I’ve been following My Own Worst Enemy starring Christian Slater since it started.
I really enjoyed it and I found it well written. It intertwined an evolving storyline over a number of episodes that was interlaced with good, old fashioned drama, character tension and one heck of an underlying humor theme between the two personalities the Slater played.
Apparently the complicated theme was too much for viewers – as the ratings were just plain trash from day one and NBC has canceled the show.
Christian Slater played a spy who had a brain chip implant that switched personalities between the No. 1 spy in the agency and his cover, a family man. I found it a confusing premise because I thought there were better ways to have a spy lay low, besides having himself turned off and then risk exposure by raising a family.
The chip breaks and they have no control over when either one would show up. Now in my book, sending your best top-notch spy into action when he could revert to a know nothing family-man is stupid. I admit it. There. I do have a practical perspective.
What I did find engaging was the family-man personality, Henry Spivey, once he understood the situation, struggling to cope with the fact that he is a manufactured personality that never really existed except in the chip. As he tries to deal with this situation, he fights to take control of the life he thinks he knows. But spy-master Edward Albright quietly discovers the deeds that Henry pulls off and thwarts him at every turn.
It’s the master battle of siblings, within the same body!
The humor I found entertaining was the way they took shots at each other:
-Henry broke his own finger to try and keep Edward from going on missions. Edward got even by not taking pain meds.
-Henry give Edwards favorite watch away in a deal. Edward gets it back, and messed with something of Henry’s.
It was this constant subterfuge of little things that kept some levity to the show.
The funniest part was when Edward would spend “quality” time with his (Henry’s) wife. The next morning, Henry would find his wife extra lovey and ask him why he never did the hummingbird before? After a moments thought, he understood and wasn’t happy. After that, on and off Henry would wake up, look under the sheets, and cuss.
Yet they could work together and Henry was catching on to the spy game, so there was a good balance of teamwork and angst.
Though I really enjoyed the show, realistically I didn’t think it was going to last. This show HAD to have been followed from the onset to understand the complicated story line or you’d never get it. And that is why, IMHO, the ratings have floundered every week and Enemy has been canceled. I felt the writing and character development were on par with Journeyman, but the subject was just too plain convoluted and doomed to failure. The Nielsen families just wanted to go home and relax. Not have to wrap their minds around an intricate story line. It probably didn’t help that the show followed the floundering epic tale of confusion called Heroes either, and people could only take so much convolution in one night.
If they had dropped the malfunctioning chip crap and just had Henry, as himself, dealing with Edward’s enemies if they had discovered his home life, it just may have been a doable, more understandable story line. I applaud the original idea, but they needed to make it simpler. Just one man dealing with his cover and his job. Instead, they kept adding other split-chip personality agents to the storyline and I was getting confused of and on despite being on-board from day one.
In days gone past, if a show was floundering, they’d inject a hot looking character in the story and hope that would work. It was always my warning bell when this happened to shows I liked. But in this economy, sponsors and advertisers are acting more swiftly to recoup their monies when and where they can.
Oh well. I know some of you are probably happy that Slater will be out of your hair, but I enjoyed Slater in this temporary role and hope something else comes along. He brings an intensity to the screen that I enjoy.
They are going to wrap filming their 9th episode, and write off the other 4 of the 13 episodes they had ordered. I think NBC should stick to the commitment and really go out with a bang instead, but that’s just my take.
I’m bummed and I don’t think any mass campaign to save the show would work, Besides, what would we do? Mail them thousands of old memory chips from our old computers?
Sorry about the crummy news, Slater fans.
Source: TV Guide
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Slater suffers from a negative image and a cocky disposition.
Wasn’t a fan of the show, but I can see how NBC would axe this after only 9 episodes. (They have no stomach for low ratings)
Reminds me of Journeyman, in a way…
I saw the writing on the wall and stopped watching after about the third episode. Really it seemed this was meant to be more of limited mini-series than an ongoing TV show.
Vic
As much as I enjoyed the episodes I saw…I knew it wasn’t going to last very long, unfortunately. It seems to me that the general TV audience would rather watch “Survivor: 458″ or “The 23rd Amazing Race” than something that actually engages the mind…
I was on board with this until this week’s episode. I almost stopped watching 10 minutes in. They were just throwing too much at the wall to see if it would stick. The pains that the therapist, his supervisor, the computer tech, and the other spy go to in order to protect him is ludicrous. I mean, they had him in a corner and then made up some ridiculous and unbelievable plot twist to get him out of it. I was planning on doing something else at 10 on Mondays anyway now, so this news doesn’t disappoint me.
Real bummer. I really liked the show, and I thought it could help launch Slater back into the Hollywood spotlight. Guess I was wrong. Sure, the show had an odd premise. But I really enjoyed seeing the back and forth between Henry and Edward. Do you know how many more episodes will air Bruce?
we knew it would happen before it started, no shocker
PLEZZZZ…I’m begging NBC to package all 9 (if not 13) episodes into DVD for sell at all video outlets…then you’ll see how many of us were “fiercely” hooked and need to be able to embrace Christian
at our leisure…i speak for many when i say waiting for Mon. at 10 with bated breath became somewhat of a ritual satisfied only when the burst of genius came on the screen…and he still fine as when he starred in “True Romance”…i
daviedave_47: Exactly my point.
