The Prisoner is one tv show that should be running on some sort of classic cable television channel. Well, either that or it deserves a full service remake! Having gone through the Bush administration 'Twilight Zone', many Americans got a dose of what it feels like to be trapped in some secret village, where pivotal decisions are made by a puppeteer and some obscure fraudulent leader.
Patrick McGoohan, who starred in, co-wrote, and co-produced The Prisoner, died this past Tuesday. Before McGoohan took the reigns of The Prisoner and became "6", he gained fame as "John Drake", the hero of the television show Secret Agent. (No doubt you've heard the Secret Agent theme song recorded by Johnny Rivers.) What made The Prisoner such a brilliant show was the fact that it channeled the angst of a world that for many, had become somewhat of a prison.
The jail analogy for everyday man was a new concept in the turbulent times of 1968. More importantly, the basic premise of The Prisoner helped to transform how stories could be shown and told on modern television. At a time where intriguing television dramas are being snuffed out by utterly thoughtless reality knock-offs and shameful remakes, (think Howie Mandels's Howie Do It or the "new" Knight Rider), a solid update of The Prisoner would sore big right now, if it were to be remade. Unfortunately, however, the major networks are shit out of cash, and they're not interested in running any programming that isn't cheap and damn-near guaranteed to keep the lights on. And the cable networks, who are now truly in the "prime time" driver's seat, are seemingly more concerned with "artsy" send-ups and/or story-lines tinged with supposedly taboo subject matter. Therefore, a remake of The Prisoner isn't likely, but if it were to ever capture a network green light, I'm ready with my storyline pitches.
-Amir Said
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