Harry has seen all 13 episodes of Cartoon Network's Live Action Series TOWER PREP created by PAUL DINI!

Hey folks, Harry here with a dip into the Coaxial side of life. There's a new series debuting tomorrow night on CARTOON NETWORK by Paul Dini - For those of us that love the best of televised Animation & comic books, we've grown to trust in Mr Paul Dini. But what about live action? When you write for animated shows, you can often times find yourself pigeon-holed. However, in this case - it has worked out for Dini. At CARTOON NETWORK, they know how talented Paul is - and when he brought them his idea for a new Live Action show, they wisely listened. What is TOWER PREP? That's the driving question of the show. Paul isn't someone that dumbs things down for a kid audience, instead he aims high and hopes the kids are willing to jump to catch it all. Or that perhaps they'll revisit things as an adult and catch all the little things he's planted for their brains to soak up. Having seen all 13 First Season Episodes - I can answer that question. TOWER PREP is that complete rarity. A show starring High School age looking actors that not only, doesn't suck, but is one of the best shows on TV. With Glen Morgan (X-FILES) guiding the show with Dini - what you have is a show that all at once has elements of HARRY POTTER, THE PRISONER, LOST & classic silver age X-MEN. It does that, without ever being too much of any of those. Added throughout are some of Dini's specific fetishes, along with Morgan's. The fight scenes, especially as the show goes on, remind me of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES fight scenes. Just in the way they're staged. The show has genuinely shocking revelations, hurtful betrayals and some real teeth. And finally there's a show that's final shot of the final episode of the season, genuinely will make you go, WHAT THE FUCK, NO WAY!!! And you will be dying for the start of season 2, because... well, you'll see. The series starts off slow, introducing characters and building the relationships that you'll begin to care about once the stakes get raised, and they definitely get raised. But they're bound and determined to draw very clear characters that you care about. In the first four episodes, you really get to know the show's lead, Ian Archer played by Drew Van Acker. Who I kinda wish somebody took back in time and cast as Anakin, cuz his Ian Archer is closer to what I imagined pre-turned Anakin should have been. He has the ability to sense a second or two in advance of something happening. I refer to it as basically Spidey-Sense or what Daredevil has. Ian has no clue why he's there. Where there is. Nor who to trust. But he runs into three others that he comes to trust. There's CJ - the obvious romantic attraction for Ian, though you'd be surprised how many characters they'll bring at Ian. CJ has the ability to discern the truth from someone, through slight imperceptible changes in the body - and perhaps more, later. She's attractive & cute - with a chip on her shoulder. I LOVE HER CHARACTER STORYLINE over the season. Then there's Suki Sato - who has the ability to perfectly imitate any voice or sound that she hears. An incredibly helpful talent in a number of situations. All the technology of TOWER PREP has her last name on it, her father's company, she learns a lot this season. Then there's my favorite character, Gabe Forrest - played to utter perfection by Ryan Pinkston. Gabe is Paul Dini as a young man. Gabe's power is to bullshit you into doing his will. If you let Gabe talk long enough, you'll become his puppet. Gabe reminds me of a young Richard Dreyfus in his manner, though not at all visually. If you commit to the season, he will delight you to no end. Now, that thing that I love about the show is that this is a real school, the kids are being taught things, some of the episodes work like a week's worth of school and the defining assignment of that week - and how these four can use that assignment to work on their overall plan of escape. As it continues, characters we thought of as enemies are proven to be allies, as well as incredibly deceitful rat bastards. The school isn't some new place either, it has been around for quite some time. Some of the teachers were students, but there seem to be outside influences constantly interfering with the balance of figuring out exactly what is going on. Don't worry, you will learn the answers to many of the initial questions, but the goody goody of this show are the questions you have as a gift from the season finale. I thought that the show this season I would be crowing loudest about would be BOARDWALK EMPIRE, but outside of a stunning first outing by Scorsese... I'm still watching, but I am curious if I should be. This is a show that you can watch with the family, that is not painful, but rather invigorating. AND - if you don't have kids - if you're still young at heart in the least, this'll catch ya. I know that the notion of watching a live action show on CARTOON NETWORK, is something that none of us should necessarily be supporting. But then, I remember when LAND OF THE LOST jumped into my Saturday Morning line-up and how thrilled I was at the difference. But more than that, CARTOON NETWORK has put down money to support a live action PAUL DINI action/mystery/funny/emotional/quasi-mutant/paranoid/thriller show about the prep-school of our dreams and nightmares. It should be Prime Time ABC. Especially with Glen Morgan running the show. If you're a geek in good standing, there's only one place to be tomorrow night - and that is CARTOON NETWORK - watch all 13 and you'll really love it. I promise.