The Net: Complete First Series

Identity theft, paranoia and the internet is ripe for a TV series, starring someone who isn't, but might have been, Jennifer Garner. Add to that Sandra Bullock's first starring role after driving the bus in Speed and you have... a shoe-in for viewer addiction?

The Net (film) was a bit of a mish-mash, with Bullock playing a naive computer analyst, who gets caught up in the most bizarre goings-on, involving murdered politicians and a web of intrigue that is so sticky you can't extricate yourself. Bullock looks fit and determined and runs a lot.

The Net (TV series) is also on the mishy side, with ex-Melrose Place tenant Brooke Langton playing a self-assured computer somethingorother, who doesn't have many friends - why not, for God's sake? She's a babe - but chats away online with a dodgy English bloke, called The Sorcerer (voiced by that equally dodgy English bloke from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Tim Curry), who warns her, "Just be careful who you trust."

Minutes later, she's running for her life. And she keeps on running for 972 minutes. You feel out of breath watching her. You feel confused, too.

There are three bad people, called The Praetorians, when they are not pretending to be FBI, or some other government agency. They want information from Angela (Langton), concerning her father, even though Angela hasn't a clue what that is, and they are prepared to kill for it. They are also extremely clever with computers and can change Angela's identity to that of an escaped, convicted criminal, which means the entire police force of the United States is after her as well.

What does she do? She runs. Phew!

Paranoia is contagious. You don't trust anybody. This tightens the ties between you and the storylines, which is good, and you care for Angela, even though she's a bit too sensible and lacks a sense of humour.

The villains, led by a wooden Joseph Bottoms, are unconvincing. They seem to be able to do anything, like superheroes, but can't fly, and yet keep letting the lady slip through their fingers. She slips with style, it's true.

Angela says stuff like, "I'm not going to stop until I get my life back." And you say, "Go, Ange, go!"

Why is a running girl, in slow motion, sexy, when a running man is just a man running?

Why did they never make a second series of The Net? It looks dated now, but you can't help loving it (a bit).