# Aloysius Xingu L Pendergast is coming to television **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199 "2016-04-26T17:37:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/1 "2016-04-26T17:37:53Z")
The detective who qualifies as his own X-File [is the center of a series being developed for Spike TV.](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-producer-adapting-pendergast-860457). I hope to ghod they cover his first published adventure, _Relic_, seeing as how the first time they filmed it _they actually left his character on the cutting room floor!_ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/2 "2016-04-26T19:24:57Z")
According to [this press release,](http://www.spike.com/press/2016/02/09/spike-joins-forces-with-paramount-television-universal-cable-productions-and-the-walking-deads-gale-anne-hurd-to-develop-new-scripted-series/) they will start with adapting “Relic” and “Cabinet Of Curiosities”. I’m wondering who could play the main role-maybe James Marsters? ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/3 "2016-04-26T20:51:21Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’m wondering who could play the main role-maybe James Marsters? For some reason, I always envision Pendergast as Benedict Cumberbatch, a la The Fifth Estate. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/4 "2016-04-26T20:59:01Z")
Too tall. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/5 "2016-04-26T22:07:39Z")
Regardless of how he was described in the books, my mind’s eye always pictured AXLP as a thirty-something Christopher Walken. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/6 "2016-04-27T02:34:37Z")
What about Anderson Cooper? 😃 He looks exactly like how I imagine Pendergast. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/7 "2016-04-27T05:47:08Z")
Mmm. I think of a more mature version of Max Headroom. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/8 "2016-04-27T11:22:54Z")
I have to admit, I really hate awesomely gifted really rich characters, especially when they have equally gifted, etc. brothers, and especially when they’re adversaries. I kinda like Preston and Child’s books in the same guilty pleasure way I like Cussler’s, but I’ve avoided books with these characters in them. I probably won’t be watching. ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/9 "2016-04-27T14:22:13Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > What about Anderson Cooper? 😃 > He looks exactly like how I imagine Pendergast. Cooper is actually a pretty good “fit” for how I envision Pendergast ! I was thinking the guy who played the android in “Prometheus”, but he might be too good looking. One thing for me where there is no doubt is that D’Agosta should be (have been) played by Danny Aiello (circa “Moonstruck”). Reading the books, I totally pictured Aiello in each “scene”. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/10 "2016-04-27T15:05:02Z")
I got sick of Pendergast pretty soon after Viola appeared. I liked _Relic_ and a couple of others but honestly I preferred _Thunderhead_ and _The Ice Limit_ to ones centered on Pendergast. I’ll give the show a chance, though. I always pictured Tom Sizemore as D’Agosta after I saw the movie. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/11 "2016-04-27T15:08:35Z")
I enjoy the books, but do we really need another Sherlock Holmes TV show right now? ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/12 "2016-04-27T16:09:02Z")
Syfy network. Bleh. Years ago I pictured Julian Sands as Pendergast, but now he’s probably too old. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/13 "2016-04-27T16:11:20Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Syfy network. Bleh. > > Years ago I pictured Julian Sands as Pendergast, but now he’s probably too old. Syfy network? It’s being developed for Spike. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/14 "2016-04-27T16:15:14Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Syfy network? It’s being developed for Spike. Huh. Why am I drunk at noon on a weekday? Not really familiar with Spike, but having had a look, Syfy might have been better. I don’t think either network has produced a quality, original program. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/15 "2016-04-27T17:45:08Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Regardless of how he was described in the books, my mind’s eye always pictured AXLP as a thirty-something Christopher Walken. Yeah, I can see that. I really liked a lot of the earlier books in the Pendergast series but I got tired of the later ones. I think the last book I read was _Two Graves_ and I’m not sure I finished it. But I’ll check the show out. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/16 "2016-04-27T23:20:24Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > Yeah, I can see that. > > I really liked a lot of the earlier books in the Pendergast series but I got tired of the later ones. I think the last book I read was _Two Graves_ and I’m not sure I finished it… Agreed. They’re all pretty far-fetched, to put it mildly, and got more so with each succeeding book. I began enjoying them less and less, and finally had had enough by the end of the one with the volcanic ending. In hindsight I think I should have stopped two or three books earlier. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aloysius-xingu-l-pendergast-is-coming-to-television/753199/17 "2016-04-27T23:27:39Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Mmm. I think of a more mature version of Max Headroom. I always picture him as looking like Andy Warhol. This doesn’t take much imagination as the publishers ads for Pendegast novels frequently use the phrasing Thinks like Sherlock Holmes Fights like James Bond Looks like Andy Warhol to describe him, and the resemblance has been mentioned at least a few times in the books.