As a lifelong Robinson Crusoe fan I was excited to find this show. The drama flits between excellent period drama driven by Sam Neill's conniving Jeremiah Blackthorne and the absurd and twee politically correct world on the island.Robinson Crusoe has set up an Ewok style village in the trees with Ichabod Crane style ingenuity that, just as in Sleepy Hollow, is designed to amuse a modern audience. Phillip Winchester plays a decent role as Robinson Crusoe for the most part but is so much lighter in countenance than Defoe's Crusoe or anyone else marooned on an island for years and is reminiscent of Michael Praed's Robin Hood but Praed's romantically brooding sadness has been replaced with a slightly smug confidence in his own ability and 21st century values.I am also confused at the choice of Tongayi Chirisa as "Friday", a rescued sacrificial victim. He looks and sounds African which would have made no sense for a South American tribesman in the 17th century. Also why he would speak English to his father when the Spanish sailors speak Spanish to each other is a mystery of modern screen writing.The dialogue between Crusoe and Friday is often trite and primarily involves Crusoe being right about more or less everything yet telling everyone how much he respects Friday as an equal - yet he admits on several occasions that he only calls him "Friday" because he couldn't pronounce his real name, which slightly smacks of racism "a l'indifference".Crusoe's biggest problem as television is patchy writing and while the finale ticks all the boxes and is genuinely exciting, huge chunks of the show seem to just feature Robinson and Friday playing around and this is not only wasted story time but ultimately meant that ratings dropped beneath the recommissioning level. I would have been far more interested in both characters' backstories in a more detailed way than the barely satisfactory flashback sequences we are given and also just a little bit less smiling and a bit more grit.Also it drives me crazy how when fighting bloodthirsty cannibals or pirates that Robinson and Friday are happier to kick their foe in the head than kill them...very "A-Team" I am afraid. Also despite Friday being lauded constantly by Crusoe for his warrior skills and intelligence, Friday twice allows captives to play dead and then take him prisoner and fails to realise that when he has his own hands chained that he could easily throttle his captor with his foot long manacle chain.Visually superb however and a great show for kids, I wanted this to be so much better than it was and it had the cast, crew and writers (based on the bits filmed in England at least) to do so. Sadly not surprised it didn't get a second season. Too bad!

What i really miss these days, is Writers writing stories that actually makes sense...So Crusoe and Friday have been living on this island for 6 years, built a mansion, and seem to know everything about the island (as seen when Crusoe is guiding the pirates in Episode 1)... but somehow they missed the huge water canal, and no its not underground, you can see the sky from it), not to mention a long narrow bridge crossing a deep chasm, in their very own back yard..Not to mention, this HUGE canal with massive doors to control the water flow, is apparently a "drain" of some sort, from a huge lake on top of a mysterious mountain.. However all the water going to this huge Canal, has to pass a very small narrow bridge in a small minor canal (obvisouly very small to make Friday and Crusoe passing it "exiting",)...This is basically a summary of the Series as such... Cliché upon cliché and not once do you get the feeling anyone involved in the show actually stopped for a second and asked themselves... "Hmmm does this make any sense"...I gave it 4 of 10...as it could maybe entertain my 5 year old a while, the scenery is kinda nice, the idea (although spoiled) could have been good, and well i have seen worse, not much worse, but still worse.

I really wanted to like this show, I really did. I willfully suspended disbelief that this show could be running aground during the shallow Pilot, but alas she didn't run hard on the wind, she kinda beached herself in order to prevent more damage to her crew and onlookers. But no maties, I stuck with them, yes I did, I got myself on that island through episode 3 & 4. What heck is this? McGyver meets Gilligans island? After all, the fancy gadgets and inventions are all made from shipwreck material mind you, coconut fibers and some moldy pieces from the Castaway set.I expected to see a clam shell cell phone with all fancy gimmicky crap they had at their disposal, I mean this lad has limitless imagination and talent, but he can't get himself of the damn island nor manage invent a knack for a British accent?This could have been a refreshingly gritty, somewhat desolate re-imagined RC story, one that brings the worlds of the native and the castaway together through struggles and painful lessons. Alas, Friday is very smart and wise guy, but here he has an Oxford degree in Literature and Philosophy too boot.Here is hoping that the filming crew didn't eat the writers without an adequate ceremony.

"Crusoe" is a TV show that incorporates imagination, adventure, suspense with high moral character traits prevalent in the main characters. I admire NBC's willingness to try an older formula for TV value. The main characters themselves are noble, unselfish, seek the greater good of others, and resolve the need for conflict in a reasoned and personal moral manner. As a viewer, I understand that no individual is perfect and do not feel that the writers have taken advantage of this sentiment. The back drops are impressive, may be considered over the top by the "realist" viewers, but I don't find it condescending at all. Look...a show that is about being on a warm and sunny remote island, with one's best "mate" along for the ride,living off the land, no taxes to pay, bills to pay, money to earn, living off one's wits, living a life of adventure and challenge every moment. I look beyond the minor flaws of which are too minor to mention, and prefer to look to the entertainment intent of the show. Congratulations NBC, the show writers and the actors, for bringing a "Peter Pan" type adventure back into regular TV for families.