Bionic Woman rocks

OK, I admit that I was skeptical about NBC's reincarnated Bionic Woman, but I am so hooked.

I was skeptical because the original was so cheesy to begin with. Of course, the only reason I gave it a shot is because the lead character is so cute, and in the last episode I watched she got to use her British accent, but whatever, it's good TV.

Here's why: It's the classic girl hero ass kickery that has been absent since the end of Alias. Even La Femme Nikita inspires the show to a certain degree. While they did push some characters too far too fast, as if to suggest they wanted to get involved before being possibly cancelled, these kinds of shows do things that male action shows don't. Jack Bauer gets a little nutty, but aside from the one time he cried like a little girl, he's usually busy beating someone's ass. Female action heroes almost always appear more vulnerable and show some range, and I think that's important if you want something beyond action.

I'm not suggesting this show deserves an Emmy or anything. Far from it. It has all of the right things for the writers to play with right off the bat, but they'll need to choose to use those elements. Otherwise, you're just left with a cute girl, and that's not enough to sustain a show.