On Wednesday, September 26, 2007, NBC premiered its new series Bionic Woman, a darker, sleeker version of the 1970s series. The original was actually a spin-off from The Six Million Dollar Man. Lindsay Wagner played the original Jaime Sommers, professional tennis player and love interest to Steve Austin. In one episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, the couple goes skydiving, and Jaime is involved in a terrible accident. Her body is repaired with bionics, in a similar way to Steve’s body(hence the six million dollars it cost to put him together), but her procedures are said to have cost less than six million. Due to the extreme popularity of the Jaime Sommers character, she was given her own show and Bionic Woman was born.

Michelle Ryan, best known for her role in the British soap opera EastEnders, stars as the new Jaime Sommers, this time a young bartender struggling to support her deaf little sister. In the new series, Jaime is involved in a near-fatal car crash, as opposed to a skydiving accident. She is whisked off to a mysterious hospital with her boyfriend, who happens to be a scientist working on a top-secret project. There, her broken body is more than repaired. Several of her body parts are replaced with new, high-tech versions that seem to give her special powers – but, of course, for a price. Jaime is now the property of the government – she must follow orders or she will be killed. An interesting twist in the updated version is Katee Sackhoff’s (Battlestar Galactica) character, an earlier version of a bionic woman who has now “gone bad.” The series will focus on Jaime’s internal struggle with her new lifestyle as the “Bionic Woman,” but with plenty of action!

Wednesday’s episode fared well against strong competitors such as the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice and CBS’ Criminal Minds.

The show already has critics talking, especially about the show’s social commentary on issues such as technology, government control, and feminism. Jaime is a very independent woman, skeptical of any help offered to her. It will be interesting to see if she develops into a role model for contemporary young women. Other critics are hailing it as the next Heroes, and comparing it to shows such as Alias, Dark Angel, and Smallville. If you are a fan of any of these shows, check out Bionic Woman on Wednesday nights, at 9:00 P.M. on NBC, and let us know what you think!

Missed an episode? Don’t worry! The Sci-Fi Channel airs Bionic Woman on Fridays at 7:00 P.M.

For more information, visit the show’s website.

Also, to check out some very cool Six Million Dollar Man collectibles, visit Geppi’s Entertainment Museum!