9-10 PM · NBC · Debuts Oct. 17
CONCEPT Daniel Defoe's classic tale about castaway Robinson Crusoe (Philip
Winchester) gets adapted for TV.
THE SCOOP ''We've tried to bring it to life in a way that's modern,'' notes exec
producer Justin Bodle, ''using the adventure of the period rather than
making it too exact to the original.'' That adventure focuses on the
shipwrecked Brit and his native pal Friday (Tongayi Chirisa) as they try
to survive on an island plagued by cannibals and mutineers. Says
Winchester, ''It's kind of Pirates of the Caribbean.''
BOTTOM LINE An ambitious comparison, for sure. But what was the last
(non-syndicated) adventure-show hit? We can't remember either.
