IF you were a teenager in the late ’80s, then Scott Bakula was as much a demi god with Quantum Leap as gadget guy MacGyver or – fan favourite – David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight (Knight Rider).
In a nutshell they were, ahem, the A-team of the small screen.
While some went on to flourish in other shows à la The Hoff, success didn’t come as easily to others.
But over the years, Bakula has meandered his way into an array of mediocre movies and the semi-popular comedy drama, Men of a Certain Age.
That’s why NCIS: New Orleans is a big deal for the sexagenarian actor.
It marks a huge turning point in his largely slumped career.
Aside from looking like Mark Harmon’s (NCIS) twin – he slots into his role with astonishing ease.
While he is very much a take-charge character akin to Leroy Jethro Gibbs (NCIS), he also harnesses that nurturing side of Hetty Lange (NCIS: LA). That said, he has his own idiosyncrasy – he cooks and he has a more relaxed demeanour than his counterparts.
He also has a team that, to some extent, uncannily mirror the relationship shared between Anthony and Ziva or Deeks and Kensi, for that matter.
On the introduction of this instalment, Bakula shared: “At the moment, we are off to a really good start. We are just getting started in terms of what the show could be, what the characters are going to be and we are still kind of riding high on crossovers in the episodes with Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly coming down – and a bunch of great guest help from the mother ship. But we are making it our own and that’s really exciting to move forward and see what we can carve.”
Shedding light on his character, he offered: “This guy can be so many different things. He’s flawed. Somebody who is as passionate as he is is going to make mistakes because you are letting your heart kind of run things sometimes. And that can get you into trouble.”
As for the setting of this series, Bakula offered: “First of all, the city is known around the planet and it has an appeal. I don’t think everybody understands what that appeal is, but there’s just something about New Orleans; whether it is Mardi Gras, whether it’s the food, whether it’s the music. It could be in any order – but there’s a certain mystique about it.”
In the same way that critics were a bit sceptical when CSI decided to sign on Ted Danson to steer the ship, I’m sure there were some muted suspicions when news of Bakula made headlines.
Like Danson, though, Bakula takes up the baton with commendable conviction.
This may be foreign territory – genre-wise – for him. But he is fast gaining command of his new domain.
• NCIS: New Orleans airs on M-Net from Thursday, April 2 at 9.30pm.
Successful spin-offs in the genre
LAW & ORDER: This is the series at the top of the crime drama echelon. Aside from Dick Wolf’s creation being the longest-running crime drama on US primetime TV – 20 seasons – it’s also the show with the most successful spinoffs: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (16 seasons), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (10 seasons) and Law & Order: UK (8 seasons). Both Law & Order: Trial by Jury and Law & Order: LA blemished that triumphant streak.
CSI: Gill Grissom was the anchor of this series. In giving viewers a fly-on-the-wall perspective of the forensic crime-solving landscape, the series created a gap for such shows in Hollywood. Hence the birth of CSI: Miami (10 seasons) and CSI: New York (nine seasons). Sadly, the original, with 15 seasons to its credit, has outlived its counterparts. Now all hopes are pinned on CSI: Cyber revolutionising the franchise.
JAG: With Donald P Bellisario marrying military and legal drama, it triggered the NCIS franchise. NCIS is already 12 seasons in and going strong with NCIS: LA following with six instalments. Now, NCIS: New Orleans has joined the entertainment bandwagon.
CRIMINAL MINDS: A little darker than other shows in its genre, this series has attracted a global fanbase with its well-etched, compelling storylines that meander into the evil worlds of its serial killers. A spin-off, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour, has been confirmed, to be helmed by Forest Whitaker (BAU Team Leader Samuel Cooper) and Janeane Garofalo (Senior SSA Beth Griffith).