"The Sarah Jane Adventures" is the latest addition to the new "Doctor Who" triumvirate, which also includes the new "Doctor Who" series, which was relaunched in 2005, and "Torchwood", an adult and dark-themed spin-off of "Doctor Who". "The Sarah Jane Adventures" is a science fiction show that centers around Sarah Jane Smith, a previous companion of the mysterious Doctor character that all three shows center around. While she used to travel through time and space in the Tardis, now Sarah Jane has made her home on earth and her mission to defend it.
Even though the basis for the show might be confusing unless you're an avid "Doctor Who" fan or, at least, familiar with the show, I wouldn't count yourself out if you're new to the series. Waving away the background, you're left with a pleasant family friendly sci-fi show that's full of adventure and cute little life lessons.
I'm a little wary of spin-offs. I guess I sort of have it instilled in me that the original is the best and anything else is just going to be a waste of time. Torchwood, the first new spin off of Doctor Who"took me by surprise and really sucked me in, but when I heard about "The Sarah Jane Adventures", I was very, very hesitant to even watch. A Doctor Who spin-off, geared towards children? Well, hooray for the good programming for kids, but there's no way something like THAT could be up MY alley.
Yeah, that's what I thought, but I was wrong. Curiosity struck as Torchwood ended and I found myself twiddling my thumbs, wishing I didn't have to wait until April to catch the new season of Doctor Who. Sometimes you just want to sit back and watch a good SciFi, you know? So I decided I'd check out The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The first thing I noticed about the show was that it was very, very definitely geared towards children. I knew that going in, but I still didn't get what I expected. I expected something far more juvenile with stupid jokes and silly aliens that would put the Doctor Who universe to shame. That's not what I got at all.
Of course, there were the stupid jokes. There were little things that would make the show way more appealing to children - the character Kelsey, for example, is the kind of character that you could turn into most children's shows and find. She's grating and I cringe every time she comes onto the screen. Fortunately, Kelsey didn't turn out to be a regular character on the show and was only present in the pilot.
Then there's Luke, the little boy that Sarah Jane adopts. Because of the way he was made, he has some sort of special intelligence that plays off like a super power. I feel bad pointing out the little annoying things like that because, as one must remember when watching this show, it IS geared towards children. Of COURSE it's going to have some of those constants that childrens' shows are known to have. Luke turns out to be an important plot point in the series and makes Sarah Jane seem more human, for what it's worth. Watching past the pilot has made me feel a little warmer toward the character, but he's definitely there to appeal to the children and pre-teens watching.
There are some good characters in the show. There's Maria, a little girl who stumbles upon an alien in Sarah Jane's yard and is subsequently sucked into a new life of exciting adventure. She's like a miniaturized version of one of the Doctor's companions. She proves herself intelligent and brave, but she doesn't come off at all unrealistic. She still very much acts the age she is.
Maria's parents are also great characters. Her mother provides much comic relief as a self-absorbed, childish sort of woman. Maria's father is a kind-hearted man with an open mind and he's one of my favorite characters on the show. He proves his depth and his love for his daughter throughout the series.
Sara Jane, of course, functions as she should. She's realistically wary of the fact that she's putting children into danger. She's brilliant and experienced with all of the mystical and alien things in the show.
My favorite character is Clyde, the boy who develops into Maria's schoolyard friend. He's spazzy and hilarious and thinks he's god's gift to the world. He reminds me a lot of Mickey, a character from the first new season of Doctor Who.
The thing that made me sit through and actually enjoy the pilot of the show was the fact that despite the grating, obnoxious best friend and despite the little kid with super powers, and even despite the fact that the plot to the episode in itself was pretty stereotypically "childish", it was still a good show. The writing and the acting, for me, made the show worth watching. Though, as I've stated, some of the lines are just stale and there to make little kids giggle, there's enough action in the show to make an adult watch. It's not necessarily JUST a kid's show, but rather something I feel a family can sit down and enjoy all together. The kids can giggle at the awful jokes and awe at the fairy tale bits while the adults can appreciate the plots that are going on.
The thing is, a lot of children's shows are completely unviewable, for me, because they're just about those stupid kid issues. Not to bash children's television - it's good for kids. This show, however, seems to open things up more. Sure, Maria's going to have character development and I'm dreading the schoolyard scenes, but we also get to see Sarah Jane Smith happily living out her life on Earth and we get to see plots involving aliens that are on the same page as Doctor Who.
It's not as heavy, not as dramatic nor is it edge-of-the-seat viewing like Doctor Who, but the plots aren't dumb. It's not like a Scooby Doo sort of show where you can figure out exactly what's going on in the first three minutes of the episode. (Then, maybe I'm just in suspense because I was always astonished to find out who the villain was at the end of the Scooby Doo episodes.) Still, I stick by what I said that this isn't strictly a children's series, but rather something the whole family can really enjoy together. The show is well written enough that it provides entertainment for adults, as well. I'd really recommend that Doctor Who fans check it out, because I think they'll enjoy it despite the childlike elements. Or maybe despite is a poor word choice - those childlike elements (minus Kelsey) just make the show that much more charming.
