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Highlander: The Raven

Reported by Scott Thomas, for CINESCAPE (hard copy edition) September/October 1998 issue: Volume 4, Number 4,. Page 58.

Here's the pitch: Macho ex-cop reluctantly teams with beautiful woman to aid people in need. Here's the gimmick: The woman
belongs to a race of centuries old Scottish warriors and undergoes a traumatice experience after which she seeks atonement for her morally ambiguous past. Sure, it's a little on the high-concept side, but the creative team behind HL: The Raven swear that
the idea will not only capture the immaginations of hardcore fans of the HL franchise but also reach a mainstream audience
hungry for something out of the ordinary.

"The hook," explains creative consultant David Abramowitz, "is that the show is about a mortal and an immortal in a blending of HL meets Moonlighting meets Ghost."

Not that Whoopi Goldberg is slated for guest appearances as an eccentric psychic anytime soon. Instead, former Miss America Elizabeth Gracen will add the supernatural element to the mix with her Immortal Amanda, the character first introduced as the
on-again, off-again love interest of Adrian Paul's Duncan MacLeod on HL: the Series. Actor Paul Johansson, who has
appeared in a number of television outings such as Heatwave and Lonesome Dove, co-stars as her partner Nick.

HL: The Raven will still feature the extensive flashback sequences and moody atmosphere that made the franchise so popular,
but the chemistry between Gracen and Johansson will bring a new dimension-levity-to the HL realm, says executive producer
Marla Ginsburg. "This show is somewhere between the dark, brooding world of Duncan MacLeod and a movie like Ghost,"
she offers. "This show's more fun. I don't see alot of fun on TV, so I think it's also different in the way."

Given that the series that spawned The Raven has six successful seasons and well over 100 episodes to its credit, comparisons
between the two shows are inevitable. Ginsburg, however, is confident that the show will have no trouble making a name for
itself. "The truth of the matter is that I don't sit around worrying about a lot of comparitive reviewing: 'Will Raven hold up to
Highlander? Does Highlander hold up to something else?'" she says. "This is a very good show and has all the same creative
people behind it, but--(jumping) to a whole other genre--I don't think when David Kelley did Ally McBeal he sat around and
said, 'Gee, does this compare to my other work?'"

"It's a very different show, but I think the hardcore HL fans will love it, while at the same time there is a real mainstream
potential for the show that may not have been there for HL," she continues. "The bottom line is that this show has to stand out
on its own.....and it will."

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Raven animation by Lisa Konrad, whose work is currently on display at the V Collective's Animation Arthouse.