The original series premiered in 1967 in the UK, ran for two seasons on CBS, and gave its star Patrick McGoohan a nice afterlife signing photos at sci fi conventions (although he'd always complain that he was a... umm... "prisoner" of the role). McGoohan starred as a former British secret agent who wakes up in a seaside resort called The Village, where people are kept prisoner, referred to numbers and guarded by large white spheres called Rovers. His character, Number Six, spends the entire series trying to escape, while trying find the identity of his nemesis, Number One, who apparently runs the place.
The new series will-- no surprise-- follow the same storyline as the original.
When it debuted, The Prisoner was a totally new and challenging concept, and its influence can be seen in shows like Lost and Babylon 5, and even teasers for American Idol.
AMC is looking to start production with Britain's Granada and Sky One in the spring.
They're all looking at a worldwide debut in 2008.
Comments (2)
1 of 2 | Posted by Ubiquitous![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/nav-commenters.gif)
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Posted on December 20, 2006 5:45 AM
No! Tell me it isn't so! I hate remakes, especially when the original worked so well and was so personal to McGoohan. But, TB, The Prisoner ran one season on American television, 17 episodes, from September 1967 thru February 1968. In Britain, there was a 13 episode "first season" (McGoohan really only wanted to do 7), and then four additional episodes were filmed to squeeze the franchise and tie up loose ends. Those are sometimes referred to as the second season, but given the weird, out-of-sequence air schedule the show suffered at times, it was all a scamble in the end. The creators of the new version also claim they'll be taking liberties with the original. Ugh. Last I ever saw McGoohan, he was buying a quart of milk at a local store in Pacific Palisades. Grumpy, but perked up when I said a passing "hi #6."
2 of 2 | Posted by watcher![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tvgasm.com/newsgasm/nav-commenters.gif)
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Posted on December 20, 2006 12:00 PM