RoboCop (1994) User Reviews (22)

surprisingly a good tv adaptation of robocop

[applejosh1991 · 7/10 · 10 March 2020]

Im a huge Robocop fan. The original "Robocop" is a sci-fi classic, "Robocop 2" was a pretty good follow-up but suffered from a messy script and post-production issues, "Robocop 3" is complete garbage and it deserves all the hate it got, the cartoons were clearly for younger audience: the one from the 80's was harmless but very goofy as well, but the 90's series "Robocop: Alpha Commando" on the other hand is like what-were-they-thinking?!, turning robocop into "Inspector Gadget" wanna-bee!?, and don't get me started on that god-awful dumpster-fire known as "prime-directive" mini-series, with it's crap acting, poor pacing, convoluted and boring 4-part storyline. The 2014 reboot was a joke. A soulless cash-cow that removed the satire on American culture, gone any emotion from man-to-machine, almost all the actors are miscasts, changing his iconic suit from silver to black with a red visor for Robocop was a very stupid idea that makes him look generic iron-man knock-off, and being a very safe PG-13 dumb-down and by-the-numbers.

the TV series sadly came out during the post-Robocop 3 phase where the franchise become more family friendly and the violence have been completely toned-down and blood-less. the tv series never had a chance to succeed after one season due to its high production costs, terrible time-slots and poor/confusing marketing. when i was younger they use to sell bootleg VHS of the 2-hour pilot titled as "Robocop 4" which confused me at the time. Forced under TV restrictions to keep the robocop under TV-PG as possible. if you can ignore the removal of the over-the-top violence and strong language from the first 2 films it has a much better writing and focus then Robocop 2 or 3. taking the advantage from the restrictions to focus on the character development. both film sequels were written by comic-book legend frank miller but the studio didn't approve his strange script and changed 70% of it which explains why the story-structure is all over the place in both films. the social satire is back but more sillier then the previous films. Richard Eden is the third actor to play peter weller's iconic role "Alex Muphy/Robocop", Eden gave a very solid performance as the title character unlike Robert John Burke from "Robocop 3" who gave probably lousiest performance out of the bunch (2014's Joel Kinnaman's wooden performance came very close as the worst). his robotoic tone sound more believable and he tries his best to mimic weller's robocop. the timeline of the series ignores the sequels and a direct continuation of the first film which explains why the Old Men/Chairman of OCP (played by a different actor) did not turn 180 degrees and become villain like he did in Robocop 2.

the supporting characters are likable except the annoying young girl named gadget (which is already a stupid name to begin with) which has no reason to be in the series other then be the focus group pet (like many shows at that time to shoehorn a child character down you're throut). However for some bizarre legal reasons they were unable the use some of the other characters names, robocop's partner Anne Lewis was named changed to Lisa Madigan played by Yvette Nipar and the Detroit police Sargent Warren Reed was named changed to Stanley Parks played by Blu Mankuma. Most of them are the same characters from the films just different names. The villains are very comic-book type with over-the-top acting and being creepy. Mostly former/corrupt OCP employees, punks or scientists. it's a shame they didn't included another robocop or a cyborg to raise the bar a little, since the series was already expensive for a prime-time series costing around 1 million per-episode which was a big deal back then plus shooting in Canada to save on production cost (you can tell at times it doesn't even look old-Detroit)

the pros: it's faithful in tone to the original film, the social satire with the news/in-show commercials are back, writing staff did a really good job under the TV restrictions and even better then the sequels, the production values are surprisingly high for a 90's TV series, some of the cast did a decent job and it has some very good episodes.

the cons: the episodic nature, they do link but loosely from returning villain or OCP related. There are some few "stinker" episodes when it's focused on child characters and less on robocop, and probably the biggest con (more like the elephant in the room) of the series, is the lack of blood and violence, robocop barley uses his gun throughout the series, some mild punching, some characters do get killed but very TV standardish. Overall if you're a hardcore fan of robocop or willing to ignore the obvious lack of R-rated violence and language, this series is pretty decent.

It's OK...but barely.

