I am – Hercules!!

Here in the states, adding “Adventures” to any project’s title after 1938? Seldom a good omen. Almost always associate that word with troubled projects. “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.” “The Adventures of Pluto Nash.” “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai.” “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.” Maybe things work differently in Britain.

“The Sarah Jane Adventures” deals with the sixtyish version of Sarah Jane Smith, who was Doctor Who’s hot twentysomething companion between 1973 and 1978 and now has her own young companions. Elisabeth Sladen, who played Smith then and (very briefly) on a “Who” episode a couple years ago, returns to the role.

Personally, I’m more keen to see what another old “Who” companion, Billie Piper, does as the star of Showtime’s “Secret Diary of A Call Girl” on Showtime this summer.

Entertainment Weekly says:

… The uneven Sarah Jane may be a lesser Who, but it's smarter than most kids' fare …

USA Today says:

… more family friendly than the amusingly adult Torchwood. …

The Chicago Tribune says:

… The show offers a satisfying dose of alien-flavored escapism, especially for younger fans of genre fare (Sarah Jane has a few hip and appealing teen companions). “Sarah Jane’s” biggest flaw is that its energetically filmed plots feel recycled from many other sci-fi programs, including the venerable “Doctor Who” …

Variety says:

… may be modestly entertaining for the moppet crowd but will test the patience of adults in this dimension or any other. …

7:30 p.m. Friday. SciFi.

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