Mr. Merlin

Humor, magic, life lessons and people we wish we had in our lives. Okay, who wouldn't want a down-to-earth dude that can perform true magic??

This is a show meant for the whole family to watch together. Think there's something for everyone here. The charming Barnard Hughes plays Mr. Merlin, who teaches Zachary Rogers (Clark Brandon) not just magic, but right and wrong while giving the viewers some laughs along the way. Joining Hughes is Elaine Joyce as Alexandra, an assistant or go-between for Merlin and a council we never see.. She tries to give Zac a helping hand whenever he is at his wit's end. All these actors/actresses are just fantastic in their roles.

But something that seems to get overlooked in other reviews are the special effects in this show; they're quite impressive. Considering the time period, budget, it's amazing what they pulled off. You'll see some creativity in these effects, some of which are just flawless.

Even the theme music is A+

I think it certainly makes a change to see a handsome trainee wizard like Zachary Rogers! Makes a nice change from the irritating Sabrina! I was only 12 when I first saw Mr Merlin and could remember his big blue eyes (sigh!). It always had a moral to the story ie. Dont go for the best looking girls as the plainer ones are nicer people. Which is good advice!! Mr Merlin isnt the sort of comedy that has you in fits of laughter, but its still very good. I`m so pleased to see it after all these years and have just watched 18 episodes of it!

Worth a watch!!!

A delightful series about Merlin the magician (Bernard Hughes) teaches Zac Rogers (Clark Brandon) how to be a good magician. Sounds a little like Harry Potter. But Zac gets into a lot of mayhem with the magic spells. This was a good series, it's a shame it only lasted one season. If it was bad, then Sabrina the Teenage Witch was no better, but i'm surprised that show lasted longer. Clark Brandon was a handsome and charming actor with some talent. But he just could not find a hit in movies and T.V.

Max Merlin (Barnard Hughes) is the actual Merlin. He's over 1600 years old and running a small garage gas station in San Francisco. His constant companion is 1100 years old popping spirit Alex (Elaine Joyce). He's ordered to get an apprentice. He selects high school student Zachary Rogers (Clark Brandon) who pulled the crowbar. Leo Samuels (Jonathan Prince) is Zach's best friend.

This was 8pm on CBS leading in the last season of WKRP. It is a family friendly sitcom. It reminds me a little of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This is less teenie but maybe it should be more. It needs to spend more time at the high school. There's no logic in Merlin being a car mechanic and it separates him from the school. He should be the school janitor or librarian. Either one would allow him to have a secret magic room. At the very least, there should be more main characters at the school other than Zach and Leo. In one episode, Janine Turner plays an evil cheerleader. She could have been a recurring character. Zach should be chasing the impossible hot girl while a sweet girl is his Girl Friday. Instead, the school is only story material for individual episodes. This is a fine family friendly network sitcom, but it has more potential than that.

I think they ripped off the idea from The George Burns Oh God film with John Denver. It's extremely light fair for the easily amused.