Wonderland
21 Jan2009
In the spring of 2000, I taped this amazing TV show. I have always been rather proud of myself for taping the first and second episode of the show because it was never aired again. Wonderland was a powerful ensemble drama about doctors and patients at a hospital based on Bellevue in New York. Created and directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Hancock), the show was an unflinching look at people coming to grips with the onset or being overcome by a mental illness and the doctors attempts to live their rather fragile lives in the process. The acting was flawless – from lead actors like Ted Levine and Michelle Forbes to guest performances by Jay O. Sanders and Leland Orser. Their work is unbearably moving. Since it couldn’t hold the audience ABC had garnered from “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire” (duh), the show was yanked – never to be seen again.
Recently, I discovered that the only eight episodes ever filmed were being aired in Germany and managed to download three additional episodes from the Web. But – as if my renewed interested had stirred something – those eight episodes are being re-broadcast on DirectTV’s 101 Network. I know nothing about DirectTV or how it works, but if any of you out there have it – please check out this show. Wonderland took risks for its day and they have not lost their power. The “pilot” is one of the best pieces of television I have ever seen (though it turns out the two episodes that were aired were actually the 3rd and 4th episodes) and the other shows have been just as strong. Yes – I am a sucker for stray TV shows. But I couldn’t believe they would take this off and so quickly. Now here is your chance to check it out.
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5 Responses to Wonderland
Tommy
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Was this the show that Andy Partridge did the opening theme song for?
mburma
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:24 am
No. That one was “WonderFalls” – a bit more light-hearted than Wonderland.
Tommy
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 am
damned similarly titled television shows…
Carol
February 4th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Finally, someone else who realizes that the eight episodes *have* been seen before, just not in the U.S., and they’re in the wrong order. The so-called pilot (called “Sanity” in Europe) should follow “Spell Check” and “Full Moon” for the story to make complete sense. (Like you, I have no clue what DirecTV is, but luckily, I downloaded all eight episodes with German subtitles before they were reduced to three.) I heartily second your recommendation, and I hope that the actors, especially Ted Levine as Dr. Robert Banger, receive the critical acclaim they so richly deserve, however late it may seem. For anyone who’s curious, DirecTV has a “Wonderland” page on its website, where you can see a trailer with footage from several episodes. The URL is http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPageNR.jsp?assetId=P5320008
Scroll down to see the trailer. The episodes are being repeated frequently. I recommend taping them and playing them again in the correct sequence:
1. Spell Check
2. Full Moon
3. So-called pilot (Sanity)
4. 20/20 Hindsight
5. The Raw and the Cooked
6. Wilt Chamberlain 3.0
7. Personality Plus
8. Hello/Good-bye (finale)
Hope this is helpful!
mburma
February 4th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Thanks Carol! Yes, the German site has cut it down to three and one of them I have seen. Interesting that one of those episodes (I’m not sure which one) features Jeremy Piven as a standup comic and IMDB doesn’t even list this credit on Piven’s page!
I hope the DirectTV thing leads to a DVD release.