[hannafordliam · 6/10 · 25 February 2024]

Mediocre show at best. It has charming moments...but does a Robocop need to have charming moments? No. He mostly shoots things to fall on criminals or whacks them in the face...I will say, however, that some of the stunts/vehicle stunts are pretty good. The acting comes off as cheesy at times, which helps in a way, but then perhaps it doesn't. Glad I watched the entire show (Blu-ray) but it sucks the frame has stretched to be wide-screen so you lose a bit of the top and bottom. The DVD doesn't have this issue (original TV aspect full-screen ratio) but has a image quality issue which has been mentioned on video reviews/YouTube, etc. Supposedly, you get the original aspect ratio...but the image stutters and/or has data missing so you see lines of video data missing in the image frames. So, it's been a big toss up for collectors on which version to get - do you get the Blu-ray quality with a stretched image that isn't that great of video quality to start with...or do you go for the DVD version which has the original, intended framing for TV, but missing lines of video data.

It's cool to see this as it may bring back some 90s nostalgic feelings (not referring to the 80s original here) I meant the clothing/set designs/etc, seeing Toronto as the filming locations, the TV actors....but I don't see myself ever revisiting this show again. It's a one and done.

Camp lives again

[dmk42 · 22 November 2004]

I rather liked the series. I saw it as an extension of the Robocop 3 humor and a good approach for a Primetime network TV series. (A more Robocop 1- like series would fit on a HBO or other cable network and would please the Robo fan base better.) It gives a nod to the 60's Batman series in not taking itself too seriously but isn't as cartoonish as said Batman. The humour is more akin to Escape from New York (another debate for another forum)than the Three Stooges and is campy at times. Camp is an acquired taste that rarely appeals to the fans who enjoyed the gritty and bloody violence of the first 2 films. What it has going for it is that its fun, witty (the Rowdy Roddy Piper episode is a classic and I'm not just talking about the Major Market uniform either), and expanded the Robo universe in a pre-Dark Knight Returns/Spawn comic-bookish way. The writing varied but the surrounding cast and guest stars made up for it. I can show my kids this series and enjoy it with them and then share the movie series and the Prime Directives miniseries of movies with them when they're older. This is a PG Robocop series and should be judged on its own merits and not compared to the R rated movies which were created for another market altogether.

Robotrash

[Freemheart · 1/10 · 15 March 2004]

Watch just the pilot was a shocking experience because: this was the first time in my life couldn't watch more than the first 5 minutes of movie or Tv show. The reason the horrible acting of every cast member (a bad acting can be resistible but a horrible acting...), the brainless script so childish as every power ranger episode. I love every robocop movie, but this bad copy of of the saga it could only serve as a lesson of what can be do to destroy an action hero. The most funny thing is: the lesson finally was learned and the other TV movies were so good as the first movies.

Should NEVER have happened!

[mani235 · 1/10 · 23 July 2023]

As a kid, watching RoboCop for the first time was absolutely incredible! The whole concept of the future, the graphics images, the storyline of a futuristic outlook of what may be... and then RoboCop himself!

Then there is the series. What an absolute contrast from the original! How this got passed is beyond me! The series has no depth or any reminisce from the original movie.

The characters, including the villains, just remind me of the satire inspiration from Batman & Robin! It's so badly made!

It's just bad... so, so bad. Even the latest blu ray release doesn't do this show any justice! The extras are just as bad!

The Spirit of Robocop

[warren-87235 · 8/10 · 27 March 2023]

The TV series of Robocop is a very strange creature to review. On the surface, it does everything wrong. It's campy, the acting from the villains leaves a lot to be desired, and the violence has been watered down to a family-friendly level. Simply put, it shouldn't work...

But...

This has become one of my favourite TV series, that I return to once every couple of years. Why, you ask? The character. Robocop/Murphy's soul is captured in each episode. Richard Eden manages to imbue Murphy with the same sense of character that Peter Weller did in the original, despite the armour and helmet. There is a melancholy and a philosophical edge to the him, that rises above the over-the-top villains and occasional silliness.

On top of that, the series does an excellent job of continuing the satire of the original, from the Media-Break moments, to the corporate greed. Even the plotlines are rather good, poking fun at consumerism and corporate corruption. They may sometimes feel ridiculous due to the cartoon villains, but when you imagine the same stories played in a serious way, they could be quite smart and cutting.

