Review: 'The Cape'

When the Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed a few years back, the memory of that disaster was seared into the minds of everyone at NASA. And what haunts many employees of the space agency is the suspicion that, as the shuttle plunged into the ocean...several of the astronauts were still alive. 

It's a guilt that runs deep in NASA, and it's the cause of a lot of sleepless nights. Not surprisingly, that memory is also a pivotal point in the new syndicated dramatic series about the space program, "The Cape."

Even if the show was a dog, I'd be happy to see *anything* this season that isn't being shot in the woods of British Columbia. But "The Cape" has more going for it than just its look...although the look of the show is pretty spectacular.

"The Cape" takes places at Cape Canaveral and it is, quite simply, a show about astronauts. It's been compared to the book and film "The Right Stuff" and that's a fair comparison. The show is full of all of the backstage maneuverings that made that movie a success. The astronauts are brave, troubled, individuals. They are by turns selfless and entirely self-absorbed. They are all too human. The show has hired Buzz Aldrin to be creative consultant and it shows. It's filled with a lot of deft little touches that could only come from someone who'd been there.

Of course, there have been little "adjustments" made to fit the series into the prime time marketplace. The astronauts seem to spend an inordinate time at the beach, and there are enough interconnected relationships to keep Jenny Jones busy for a week. And apparently, NASA has *never* hired an ugly astronaut.

The cast is solid, if sometimes uninspired. They haven't quite figured out how to play stoic *and* interesting. But next week's episode is much improved and I think they'll come into their own as the season progresses. The best known of the cast is Corbin Bernsen, who is no doubt happier than anyone this series came along, since last season he was hosting the mind-numbingly inane supernatural program "The Extraordinary."

The pilot was directed by Ian Toynton, who did a great job last season on UPN's short-lived series "Nowhere Man." He shows a steady hand in the two-hour episode, even if he films more shots of the American flag than you'd see on a Bob Dole campaign commercial. He does do a good job of keeping the episode flowing smoothly and the special effects are sharply done. The sequences in space are believable and realistic.

How much you like this show probably depends on whether or not you've ever thought about what it would be like to be an astronaut. If you have...you won't be disappointed.

"The Cape" is a syndicated one hour series. Check your local listings.

THE CAST:
Corbin Bernsen.......USAF Col. Henry "Bull" Eckert
Adam Baldwin.........Col. Jack Riles 
Cameron Bancroft.....Capt. Ezekiel "Zeke" Beaumont
Bobby Hosea..........Marine Pilot Maj. Reggie Warren 
David Kelsey.........D.B. Woods, ASCAN 
Katie Mitchell.......NASA Chief PAO Andrea Miller
Bobbie Phillips......Navy Pilot Lt. Cmd. Barbara De Santos,ASCAN 
Chad Willett.........Peter Engel, ASCAN
Sam Anderson.........Kevin Davis 
Michael Hartson......Curt Beaumont 
Tyra Ferrell.........Mission Specialist Tamara St. James 
Leslie Hardy.........Dr. Suzanna Cassell
Mark Lanier..........Fred Toby