The Storyteller

The Storyteller (tv series), 1988. An old man tells folktales to his dog.

Created by Jim Henson. Directed by Steve Barron (3 episodes), Jim Henson (2), Charles Sturridge (1), Jon Amiel (1), Peter Smith (1) & Paul Weiland (1). Written by Anthony Minghella. Starring John Hurt.

Concept: 4/4 (Great)
Story: 3/4 (Good)
Characters: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Dialog: 3/4 (Good)
Pacing: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Cinematography: 2/4 (Indifferent)
Special effects/design: 4/4 (Great)
Acting: 3/4 (Good)
Music: 3/4 (Good)
Subjective Rating: 8/10 (Great, 4/4). At its best it's fun, and at its worst it's at least interesting. It's one of the only faithful screen adaptation of fairy tales. They just don't make shows like this - and understandably. Henson and Minghella apparently just said "fuck it" to every conventional idea of what audiences like and made the weird-ass show they felt like making.
Objective Rating (Average): 3.0/4 (Good)