The series also adds an excellent but sadly underused element, which is NeuroBrain, otherwise known as Diana (Andrea Roth). Her addition as a character who has undergone a similar fate to Murphy, and become a 'ghost in the machine', adds a superb twist that could have have gone so much farther. It also helps that Andrea Roth could be quite ethereal in the role.

Yvette Nipar becomes the replacement for Nancy Allen, as Robocop's partner, and does a good job of playing it straight and serious, as does Blu Mankuma as the replacement for Robert DoQui, the precinct Sergeant. Even Sarah Campbell as 'Gadget', the Sergeant's adoptive daughter, makes for an enjoyable contrast of young innocence to Murphy's tragic hero.

Then we have episodes dealing with Murphy's family, including his wife and son, and ultimately even his father, for some touching moments.

Apart from the obvious issues, I do wish that they had allowed Richard Eden to gradually loosen up in the role. All too often he is _too_ robotic, particularly in personal scenes where they should have allowed his humanity to come through a little more.

Ultimately, it's a shame the series didn't get a chance to grow. With the introduction of a side character entering cyberspace, and meeting Diana, the possibility of Murphy having another life as 'himself' in cyberspace, with Diana, was clearly an option. It would have opened up a new world of story possibilities, from allowing the actor to escape the 'suit' and be more human, to the dilemmas of juggling his real life as Robocop, when he could become addicted to spending all of his time with Diana.

Oddly enough, I do wonder if being forced to make it family-friendly was one of the things that encouraged the writers to make more of the emotional aspects of Robocop. I think people often miss the core of the character, when they only want more action and gunfire. When written well, it can have both, but it's easy to forget the substance amongst the action.

If it was ever remade, they could recycle much of Robocop the Series and, for the most part, they would only need to de-camp the villains. The stories, characters and emotions are all there. Where it shines is in its heart and soul, if you allow yourself to scratch below the de-fanged surface.

Used to watch this with my Dad

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 26 January 2018]

A lot of the elements from the films are here, including MediaBreak. Captain Cash was added, and although some of the lead characters are not the same, and new crooks (Dr. Cray Z. Mollardo - Cliff De Young and "Pudface Morgan" - James Kidnie), it's 100% Robocop.

Richard Eden literally duplicated the role Peter Weller originated. In every episode, the OCP Tech guy adds one new gadget, an excuse to see Robo use it in the episode, like crowd control foam, and bolts that anchor him into the ground in case a truck comes barreling down. This show was high camp, but it worked. I was sad when it ended after one season, this show was Syndicated, it could have gone on longer.

One of the more interesting things added, was "Neurobrain", a computer which runs all of Delta City, which started off as a woman, "Diana Powers" (Andrea Roth). She's Robo's ally, they have something in common, both were separated from their bodies. Yvette Nipar is Detective Lisa Madigan, who in this version of Robocop was Murphy's partner, rather than Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen). And of course they had to add a kid, "Gadget" (Sarah Campbell) who is adopted by Sgt. Parks (The great Blu Mankuma). Apparently "Gadget" was based on "Nikko" was Robo 3.

Perhaps it was just too expensive to make this show, each episode has all kinds of animation (Commander Cash), fake news spots and commercials, and some really great special effects, much of it practical.

The only thing that really differentiates this show from the Film Universe, is the lack of blatant bloodshed and maiming common to the film franchise (at least through Robo 2). But the show makes up for that loss with very insane concepts for crimes, which Robo has to solve.

And of course, Robo's familiar one liners: "Come Quietly or there will be... Trouble". It's worth watching this after watching RoboCop and RoboCop 2.

And somewhere, halfway through the season, the End Credits were rolled to the tune of some song sung by Joe Walsh and Lita Ford. I remember the last episode, had a video of the two artists performing the song. I haven't gotten to that one, yet.

