Would you watch an Underworld TV series?
I'll admit it. I'm an Underworld apologist. I know that all three Underworld movies are flashy, derivative and have little to offer in terms of story, suspense or character, but I still love 'em. I caught Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans yesterday and, save for one of the dumbest sex scenes ever filmed, it was pretty awesome. Michael Sheen was great as a mutant Che Guevara, Bill Nighy's over the top, er, vamping was exceedingly watchable, and director Patrick Tatopoulos really knows how to film dudes shoving swords into other dudes' faces. It was six bucks well spent. The Underworld movies always leave me wanting more – perhaps because they all hint at a great story but never really deliver it – and more is what we might get. Franchise creator Len Wiseman is dropping hints about a possible Underworld TV series. No deal is in place yet, but I can see Spike or even Sci Fi showing interest in the idea.
Wiseman says he'd like the series to jump through time, possibly depicting the films' vampire vs. werewolf war over many centuries. That sounds somewhat intriguing. Vampires and werewolves are immortal, so it might be fun to follow the same characters around in different time periods. Still, Wiseman and crew will have to do a whole lot better in the story department to make a TV series work.
Vampires and werewolves might be hot right now, and I'm sure an Underworld series would deliver high style and decent action, but it would have to bring something new and fresh to the genre to really stand out. Unfortunately, "new" and "fresh" are words that are rarely – if ever -- used to describe this franchise. Honestly, I thought Underworld's next incarnation would be a straight-to-DVD flick.
Would you watch the Death Dealers pursue the Lycans on TV, or should the Underworld franchise take its rightful place in straight-to-DVD land?

13 Comments