And though the show was already canceled nearly a year ago, some eight thousand nine hundred and eighty nine miles away in the country from which it derived, The Almighty Johnsons almighty indeed; and even with their delayed arrival these formidable Johnsons have got the power and may just give you people in America where it is now being screened on the little silvers - a valid remit for staying snug at home on a Friday evening. And while yes there are people that have already reserved the allotted night for a date with the sofa and the latest variety of Lean Pocket sandwiches, this hybrid science-fiction comedy series that came from the collective cerebellums of James Griffin (Mercy Park, Diplomatic Immunity) and Rachel Lang is sure to bring a bit of life to your party of one.
And as to why that heavy-handed ax decided to descend itself on this South Pacific Pictures series last December is another one for those elusive books and if you've been keeping up with this current SyFy channel offering - just a few episodes into the lives of these almighty souls which come in the form of a quartet of siblings :Axl (Emmett Couling Skilton), Mike (Timothy Balme), Anders (Dean O'Gorman) and Ty (Jared Turner) oh and a cousin/grandfather Olaf (yes you read that right folks) may leave you counting down the moments (whether or not you suffer OCD, and I do mean that with love) until the third. In the first installment of the series, Axl who has just celebrated his 21st birthday is about to undergo a most unusual rite of passage. In the deep dark of the forest and all, as he is whisked away by his brothers for this extra special initiation where a singular bolt of lightning transforms the young Axl's life forever more. You see, this ain't no ordinary Kiwi clan - this brood, they only just happen to be card-carrying descendants of Norse gods and with a little transubstantiation trickery - voila, Axl is now the very embodiment of the god Odin, you know that weirdy beardy fellar sometimes referred to as the 'Allfather of the Gods'.
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| Odin to a Summer's Day |
And while these brothers have just come into their own with their respective super-god abilities, much in the vein of William Katt's Ralph Hinkley during an epic fail flight the first time he took to the skies after acquiring his specific powers in The Greatest American Hero, these boys aren't quite the size of their britches yet, but if ye have a little faith they may just get there eventually. In the mean time you may find yourself just floored by Hoor/Ty, now he would be the designated glacier god and if your refrigerator is on the fritz I am quite sure Hoor could sort it out for you, having an extreme threshold for the cold comes in mighty handy in that business.
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| And they can do 'normal' too. |
The surreal aspects of this series may have even lured Mr. Kovacs to that couch, where else on American television can you find a character that has the bragging rights of being his own great-grandfather, well there was that one time circa 1980-something on Days of Our Lives -and hey have you seen the one with Marlena in the flying coffin? And given the strange but wonderful premise of Almighty Johnsons there won't be any such denying on my behalf that it hosts its fair share of mawkishness but by the by - isn't it refreshing to hear all those Auckland accents and discover -no Virginia, this isn't The Lord of The Rings Chapter 119.
The Almighty Johnsons airs Friday evening at 10 P.M. Eastern Time on the SyFy network, check your local listings. Also, if you fancy this series and are inclined - there is an online petition you may sign to revive it Petition To Renew Almighty Johnsons