NIGHT STALKER: THE COMPLETE SERIES

It would be easy to define this updating of the 1970s television series Night Stalker as The X-Files by way of Seven. Producer Frank Spotnitz, an X-Files veteran, infused the new iteration with stylistic flourishes suited to today's audiences that are far too familiar with manifestations of violence. Reporter Carl Kolchak (Stuart Townsend) is on an obsessive search for the instances of evil in order to discover the roots of his own unexplained loss. He is joined by Perri Reed (Gabrielle Union), a no-nonsense crime reporter with a steadfast belief in rational explanations. The show wasn't able to complete a full season, largely because of the limits of the hour-long dramatic format and the accepted notion that even the most horrific storylines need to be resolved before the clock strikes midnight. Night Stalker: The Complete Series, which includes four never-seen episodes, fails to tell us anything useful about the true nature of evil or whether Union will ever find a vehicle that taps into her potential beyond urban romantic comedies. (tt clinkscales) Grade: C