to 1968, reimagining is an improvement. The times and computer-generated magic have dated the original, which was set in the far distant future of 1997.

It's not unlike comparing the original, cheaply produced Star Trek (1966-69) to the five high-tech TV series that came later in the franchise.

Not to disparage Billy Mumy and crew from Irwin Allen's original, but the new robot makes their bubble-topped, accordion-armed creation look like a beer keg with Christmas lights.

Mumy, by the way, has a frantic cameo in the first episode, but you'll never spot him unless you know what he looks like at age 64.

And before you ask, the regrettable 1998 Lost in Space movie starring Matt LeBlanc as Don West and Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith, is best forgotten. So, we will.

While the Netflix reboot keeps the general plot and circumstances of the original, there are a few major tweaks to bring it into the 21st century.

For example, Dr. Smith (played originally by Jonathan Harris) is still a shady villain, but is now a woman. And instead of being a tall, Nordic, 20-something blonde, Judy Robinson is a biracial teen.

In the new series, it is 2048 and an asteroid impact has doomed Earth. The Robinsons are one of a number of families chosen to travel aboard the mothership Resolute to colonize a new world 26 trillion miles away on Alpha Centauri.

But far out in space, something dire happens (I won't spoil it for you), and the Robinsons and a number of others evacuate early in their Jupiter pods and crash on a mysterious planet that looks suspiciously like British Columbia. How convenient.

Drama ensues because, given human nature, not all the dangers are alien.

Here's the roster of characters:

Maureen Robinson (Molly Parker, Deadwood) is a brilliant aerospace engineer and married to John, but their marriage (her second) has been strained due to his frequent absences. She is the mother of three, the younger two with John.

John Robinson (Toby Stephens, Black Sails) is a goal-oriented former U.S. Marine. He is the biological father of Penny and Will and the stepfather of Judy.

Judy Robinson (Taylor Russell, Falling Skies) is Maureen's biracial 18-year-old daughter from her first marriage. Judy is strong-willed and trained to be a doctor.

Penny Robinson (Mina Sundwall, Maggie's Plan) is the sardonic middle child operating in the shadow of her overachieving older sister.

Will Robinson (Max Jenkins, Sense8) is the creative 11-year-old youngest child with a high level of self doubt and anxiety. Until, that is, he saves, then befriends the Robot.

Don West (Ignacio Serricchio, Bones) is a wisecracking mechanical engineer and smuggler with a tender heart beneath his charming macho exterior.

Dr. Smith (Parker Posey, A Mighty Wind) is a stowaway aboard West's crashed Jupiter pod. She's a sociopathic chameleon, charismatic master manipulator and, as in the original, the main antagonist, only without redeeming humor.

Robot (Brian Steele, Harry and the Hendersons) is a towering shape-shifting sentient alien automaton that assumes a more humanoid form to bond with with his little buddy, Will. Thanks to his sparkly facemask, Robot does some swell emoting without ever saying anything other than "Danger, Will Robinson."

• Quantico. Season 3 finally arrives at 9 p.m. today on ABC. It stars Priyanka Chopra as Alex Parrish. She gives up her idyllic life in Italy to help rescue a friend.

2018 NFL Draft. For die-hard pro football fans, Day 1, Round 1 airs at 7 p.m. today on Fox live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Be prepared -- it'll run until 10:30 p.m.

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Weekend on 04/26/2018

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