I have read the other reviews and frankly they scare me. I understand how you can like something because it is nostalgic, or even, in the extreme case, like something bad because it defines a moment in your life (google "stockholm syndrome") but this parade of glowing reviews for this forgettable show sorta scares me. Here is the skinny: 1. The 60s was a crazy time. Things that made sense then would not make sense now. 2. The over-arching theme was re-invention. This is common throughout history. The flip-side of reinvention was the doctrine of Exceptionalism. Essentially, because we are here now, because we are the majority now, because we reinvented this now, it (ergo) must be great. Even if it was not. 3. The phenomenon in #2 is often referred to as "camp." Camp explains the stylized violence and goofy music and cardboard villains in shows like this one, and also Batman. 4. Those that actually watched these shows (eg - Batman) did not do so because they were actually exceptional, but rather because they were all that was available at the time. There was actually a term for this in the 60s, it was called "LOP" or "least objectionable program." One might theorize for example that if you had offered a viewer in the 60s an actual choice between the Hornet/Batman campy stuff and, say, ARROW, from this decade, they would choose the latter and eschew the former. BUT THERE WAS NO CHOICE. That is the key. 5. Those that attempted to watch this show -- the verb chosen suggests an effort and the fact it was cancelled suggests the effort mainly failed -- did so almost entirely because of Bruce Lee, who seemed to, among other things, levitate at will, and be able to knock out an overhead ceiling light with a single kick, much to the astonishment of the camera crew trying to film it. And many of his scenes had to refilmed several times to catch the action. (Lee would ultimately try out for Kung Fu and be passed over for a non-Asian actor with no martial arts training, and be bitter about this for years.)
Review of The Green Hornet
