ORBzine - Early Edition TV Review

Season 1

Kyle Chandler ( King Kong (2005) ) as Gary Hobson

Shanésia Williams as Marissa Clark

Fisher Stevens ( Short Circuit (1986) ) as Chuck Fishman [ 1-2 ]

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 1] Pilot
Shown 28-Sep-1996

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 2] The Choice
Shown 05-Oct-1996

Gary must choose which one to save - wee girl or 747? Events conspire against the 747 - is it fate?

The ending may be interpreted as a twist ...

Alternatively, cynics might find it predictable. It depends on your Point of View.

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 3] Baby
Shown 12-Oct-1996

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 4] The Paper
Shown 19-Oct-1996

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 5] Thief Swipes Mayor's Dog
Shown 26-Oct-1996

Chuck's uncle Phil repeatedly steals a dog from the Mayor (Norm from Alf ).

The ep is about Political corruption. The crooks want to skim the State Lottery - but Gary and Chuck win it!

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 6] Hoops (a.k.a. Hoop Dreams)
Shown 02-Nov-1996

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 7] After Midnight
Shown 09-Nov-1996

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 8] Gun
Shown 16-Nov-1996

A Divorcee is harrassed by her violent ex-hubby.

Their son plays with her revolver!

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 9] His Girl Thursday
Shown 23-Nov-1996

The Reporter babe takes Gary's paper. It's the cat's idea!

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 10] The Wrong Man
Shown 07-Dec-1996

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 11] Christmas
Shown 21-Dec-1996

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 12] Frostbit
Shown 11-Jan-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 13] Mob Wife
Shown 25-Jan-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 14] The Wall (1)
Shown 01-Feb-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 15] The Wall (2)
Shown 08-Feb-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 16] Bat Masterson
Shown 22-Feb-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 17] The Jury
Shown 08-Mar-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 18] Psychic
Shown 12-Apr-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 19] The Cat
Shown 13-Apr-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 20] Phantom of the Opera
Shown 19-Apr-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 21] Faith
Shown 26-Apr-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 22] Dad
Shown 03-May-1997

Early Edition [Season 1, Episode 23] Love is Blind
Shown 17-May-1997

Early Edition

Early Edition [Season 1 , Episode 1 ]
Shown th June 2002 [Wednesday]

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Season 2

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 1] Home
Shown 27-Sep-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 2] The Medal
Shown 04-Oct-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 3] The Wedding
Shown 11-Oct-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 4] Jenny Sloan
Shown 18-Oct-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 5] Downsized
Shown 25-Oct-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 6] Angels and Devils
Shown 01-Nov-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 7] Redfellas
Shown 08-Nov-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 8] March in Time
Shown 15-Nov-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 9] A Regular Joe
Shown 22-Nov-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 10] A Bris is Just a Bris
Shown 20-Dec-1997

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 11] A Minor Miracle
Shown 10-Jan-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 12] Romancing the Throne
Shown 17-Jan-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 13] Walk, Don't Run
Shown 24-Jan-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 14] The Return of Crumb
Shown 31-Jan-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 15] Mum's The Word
Shown 22nd February 2002 - Friday

This is a remarkable episode for two reasons. Firstly, our hero tangles with a mystery that seems supernatural in origin. The Chicago Museum plays host to an Ancient Egyptian relic which may be cursed.

A plague is unleashed on the city, possibly of supernatural origin. The victims are taken to the local hospital - Chicago Hope!

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 16] When Or Where
Shown 25th February 2002 - Monday

Our hero sees a beautiful woman, clad in 1940s clothes, just before he falls off a scaffolding and breaks his leg. Later, in his wheelchair, he sees the same woman again in an apartment across the road.

The hero's bar takes on a new waitress - the spitting image of the 1940s woman. When the newspaper arrives it reveals what happened. The newspaper is dated to 1944, instead of tomorrow! The waitress is the grandaughter of the ghostly figure, and will fall victim to murder as did her grandmother.

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 17] The Fourth Carpathian
Shown 18-Apr-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 18] The Quality of Mercy
Shown 25-Apr-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 19] Show Me the Monet
Shown 02-May-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 20] Don't Walk Away, Renee
Shown 09-May-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 21] Hot Time in the Old Town
Shown 16-May-1998

Early Edition [Season 2, Episode 22] Second Sight
Shown 23-May-1998

Season 3

Billie Worley as Patrick Quinn [ 3-4 ]

Kristy Swanson as Erica Paget [ 3 ]

Miles Jeffrey as Henry Paget [ 3 ]

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 1] Blackout
Shown 26-Sep-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 2] Collision
Shown 03-Oct-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 3] A Horse Is a Horse
Shown 10-Oct-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 4] Lt. Hobson, USN
Shown 17-Oct-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 5] Saint Nick
Shown 24-Oct-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 6] Halloween
Shown 31-Oct-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 7] Up Chuck
Shown 07-Nov-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 8] Deadline
Shown 14-Nov-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 9] In Gary We Trust
Shown 21-Nov-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 10] Nest Egg
Shown 05-Dec-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 11] Teen Angels
Shown 19-Dec-1998

