To fully understand the appeal of the Untouchables TV series, its necessary to first know the state of TV in 1993. Star Trek: The Next Generation was about to go off the air, leaving a very popular gap on Saturday night with repeats available on Sunday. Into this slot was then put the Untouchables which attracted a large audience who were looking for a new Saturday night TV show. The show easily drew people in who recalled the 1987 film, which this series is essentially an extension of with a longer drawn-out narrative and a lot more background for the characters. The series essentially told the story of the film, and in two seasons the series had to end because there was no more story after Capone went to prison. In this sense, The Untouchables was way ahead of its time, essentially a pre-determined length serries much like Fringe or the 4400 would be a decade or so later. Pure genius all around, great acting, and awesome action for a TV show, at the level of a made-for-cable movie yet syndicated on network television.
Review of The Untouchables