Pretty decent

[debabrata4747 · 8/10 · 30 March 2011]

The original robocop movie was the best but from there it all went downhill, the second was watchable and the third was simply terrible... the worst was Robocop prime Directives ... so when i started to see this series i was not expecting much .. and in the beginning i was correct ... the pilot was a disappointing, in spite being written by the original writers .. but midway through the series the story began to get interesting with the introduction of Murphy's family ... it was really interesting to see Robo behave awkward in front of his wife and son ... even his father and mother are introduced here ...the best thing about the series is about the character development of Robocop.... the background of Alex Murphy's life is given here, his family, friends... another thing which surprised me was the production budget .... the gadgets robo uses and the computers and graphics were pretty neat considering it was made in the early part of the nineties... i was pleasantly surprised... sometimes the series frustrated me because there was no violence in the series... most of the times i wished robo will zap out his big gun and riddle the annoying villains and put them out of their misery but because this is a family series he just knocks them unconscious.. there are some awesome moments as well .. one which amused me was the outburst of Madigan who replaces Nancy Allen from the original movie in the episode of commander cash, another is the very emotional scene when Alex's father realizes the truth about Robocop... all in all this series is a very good continuation of the franchise, it may have its faults but nonetheless i am glad it was made and it gave a lot of material about robocop and his world ... i wish there were more seasons of it was made

Brilliant and.....Criminally Underrated Series!

[IrinaOma · 10/10 · 29 May 2012]

I love Robocop very much. I really love all 3 robocop movies including R2 and R3. Many people will disagree with this one but it's my own opinion.

"RoboCop: The Series" is by far one of the best and unfortunately, most overlooked TV shows ever. It's probably my all-time favorite Sci-Fi series. First of all, I love its storyline. Every episode was great. They developed Murphy's inner world more, his family, wife and maybe even emotions. They didn't put much of gore, 'brutality' and bloody moments. That's why some die-hard fans disliked it but not me. It was still very cool and intriguing. Richard Eden looked great as Alex Murphy but most of all I loved Yvette Nipar. She played Lisa Madigan brilliantly. Blu Mankuma and Andrea Roth did a fantastic job too. Too bad, they made only one season. I needed more and more Brilliant series!!!

Action television done right

[bmartin79 · 18 July 2002]

Although there is more than one way RoboCop could have been adapted for television, this is a very good way to do it. Although movie director Verhoeven's touch is missing on the series, the original writers Miner and Neumeier return (at least for the pilot) to put Robocop back on track. The content is somewhat toned down over the original movie (both because of its conversion to television and because it is aimed at a younger audience), but the spirit of the original is in most ways preserved: the satire, personal drama (mostly regarding Alex Murphy/Robocop), and the good-guy vs. bad-guy action. The drama regarding Murphy is expanded on, as we get more exposure to his memories and to his family, and there is added a character, in the form of Delta City's new brain, who shares in many ways Murphy's plight. Ultimately, the television series comes off closer to the original movie than either of the two theatrical sequels.

The television series does take a slightly different spin than the movie, but ultimately it works out for the best. Robocop here is more of a comic book superhero, but not necessarily in a bad way. He is superhuman both physically and morally, and yet we remain sympathetic to his plight throughout. He is someone we really want to root for. (Personally, I think RoboCop makes the most interesting superhero since Batman.) The villains are more comic-bookish as well, but they do not seem out of place given the change in tone. The series can be serious and yet be silly in an almost Batman-like way at times, without the two ever seeming at odds with each other. Also changed is the tone; the series moralizes more, and has cut the graphic violence of the original. It is sort of RoboCop with more of a conscience.

In addition to its other virtues, the series adds surprisingly high production value and more than tolerable acting (Richard Eden especially does an interesting job as Robocop - very mechanical, quite appropriate). For fans of RoboCop or of comic-book-style action shows like Batman and Superman or hardcore sci-fi fans this is a must see. For anyone willing to experience something out of the ordinary, this is very good viewing. It is a shame it only made it one season, I would have loved to see more.

Worth Your Time

[mattblackwell-27249 · 8/10 · 12 July 2023]

I remember watching this as a young teenager and thinking it was pretty enjoyable but after approximately 15 years, I decided to watch this with a fresh perspective. I'm a big fan of the original movie and while the series is toned down a lot from the movie, the show is still a great Robocop production. Plus, if you have kids, you can watch this with them in the same room. I don't understand the critic reviews being so harsh on this show. Most of the episodes are good. A few great. Some fair. I can't say there was an episode that didn't keep me entertained.

Richard Eden does a great portrayal of Robo/Alex Murphy. Yvette Niper as Lisa Madigen is more than just a smoke show. The rest of the cast perform well for the most part. The effects are great and the sets look good although the CGI has aged pretty poorly but it's admissible given the age. The show deserved at least another season.

Misunderstood TV gem - 90's Sci-fi shows are the Best!

