Premise:
He is immortal. Born in the Highlands of Scotland 400 years ago. He is not alone. There are others like him, some good, some evil. For centuries he has battled the forces of darkness, with holy ground his only refuge. He cannot die, unless you take his head, and with it his power. In the end there can be only one. He is Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander.
Comments:
This series took the Immortal mythos originated in the Highlander movie and built it. It followed Duncan MacLeod, who was from the same clan as Connor MacLeod. The episodes usually broke down into two parts: the present and a parallel flashback story set in a historical period. The episode would maintain the same style and music in both parts. The series also introduced The Watchers, mortals who knew about Immortals, which added more intrigue and not solely rely on a "Weekly Immortal Showdown." Immortal mythos was explored with dark quickenings, new immortals, child immortals, the mentoring of Immortals, and insane Immortals.
The series had strong writing and the acting was more than credible. Adrian Paul, as Duncan MacLeod, potrayed a barbarian one week and a James Bond knockoff the next week with equal ease. He had a background in martial arts, which added credibility to his character. The show also created several memorable recurring characters. Amanda was a beautiful thief. Fitzcairn (played by The Who's Roger Daltrey) was a lovable rascal. Joe was Duncan's mortal Watcher, who broke the rules by admitting the Watchers' existence to Duncan. Methos, the oldest living immortal, usually conflicted with Duncan over MacLeod's sense of chivalry and honor.
The final season of the show was a bit disappointing, although it did explore the supporting characters. The show crossed genres and was part science fiction, part historical fiction, part anthology. It crossed styles as well from comedy to swashbuckling romance to action-thriller. It frequently discussed faith, religion and God, which are topics that most shows won't delve into nowadays. Somehow, in basing a show around fictional Immortals, it created some of the most realistic characters and stories. Unfortunately, the subsequent films have been very disappointing.
Highlander: The Series Cast & Crew List:
Gregory Widen
Peter Davis
William Panzer
Adrian Paul
Stan Kirsch
Alexandra Vandernoot
Jim Byrnes
Peter Wingfield
Elizabeth Gracen
