Human Target (continued)

One of the aspects of "Human Target" I like is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. In this respect, the stories and characters are very much in the vein of the classic James Bond movies. "Human Target" makes no pretense of being serious drama. Shows like "24," on the other hand, feed us over-the-top content and take themselves deadly seriously. Everything's a crisis in these shows, every choice a life-and-death decision. You'll never see Jack Bauer flirting with a sexy client while bashing in the heads of the bad guys. I often wonder if Thomas Gibson's face hurts after shooting episodes of "Criminal Minds," in which he seems to wear a perpetual scowl, brows furrowed with concern over everything.

Amid such overly serious content, it's fun to enjoy an adventurous romp like "Human Target." Certainly there are other shows that are more fantasy than reality and seem to have fun with their subject matter. "Fringe" springs to mind. But even "Fringe's" title suggests it can't take itself entirely seriously. "Human Target" is more reminiscent of "The Destroyer" series of books. It's serious stuff, but Remo Williams, like Christopher Chance, hardly takes anything too seriously. It's not in his nature. The stakes are often high and the bad guys are, well, very bad, but you'll never catch Chance or Remo scowling and looking overly concerned about it. They just do their thing.

It usually takes me a while to feel comfortable with the characters in a series, but after watching just a few episodes, I already like the characters in "Human Target." Winston is a great straight man to Chance's facetiousness. Characters like Chance usually work best when they have a foil for their antics.

And poor Winston's got his hands full because Guerrero is also a loose cannon. Neither he nor Chance are the kind of dogs that heel when they're told do so. Two renegades, one straight man, lots of beautiful women ... it's all in good fun.