[SaintNinja · 10/10 · 25 February 2022]

As a big fan of Robocop trilogy (yes, including Robocop 3), I was excited to purchase Robocop 4 and Robocop 5(!!!) VHS in 1994 on the cheap russian market. Good Lord, I was.disappointed. But then, years passed and I was introduced to western TV shows and more important: Sci-fi TV shows. This is a whole different thing! TV does what big Cinema don't and simly can't. TV Show is like a book. Yes, you must rely on your own imagination where the budget is too thin, but I love it. This is the type of Show I love to collect on DVDs. I mean, there are masterpieces like Star Trek NG, DS9, Babylon 5, Voyager, SG-1, Sliders, The X-Files and so on. And there are: TekWars, Thunder in Paradise, Robocop, Space Precinct - I just love this kind of stuff.

Less hardware but more style than the films

[budikavlan · 4 December 2002]

Low-key series version of the blockbuster film does much with its far more modest resources. The story is much the same, but the satirical elements and personal stories are done more stylishly here; they take up some of the slack left by the absence of much of the large-scale violence and futuristic hardware (necessitated by the lower budget inherent in syndicated television). The cast is surprisingly strong: Yvette Nipar as lead cop Madigan and Andrea Roth as Diana/Neurobrain are both highly charismatic. Richard Eden does a fine job but is largely wasted. Emmy-nominated on "Santa Barbara," here he is stuck playing a machine with little opportunity to show even the slightest bit of emotion. The satirical elements of the show are particularly strong; I have some feeling "Robocop" would be much more successful had it been produced in 2001 or 2002 rather than 1994. Unfortunately, only one season of episodes was produced.

A Robot's Wisdom

[ap-97 · 8/10 · 18 January 2007]

At the time this series was released in '94, I was 14. Most of my friends didn't like the show, but I did. This was a show that seemed as if it was well thought out, the writing scored huge points in my book. I really enjoyed seeing Robocop on his downtime or with a virtual friend (Diana). The show was interesting to watch and what kept me coming back each week was not the violence, but wondering what new wisdom the cyborg would hand out. With as much terror in the world, it's nice to see an alternative measure. I believe this show could do really well if produced today. I think a reunion episode is long overdue.

If you enjoy quality television with great writing, then this show is for you.

One hour of great television

[deltaleeder · 10/10 · 21 October 2003]

When evaluating a show like this, you really have to put things into perspective.

Robocop: The series was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is one of the best shows to come out of this country and into network sindication. (Other great shows include: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, T and T, starring Mr. T, and My Secret Identiy, with a 13 year old Jerry O'Connel)

All the actors in the show are local Toronto/Canadian actors, (now they do national tv shows and national lottery/car dealership commericals) so this was probably the only chance they got to be seen on television sets around the world. No, the show didn't live up to the standards set forth by the movies: lots of gore, the ED209 Combat Unit, sarcastic remarks (BANG!!..."Thank you for your cooperation...!") and a corrupt multi-million dollar corporation (OCP in this series is actually made to look a little more "friendly")

But it really did try to stick close to the storyline, using scenes and references from the movies (ie all Robocop's functions and directives, the COBRA assault rifle) as well as keeping the wardrobe clsoe to that of the films. It had its own touch of originality (bringing in new ideas in terms of Alex Murphy's past...ie elaborating on the life of Nancy Murphy, his wife, Jimmy Murphy, his son, as well as Robocop's Parents). It contained "Mediabreak" featurettes, as well as the satirical humour of the commercials you would see in the movies (funny futuristic-product commercials, talk shows, etc). Yes some episodes were goofy, but most provided 52 minutes of great entertainment.

Out of all the other Robocop TV duplicates that appeared over the years, this is by far the greater of them all. Definately a show not to miss.

Murphy's back: But in the true and original way?

[miraitrunks99 · 7 April 2001]

Now, I know that many people have been knocking the '94 RoboCop series.

As much as I'd like to put a stop to that, I sadly cannot. I saw the series back when I was about 10 or so, so I can't remember much, and I only saw occasional glimpses, and maybe an episode or two in '98, or around that area.

