Rambling about the New Tick

Amazon’s New Tick Pilot

I really enjoy being able to participate in Amazon’s Pilot Season – The Man in the High Castle was great and that became a series that was really enjoyable, and hopefully the new Tick will too. While the limited 9 episode run in 2001 was cancelled too soon for my taste, I really enjoyed Patrick Warburton’s take on the character. Actually, ever since I found out about the superhero in 1994 on Saturday morning TV, I’ve loved him and his band of friends.

This incarnation looks like it could be good too. The title character, The Tick, is played by someone I’m not really familiar with, Peter Serafinowicz, but he pulls it off ok. I guess he was the voice of Darth Maul in Phantom Menace, but I’m not sure I would have put the two together without IMDB. In any case, he seems to work well for the blue hero.

Arthur is played by Griffin Newman who I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere, but he pulls it off pretty well. It also seems like this incarnation of the show might focus a bit more on Arthur as he seems to be the lead character in the pilot. His sister Dot is also front and center in the premiere, but there is a reference to Arthur taking his medications. I’m not so sure I like where that may be headed – I don’t recall there being any question about sanity or hallucinations in previous versions of the tale, but it could make some sense since they are running around in costumes fighting evil.

The costume for the Terror was so good, in fact, that I didn’t realize he was played by Jackie Earle Haley…the infamous Rorschach, and one of my favorite actors. He shows up to prove how menacing evil is by eating Aurthur’s ice cream when he was a child. I guess, he also killed Arthur’s father, but…that just sorta happened.

In all, the show was pretty good for a pilot. There were definitely some rough edges but I think the story came across well. They could use some attention to pacing and the CGI wasn’t the best, but they can work out those kinks when the series gets going for real. And I certainly hope it gets a full run of episodes.

If you get a chance, check it out and let me know what you think.