"The Lone Gunmen" (2001) TV series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creators:

Chris Carter
Vince Gilligan
John Shiban

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

4 March 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Their missions aren't impossible... they just make them look that way.

Plot:

Spin-off of The X-Files featuring the trio of computer-hacking conspiracy geeks popularly known as The Lone Gunmen...

Plot Keywords:

Spin Off

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bruce Harwood	...	John Fitzgerald Byers (13 episodes, 2001)
Tom Braidwood	...	Melvin Frohike (13 episodes, 2001)
Dean Haglund	...	Richard 'Ringo' Langly (13 episodes, 2001)
Zuleikha Robinson	...	Yves Adele Harlow (13 episodes, 2001)
Stephen Snedden	...	Jimmy Bond (12 episodes, 2001)

Runtime:

45 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (presented in Dolby Surround)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | New Zealand:M | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

In the episode "Cap'n Toby", the series writer "John Gillnitz" is an amalgam of that episode's three writers: John Shiban', Vince Gilligan, and Frank Spotnitz.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The X Files: Jump the Shark (#9.15)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

The Lone Gunmen

Surprisingly Good

The Lone Gunmen were such minor characters in the X-Files I wasn't sure if they'd make for good subjects of a TV show. I was wrong (sort of). The show turned out to be much better than could have been expected.

The producers did have the savvy to add a couple of additional characters which strengthened the basic structure of the show. Without Jimmy Bond and Yves Adele Harlow, I think the show would have gotten bogged down with the quirkiness of the trio. In addition, the new characters brought in some fresh blood, which pumped some life into the premise.

Jimmy Bond was a cartoonish, Dudley-Do-Rightish character, but somehow the actor managed to pull it off so that Jimmy was increasingly interesting, and started to have some depth to him.

Harlow, played by Zuleikha Robinson, gave the show some needed class and mystery. She also happens to have been one of the most stunningly beautiful women I've ever seen on TV, and one of the most exotic. Robinson gave Harlow a dry wit and subtle mannerisms that both contrasted with and played off the almost clownish humor of the other characters. Robinson needs more work in film or TV.

The main trio are solid actors, and their characters were interesting. The plots were odd, often humorous, and generally very interesting. The soundtrack to the show was very distinct; I liked the theme, and the way the theme worked its way into the incidental music of the show. Plus, there was some great use of current music, like that of Fatboy Slim.

Overall, this show had a lot of potential, but probably failed to attract viewers due to its offbeat characters. I felt this was a strength of the show, and provided some much-needed variety to network TV. I wish it had lasted at least a full season; the handful of episodes that were made will hopefully crop up somewhere - the Sci-Fi Channel, perhaps? - so that they can be taped.