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STORY STUDY - MEDIUM: MINISERIES - “Tin Man”

Jeffrey Tung
May 20, 2019
2 min read

You get sucked into a storm in the middle Kansas. You’re expecting to arrive in Oz. Nope. This is the O.Z.

Directed by Nick Willing, and produced for the Sci Fi Channel, Tin Man is a retelling of the classic story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Small-town Kansas waitress DG is whisked away to the Outer Zone to avoid the soldiers who used the storm to travel to her world to kill her.

When she arrives, she encounters amnesiac Glitch, “viewer” Raw, and law enforcer Wyatt Cain. Law enforcers of the Outer Zone are called Tin Men. The group travels the land to find out why the evil sorceress Azkadellia is trying to kill DG, as well as trying to find out more about DG’s visions she’s been recently receiving.

I want to get the flaws out of the way. Yes, some of the effects have become dated, some of the acting, especially on the magical characters part, can be over-the-top, and some of the tone can be a bit uneven. The third episode, ironically, is the weakest and part of that is because of the anti-climax that happens with the despicable character of the story.

However, the first episode absolutely hooks you in, and the second makes you want to see how it all resolves. The Outer Zone is dark and filled with steampunk imagery, and it is glorious. All the characters, the group, the supporting characters, and yes, even the villains, they’re all distinct in their archetype and personality.

Whether or not this is a positive, but the miniseries is very much on brand with the Sci Fi Channel: Big, grand ideas with a moderate budget to pull it off, and characters that range from engaging to unintentionally laughable.

I came across the one of the episodes on the Sci Fi Channel. Based on the title, I correctly assumed it was a show based on The Wizard of Oz or inspired on it. The story was indeed that, but I was not expecting the world and sub-genre it was going to be.

Tin Man, despite the misleading title, since it’s more DG’s story, not Cain, is a fun fantasy adventure. It’s a creative reimagining of a classic story that’ll sure to be entertain audiences.