We, as a nation, are two episodes in to Fox’s new show Human Target (I have no idea how to characterize it; it’s not really a drama, although they do play lots of violins at times; it’s not really a thriller, although stuff blows up; it’s not really a crime show, although there are bad guys and shooting; it’s not really a comedy, although there are some witty retorts and darkly comedic moments), and I am in serious like.

Having said that, I will immediately acknowledge that it is completely ridiculous, as a premise, as written, as acted, and as presented. Now having said that, it clearly meets all the criteria for a guilty pleasure, and since I’ve lost my beloved Three Rivers, I’m happy to have something new to curl up with.

It’s kind of like Mission: Impossible (the TV show, not the movies), It Takes A Thief, Man from U.N.C.L.E., and a smidge of Get Smart all put into a blender with four shots of 21st century and crushed ice. Trust me, it goes down smooth.

The so-called Human Target is a character named Christopher Chance (but is he really named Christopher Chance?) and he is a bodyguard. But he’s not like Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. Although he may have issues. Chance goes undercover with the client, lulls "the threat" into a false sense of security, makes the threat "show himself" and then "eliminates the threat." Mission always accomplished.

Chance is played by Mark Valley, a large-craniumed individual whom I have always found appealing. Mostly recently he played dead FBI agent John Scott in Fringe, he was Brad Chase on Boston Legal, and I particularly liked him in Keen Eddie, the short-lived Fox series in 2003 in which he played a "wise-cracking New York cop" on assignment in London. He is particularly good at playing dryly ironic.

His co-worker is Chi McBride, who was so great as Emerson Cod on my dearly departed Pushing Daisies. He is less great in this, simply because of the material they are saddling him with; but he had more to work with in last night’s second episode than in the pilot, so I’m hopeful.

Also on the roster is former Bad News Bear Jackie Earle Haley, who plays sort of an underworldly computer hacker type guy who works for Chance on occasion. This is the least defined character of the three stars, and he needs work. Right now he’s just odd, with bad facial hair.

In the pilot, Chance is hired by a woman who designed a bullet train because someone is trying to kill her, and I figured out pretty quickly who that was but it took the characters almost the whole show. Plus, they try and fool you into thinking they haven’t figured it out when they actually have. They don’t want to get weighed down by a lot of realistic details, so they just skip the boring stuff.

There was a very long fistfight between Chance and the assassin on the train, and then a very cool parachuting thing that resulted in far less injury than one might have expected you’d get hurtling backwards out of a train traveling 170 mph (not even a torn blouse!) but I loved it. It was fun to watch.

The second episode, last night, was even better, because it was on an airplane and involved fire, air marshals, guns, the old shake-up-the-cola-can trick, and some witty banter between Chance and a "flight attendant" who was not all she appeared to be. Or maybe she was more than she appeared to be. And when would Chance figure that out? While he was flying the jumbo jet upside down?

I know, right?

I love it. How about you?