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 12] Slippity-Doo-Dah
Shown 09-Jan-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 13] The Last Untouchable
Shown 16-Jan-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 14] Just one of Those Things
Shown 06-Feb-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 15] Funny Valentine
Shown 13-Feb-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 16] Number One with a Bullet
Shown 20-Feb-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 17] Two to Tangle
Shown 27-Feb-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 18] Fate
Shown 20-Mar-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 19] Crumb Again
Shown 03-Apr-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 20] Pinch Hitters
Shown 17-Apr-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 21] Home Groan
Shown 01-May-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 22] Play It Again Sammo
Shown 08-May-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 23] Blowing Up is Hard to Do
Shown 15-May-1999

Season 4

Luis Antonio Ramos as Miguel Diaz [ 4 ]

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 1] The Out-of-Towner
Shown 25-Sep-1999

Early Edition [Season 3, Episode 2] Duck Day Afternoon
Shown 02-Oct-1999

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 3] Take Me out to the Ballgame
Shown 09-Oct-1999

Chuck (Fisher Stevens - Short Circuit ) is back in town.

The main story involves a baseball player and a loan shark.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 4] The Iceman Taketh
Shown 16-Oct-1999

Gary is conscripted into undercover cop work with Female Lt Bugati. They are after the jewel thief.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 5] Camera Shy
Shown 23-Oct-1999

A Photographer coincidentally arrives at locations with Gary. Then he photos a villain, and is pursued for the film. Gary helps him.

This would have been a good recurring character.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 6] Wild Card
Shown 30-Oct-1999

Patrick (a goof) accidentally interferes with Gary's plans to save people.

Chicago must be a city with no homicides or fatal accidents!

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 7] Fatal Edition (1)
Shown 06-Nov-1999

Gary is arrested for murder. In flashbacks he is investigated by jerk reporter. There is a cameo by Miguel the photographer.

The female detective has a cameo. Conor O'Farrell ( Dark Skies ) is the detective on Gary's case.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 8] Fatal Edition (2)
Shown 13-Nov-1999

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 9] Weathergirl
Shown 20-Nov-1999

Gary romances a weathergirl ( Maria Pitillo ) who is bad at telling weather.

Gary must save his sidekick's unlucky uncle repeatedly.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 10] Run, Gary, Run
Shown 18-Dec-1999

Gary relives the day three times to save Maria. In the end, walking is faster than cycling or taxi!

Gary would get there quicker, only he stops for pointless arguments.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 11] Rose
Shown 19-Feb-2000

Gary and PI Crumb help an amnesiac girl.

This is a standard drama; the magic newspaper does not play a big role. There are story twists - a very unlikely thriller plot.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 12] Snow Angels
Shown 26-Feb-2000

Chicago has a blizzard. The Original Boomer ( Battlestar Galactica (1978) ) is a Good Samaritan. Gary must save seventeen lives.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 13] Gifted
Shown 04-Mar-2000

A teen girl (foster parented) is clairvoyant.

The cat engineers meetings (there are lots of coincidences).

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 14] Performance Anxiety
Shown 11-Mar-2000

Gary is called in to meet the man who sends the Special Delivery paper. This is for an annual evaluation, in case Gary needs to be sacked ... err, Downsized. Gary's name is Hobson (Devil's son) but it seems he works for Angels ...

Joey Clams from NYC is in town, to get his own newspaper delivery back. Yes, the NYC branch got his subscription cancelled, so he comes to stay with Gary and redeem himself.

Money saves the day (it is a capitalist economy), but the moral is that do-gooders do not need a daily income. How do they buy food and pay the rent? That pesky personal gain clause ...

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 15] False Witness
Shown 25-Mar-2000

Miguel Diaz's younger brother is in a car thief ring.

Gary must save him and help Detective Armstrong catch the ringleader.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 16] The Play's the Thing
Shown 08-Apr-2000

PI Crumb helps in a stage-play. The evil director (Tim Omundson - Xena: Warrior Princess ) is suspected of sabotage.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 17] Blind Faith
Shown 22-Apr-2000

Gary is blinded in an accident, but is helped by a Russian (new barman?). They must save a wee boy from a burning building.

This is a very basic lo-budget ep after prevous hi-concept eps (eg multiple Garys).

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 18] Occasionally Amber
Shown 29-Apr-2000

Chuck returns - as does the jewel thief. Detective Bugati is on the case.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 19] Mel Schwartz, Bounty Hunter
Shown 06-May-2000

Gary sees a court-ordered shrink.

An accountant wants to be a bounty-hunter, Gary must save him.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 20] Time
Shown 13-May-2000

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 21] Everybody Goes to Rick's
Shown 20-May-2000

1929, St Valentine's Day Massacre (filmed as black & white scenes).

Modern day, and Crumb the PI is on an arson case.

The title is a Casablanca reference.

Early Edition [Season 4, Episode 22] Luck o' the Irish
Shown 27-May-2000

Quigley (Henry Gibson - The Burbs ) is jinxed.

Gary must help other Oirish people - some illegal immigrant women (a collection of bad stereotypes).