Four Essentials For A Successful New Friday The 13th Television Show
It wasn't that long ago (alright, it has been about 25 years past) that the first Friday The 13th television show was on the airways in syndication for fans to enjoy. There was just one problem, however, and that was the show had nothing to do with the film franchise or any of the situations or characters portrayed within the films at all. So fans got a few seasons of an entertaining show about people trying to track down and reclaim cursed antiques. Even though it was only linked to the film franchise in name only, behind the scenes many people associated with the films helped in the production of the television series, especially Producer Frank Mancuso Jr.
Read our Editorial asking the question is Friday The 13th: The Series Truly Part Of The Franchise?
Remember there was always that long lingering rumor that Jason Voorhees might eventually appear in one episode of the show back in the late 1980's, but that never materialized. Fans have always wondered what it would have been like to see Jason on the small screen and now it looks as though we will have our chance. The new television show will actually explore Crystal Lake and the Voorhees family. In thinking about how the new series (tentatively named Friday The 13th: Crystal Lake Chronicles by Sean Cunningham last September) would be constructed, I came up with four essentials that must be included for a fun, thrilling and successful episodic television run.
Friday The 13th Alumni Cameos
This is an excellent way to recognize the actors and actresses that help make the franchise what it is today. There are a number of possibilities that can be explored for including someone like Adrienne King or Dana Kimmel in episodes. The Producers and Writers for the new show can simply give the alumni new roles within the episodes or, for those actors that had a surviving character in the films, they could reprise their role on television, which would make for some very nostalgic and exciting entertainment.
Well Placed Homages And In-Jokes
Imagine if John LeMay, who acted in the franchise both as the lead in film in Jason Goes To Hell as well as the lead for two seasons on the old 80's television show, was given a role as an owner of a small antique shop called Curious Goods in Crystal Lake!? Or what about other stores in town such as Karlov's General Store or The Hockett's Diner and store?
Lets Finally Explore The Voorhees Dynamic
Was Jason truly a mongoloid boy? Was their always an air of evil surrounding Jason as a child as suggested in the Friday The 13th novelizations written about the earlier films? What is the curse that hung over Mrs. Voorhees and her child Jason? These questions can be looked upon and answered, but everyone wants to know if we finally will be introduced to Mr. Voorhees himself. Some fans may want all of this past left alone and preserve the mystery of the origins of Crystal Lake, but if they are going to make a show about the world of Friday The 13th, I want to know these things.
A Central Plot That Involves The Townsfolk's Involvement
It has always been assumed that the people who live in Crystal Lake are victims of a maniacal mother and her son, just as the vacationers are victims that have been murdered. What if the town and some of the people who live there are partly responsible for what happened to Jason and caused the rage of Mrs. Voorhees? A mystery could unravel to see what really happened that night at camp when Jason drowned.
As you can see, the possibilities of this new television show are limitless. If cared for and written properly, the fans will be treated to an awesome show that may rekindle older fans love affair with the films and the story that captured their imaginations in their youth. Adding to the longtime fans appreciation will be the scores of new fans that could be hooked on the town of Crystal Lake and make them gravitate to the films themselves.
Could the new show be better than the new movie being released next year? We're about to find out soon.
Read our Editorial asking the question is Friday The 13th: The Series Truly Part Of The Franchise?
Remember there was always that long lingering rumor that Jason Voorhees might eventually appear in one episode of the show back in the late 1980's, but that never materialized. Fans have always wondered what it would have been like to see Jason on the small screen and now it looks as though we will have our chance. The new television show will actually explore Crystal Lake and the Voorhees family. In thinking about how the new series (tentatively named Friday The 13th: Crystal Lake Chronicles by Sean Cunningham last September) would be constructed, I came up with four essentials that must be included for a fun, thrilling and successful episodic television run.
Friday The 13th Alumni Cameos
This is an excellent way to recognize the actors and actresses that help make the franchise what it is today. There are a number of possibilities that can be explored for including someone like Adrienne King or Dana Kimmel in episodes. The Producers and Writers for the new show can simply give the alumni new roles within the episodes or, for those actors that had a surviving character in the films, they could reprise their role on television, which would make for some very nostalgic and exciting entertainment.
Well Placed Homages And In-Jokes
Imagine if John LeMay, who acted in the franchise both as the lead in film in Jason Goes To Hell as well as the lead for two seasons on the old 80's television show, was given a role as an owner of a small antique shop called Curious Goods in Crystal Lake!? Or what about other stores in town such as Karlov's General Store or The Hockett's Diner and store?
Lets Finally Explore The Voorhees Dynamic
Was Jason truly a mongoloid boy? Was their always an air of evil surrounding Jason as a child as suggested in the Friday The 13th novelizations written about the earlier films? What is the curse that hung over Mrs. Voorhees and her child Jason? These questions can be looked upon and answered, but everyone wants to know if we finally will be introduced to Mr. Voorhees himself. Some fans may want all of this past left alone and preserve the mystery of the origins of Crystal Lake, but if they are going to make a show about the world of Friday The 13th, I want to know these things.
A Central Plot That Involves The Townsfolk's Involvement
It has always been assumed that the people who live in Crystal Lake are victims of a maniacal mother and her son, just as the vacationers are victims that have been murdered. What if the town and some of the people who live there are partly responsible for what happened to Jason and caused the rage of Mrs. Voorhees? A mystery could unravel to see what really happened that night at camp when Jason drowned.
As you can see, the possibilities of this new television show are limitless. If cared for and written properly, the fans will be treated to an awesome show that may rekindle older fans love affair with the films and the story that captured their imaginations in their youth. Adding to the longtime fans appreciation will be the scores of new fans that could be hooked on the town of Crystal Lake and make them gravitate to the films themselves.
Could the new show be better than the new movie being released next year? We're about to find out soon.