Jon: I haven’t been counting, but if they actually air all 9, I think we’ve seen 4 or 5 episodes. We’ve got a few to go if they do choose to air them.
My guess: NBC will chop it before we get to see all 9.
We’re not their favored demographic.
auntie i: No matter what we do in regards to buying DVD’s, the actors move on and they are usually non-retrievable for a series once they get other gigs going.
All I can say is buy it to support the studios and maybe Slater will get a cut of it.
Mark: Even though I really liked it – yes, it was becoming a stretch of any sort of logic with how many sticky balls they threw at a wall that wasn’t even there.
Meanwhile, on another front of non-reality: Knight Rider gets a chance to reboot itself and keep going! Sigh.
Sorry Christian, I just didn’t get enough people enthused over your confusing story line, or line story… or whatever it was.
NBC sure likes to stick it in and break it off,,,
They’re replacing “My Own Worst Enemy” with “Lipstick Jungle”…
Aaaaaaarrrrghhhh !!
Lipstick was canceled also.
Oh I thought I read that they were bringing it back?
Well that’s a relief.
There IS a grass roots movement to save the show. It probably should have started before the first episode aired given the subject matter.
I don’t think signing a petition will work but what the hell. Here’s the link if anyone wants to at least throw their two cents in.
http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/my-own-worst-enemy-petition-nbc-to-%20keep-the-christian-slater-tv-show-on-the-air/
I watched this show. Unfortunately, about five minutes in, Slater’s butt is naked and I don’t care. I never went back, cause it insulted my intelligence. Plus he’s such a horribly range-less actor. AND it’s all a transparent 24 knock-off. I’m glad it’s gone. Hopefully Heroes will die too, cause I’m tired of getting three new sentences of dialogue per episode. I quit watching that last season. I tried again this season, but no dice. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
They only ordered 8 eps of Worst Week, I heard, and they were bringing it back next season. I enjoy Worst Week.
A rip off of 24? Really? I would think it would have been a hit then since almost every show on TV is a rip off of whatever’s a successful at the moment. I’ve never watched 24 but I’ll take your word for it.
I loved the show but that’s just me. Obviously I must be in the minority since they trashed it so fast.
oneplusone: What’s “Worst Week”? Shows that are introduced that are not expected to make it? If so, that’s pretty clever. The term, I mean. Not wasting the audiences time. That’s pretty crappy.
If that’s not what it means, please let me know.
They should have cancelled Heros! I was enjoying My Own Worst Enemy alot more then what Heros has become!
yea, but instead they only fire 2 of the Heroes writers instead of the show.
I’m with ya James.
I have never missed an episode of Heroes. Until this season. I can completely agree that instead of canceling My On Worst Enemy, Heroes should have been canceled. I LOVE MOWE!!!! Great show and I can’t believe some think that the concept is too far fetched. It is without a doubt the best new show in my opinion.
It can’t get canceled!!!! Aargh!
Ayyyyyyy Bruce n babies…i just signed
and sent the petition…anything else i can do just let me know…billboards,C/W ditties…like…MOWE GONE…NBC U KNOW U
DONE WRONG…WHERE’S THE PETITION BRING IT ON…SO ALL OF US CAN SING A DIFF. SONG…AND DON’T BE LONG!!! poutin An-t-I
well, iv never mised an episode of heros, or my own worst enemy. these are both great shows and the could have cut back on other shows. like night rider, THIS WAS ALREADY DONE 30 YEARS AGO, plus the remake sucks. i cant watch it. this and kath & kim should have been axed. there both just crappy remakes of other shows
Sheesh, just when I’d almost forgiven them for cancelling Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip they go and do this (cancel My Own Worst Enemy). What does NBC have against intelligent television anyway?
NBC and Intelligent TV is an oxymoron. Heavy on the moron.
I really like the show, the plots, the characters, and the writing. I guess the dialogue was a bit too esoteric for the reality show morons. For an older person such as myself, there is very little left on the tube worth watching, unless sex is your main reason for viewing. Shifting Jay Leno, thus, adding another boring hour of listening to vacuous airheads and watching flity ferries who sound as though their gonads have been removed, does not appeal to me.
Larry! What do you have against boats?
I like boats…I just think ferries ought to be seen and not heard.
Except for the occasional collision, right?
Daybreak
Journeyman
My Own Worst Enemy
Life on Mars
Mind-bending, time-jumping shows that get axed too soon. The networks are abandoning all their “thinking” shows. I’ll have to tune into cable networks or HBO to get anything with an actual plot any more…. AMC is doing ‘The Prisoner’ — that’s a network with BALLS.
Yes, Rich. The networks / advertises want something that hits now.. not down the road. That’s why good shows don’t get a chance to develop.
Look at Numb3rs! I’m not sure if it’s a good example, but the mind engaging show has lasted a lot longer than I thought it would!
Bruce
@Bruce
Numb3ers has thrived but I’m sure that someone is giving oral favors to keep it on the air. It’s math, for pete’s sake. How can that not be too confusing but MOWE is?
Nope, someone’s laying pipe, or sucking it or something. That’s the only way that show’s still on.