My VCR is all set for Sunday night’s premiere of the Sci Fi Channel’s ambitious mini-series Tin Man.

(No, I don’t have a TiVo yet! Yes, I know it’s the 21st century!)

Tin Man is being promoted as a “boldly reimagined” version of L. Frank Baum’s novel, The Wizard of Oz. Now ordinarily, I am not a fan of remakes. And I am not so stupid as to fall for the ploy that this isn’t a “remake,” it’s a “reimagination.” We all know that fundamentally there’s no difference.

But I am willing to put aside my usual disgust for remakes for a few reasons. This show looks to have brains and courage.

First of all, it’s got brains because this is clearly a remake of the book, not the film version of The Wizard of Oz. Take one look at the trailers and it’s obvious that nobody is trying to improve upon Judy Garland or Ray Bolger’s brilliant performances in the 1939 film. Kudos to the producers for having the smarts not to attempt new renditions of Over the Rainbow and Munchkinland.

It has courage for telling us up front that this is a remake. No trying to fool us like so many films today — The Brave One with Jodie Foster, The Invasion with Nicole Kidman, just to name a couple. Not like we wouldn’t be able to figure it out pretty quickly just from the title. (What else would Tin Man refer to?) But I give points for being honest at the start and admitting this is an adaptation of something I’ve already seen.

By the looks of it, I think Tin Man seems to have done a great job walking the fine line between a complete remake and a whole new story. The heroine DG (same initials as Dorothy Gale) is a Midwestern girl, but much more rebellious than the original Dorothy. The Tin Man isn’t a woodsman, he’s an ex-cop. The Scarecrow is a former genius inventor whose brain has been stolen, and the Cowardly Lion is telepathic. There’s just enough familiarity for me to recognize the story, but enough new material to make me want to watch.

Credit the producers with even more brains for casting a slew of terrific actors. Up-and-coming actress Zooey Deschanel from Bridge to Terabithia and Elf plays DG. XMen 2‘s Alan Cumming is Glitch, the brainless inventor. Kathleen Robertson of 90210 plays the Wicked Witch.

The Tin Man himself is played by Neal McDonough, one of those “that guy” actors who you’ve seen a million times before but don’t know his name. (“Oh yeah, that guy.“) With chiseled good looks, a deep voice, and penetrating eyes, he has spent his career skirting around the edges of mega-celebrity, but never quite landing the leading role or getting his own TV show.

Of course the big “get” is Richard Dreyfuss as “The Mystic Man,” a newer, darker version of the Wizard.

So Tin Man clearly has brains and courage. The only question now is: will it have heart?

We saw how badly a television remake of a classic can fall flat on its face with NBC’s The Bionic Woman. But I’m optimistic on this one. The SciFi Channel has a pretty darn good track record when it comes to these “reinventions.” Dr. Who, Battlestar Galactica and
Flash Gordon are three big success stories. All three have managed to resurrect worn-out television franchises and breathe new life into them with interesting characters, plots and special effects, without trivializing the original programs in the process.

(Battlestar Galactica started as a mini-series too. So who knows what’s in store for TM if it’s a hit?)

So until I get that TiVo for Christmas (hint, hint MB) I’ll just have to double-check that my VCR is set for Sunday night.

Tin Man airs Sunday, December 2nd at 9/8c on the Sci Fi Channel.

Ethan Morris: “Not always right, but never in doubt.” Go ahead and write me.