I grew up with RoboCop, needless to say. The Series had a big influence on me, and since I was 10 (around there), I was astounded. Violence didn't matter much to me, but I always looked up to RoboCop as my hero. RoboCop had became a household name in my family, and I can recall watching the original movie endless amounts of time when I was 5 or so.

But this isn't about the original RoboCop.

It's about the supposedly live-action series made in '94. (I honestly couldn't tell the difference, I was too young.)

Though I noticed that the violence had been toned down a bit, it didn't matter to me. It was RoboCop, simply put, my childhood hero (whom is still my hero), and that was all there was to it. RoboCop: The Series was a finely done project, and I'm sure many think that way. Many seem to think violence is what made RoboCop so good, and I agree in many situations.

RoboCop: The Series is a classic. In fact, aside from Prime Directives, which, might I add, came out this year, or around there (I can't recollect the date.), The Series is one of the best RoboCop sequels/continuations of the 'franchise'.

It goes deeper into Murphy's past, explaining much more, but it only had 23 episodes. People just got sick of it, I guess, but, I loved every second of it.

Remember, friends, before you bash RoboCop: The Series, remember the positive things about it and the little things that made it at least a smidgen good. It was made in 1994, not now.



... If they could have only gotten Peter Weller back...

The Best Robocop since...Robocop!

[Gislef · 15 March 1999]

This TV series actually manages to capture more of the original than either of the two theatrical sequels. Okay, it's toned down for television, but the self-parodying humor is there in all the right places. It's basically a live-action cartoon, as the like of Cray Z. Mollardo, the E Coli Brothers, and Pudface Morgan return time and time again to battle the stone-faced Robocop. We get a bit more on Murphy's background (although his wife shows up _way_ too often), and there are lot of parody-commercials. It's a lot better than a lot of the first-run syndication stuff out there. Catch it on the Sci-Fi Channel.

RoboCop: the Series is an excellent show.

[Perdicus · 4 November 1998]

This excellent sci-fi TV show is highly recommended for all RoboCop fans. Casual Sci-Fi fans may find the show hard to follow, since there is not much background given outside of the opening theme sequence. The show is somewhat violent, but not graphically so. Parental Guidance suggested. This show is currently re-running on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Purely for the kids who weren't allowed to see the movie

[gothamite27 · 19 November 2004]

I was recently at a used video/bookstore where I bought a video thinking it was RoboCop the movie. After further inspection on the ride home, I realized I had accidentally bought the pilot episode of the old TV series I used to watch in my earlier years. I decided on watching on it. If I didn't like it, I would bring it back and buy the movie.

I didn't.

This pilot is so stupid and outlandlishly ridiculous, that the only plausible explanation for it was that the producers were trying to recreate a RoboCop version of the old Batman show. That's the only way I can explain the campy quips, the ridiculous villains (Pudface Morgan, hah!) and the bad acting. The whole experience just felt to me like something for the kids whose mothers wouldn't allow them to see the very violent, sometimes disturbing 1988 movie. I have heard that the later TV movies and animated series were better. I certainly hope so.

Oh dear...

[Tommy 42 · 1 May 1999]

The first film was stunning. The second was a joke and despite the story being better, the third was disappointing. Why, I ask, did they even consider making a TV series of such a slowly deminishing series of films? You can read my review of Paul Verhovens original masterpiece and in addition to that I can only say that the 1987 classic should be left alone. The series, as entertaining as it may be to people who don't understand Verhoven's sophisticated messages in the first film, this series ruins the initial aspects of R1. I am saddened to see that even good films are turned into money spinners after a while.

Not the same as the movies

[Sic Coyote · 15 January 2000]

Although this movie could have done with being made to be shown at a later time so they could have had him actually shoot people and other things like that were in the film. On it's own just looking at it as a RoboCop series without compairing it to the movie it is very good! It's got RoboCop, he's Robotic, he's got a gun and he knows how to use it, and you've got the evil OCP what more do you need :) The change in casting of everyone strikes you at first but you soon get used to the new chairman and other cast. A lot of fun, I wish they would release the whole series on like 4 dvds or something. I'd buy it :) all I have at the moment is about have the series on video. He's certainly more robocop in this than he is in that later animated series Alpha Commando, too much expression.

Awful movie

[Nachorecomienda · 1 June 2021]

This movie is garbage with a budget. It's like a live action cartoon about Robocop, with a lousy plot and terrible acting.