“Tin Man” is a 2007 television miniseries that sets out to reimagine L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a darker, grittier adventure. It stars Zooey Deschanel as DG, a waitress from Kansas who is pulled into the magical realm of the Outer Zone, where she joins forces with Glitch, Raw, and Wyatt Cain to stop the tyrannical sorceress Azkadellia from trapping the land in eternal darkness. The show cost $20 million to produce and aired across three nights on the Sci Fi Channel, where it drew 6.4 million viewers for its first part and became the highest-rated miniseries of 2007.
Trailer, via Mill Creek Entertainment.
The Premise
DG is a waitress who sees visions of a lavender-eyed woman warning her of an approaching storm. Those visions become real when Azkadellia sends her Longcoat soldiers through a “travel storm” to kill DG. She escapes into the O.Z., where she meets Glitch, a man who had half his brain removed by Azkadellia; Wyatt Cain, a former law enforcer locked in an iron suit for years; and Raw, a viewer whose people have been enslaved. DG learns her Kansan parents are androids, that her real mother is the lavender-eyed woman, and that she and Azkadellia are sisters and daughters of the Queen.
The Cast
The ensemble is strong. Alan Cumming plays Glitch, a former advisor to the Queen whose brain damage leaves him with a different personality entirely. Neal McDonough is Wyatt Cain, the “Tin Man” of the title, a former law enforcer locked in an iron suit. Kathleen Robertson is Azkadellia, the tyrannical ruler. Richard Dreyfuss plays the Mystic Man, a former ruler turned stage act. Blu Mankuma appears as Tutor, DG’s former magic teacher, in canine form called Toto.
What Works
The visual effects are striking, and the production design draws on Baum’s Oz with a darker, more industrial edge. The music supports the tone well. The performances are committed across the board, with Deschanel carrying the emotional weight as DG struggles to recover her lost memories.
Where It Falls Short
The show is grim and bleak, and some critics found it overly dark for a story based on a children’s book. The pacing drags in the middle episode, where the journey to the Northern Island feels like filler before the final confrontation. The story’s central mystery about DG’s true identity is resolved too quickly in the finale, leaving less room for the emotional payoff that the setup earns.
Reception
The miniseries was nominated for nine Emmy Awards and won one. It was also nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award. Reviews were mixed, with praise for the acting, soundtrack, and visual effects balanced against complaints about the tone.
Key Facts
- Premiere: December 2, 2007
- Final episode: December 4, 2007
- Episodes: 3
- Production cost: $20 million
- First night viewership: 6.4 million
- Highest-rated miniseries of 2007
“Tin Man” is a confident, ambitious adaptation that gets a lot right but stumbles in its middle stretch. Deschanel is excellent as DG, Cumming delivers a memorable Glitch, and the world-building is rich enough to sustain a longer series. As a standalone miniseries, though, it asks for more patience than it earns. It is worth watching for its craft, even if its story doesn’t fully justify its ambition.
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