05 January 2007

Would’ve been really good 3 years or so ago...

Originally called, “Let’s Rob…Mick Jagger” this show generated buzz rather early because of the superstar’s name attached to it. But because of a request from the star himself, the series’ title was changed from that to Knights of Prosperity. Which kinda got me confused. From the title alone, I thought this was a show about a crusade or something... I mean swordfights, elaborate battle scenes and all that.

It is actually a show about a heist (yup, that’s it --- to rob Mick Jagger). But because TV viewers don’t seem to warm up to such a concept (e.g. no love for Smith and definitely no love for Heist, two shows that last year aired and subsequently got cancelled faster than you can say, “Let’s Rob Mick Jagger!”), those behind KoP thought it best to do the same concept but infuse some silliness into it; that instead of a suspense series, why not push for comedy?

Did it work?

On first look, it just might. If only for that Iranian character (I laughed mostly at his quips!). But here is where I have my reservations: KoP would have been a really, really good show, had it aired first in 2004 or 2003. But right now, it feels to me like it’s an average copy of maybe… My Name is Earl.

Reviews have said this is one of the best new comedies of the season. But personally, that may be overstating things a bit. I’ll give it a couple more episodes, and then maybe I could agree.

Synopsis of KoP (courtesy of BuddyTV):
On The Knights of Prosperity, Eugene Gurkin (played by Donal Logue) dreams of quitting his graveyard janitorial job and opening up a bar. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the money. After watching an episode of "Cribs", Eugene decides to recruit a group of amateur thieves to pull off a dream heist: robbing Mick Jagger's apartment.

Knights of Prosperity
Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
Original Airing: Jan 3rd 2007
Network: ABC