HUMAN TARGET - HITS THE MARK

Television never met a gimmick it didn't like: talking horses, dogs and cars; super heroes; spaceships; hillbillies who strike oil and move to Beverly (Hills, that is); and people who swipe other people's identities for fun and profit.

But sometimes, gimmicks work. That is, wild ideas are so, well-executed and smartly mounted that the basic premise, gimmicky as it might be, is just an excuse to present a neat story and compelling characters.

Such a show is The Human Target, a surprisingly wonderful new series that premieres this week on ABC. While its gimmick is familiar, the show itself is utterly charming.

Former teen singing idol Rick Springfield plays Christopher Chance, a guy who flies around the world impersonating various rich and powerful men who have been targeted for death. As compensation, Chance takes 10 percent of the client's annual salary.

To get where he needs to be Chance uses the Blackwing, a super-advanced aircraft. It seems to have as many decks and compartments as the U.S.S. Enterprise. Piloting the bird is Jeff Carlyle (Sami Chester), assisted by computer whiz Libby Page (Signy Coleman) and makeup maven Philo Marsden (Kirk Baltz).

It is Marsden's skill that allows Chance to pass as another man. Once inside the other guy's skin, Chance takes the hit meant for the rich guy: He is, in effect, a "human target."

The Human Target is produced by Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo and Steven Hattman, the same trio that came up with The Flash, the short-lived CSB series. While The Flash never achieved rating success, it became a cult favorite among viewers who liked action and cool gadgets.

This series, too, is gadget-driven, as Chance relies on a slew of futuristic devices to foil the bad guys.

What gives The Human Target it's punch, though, isn't the smoke-and-mirrors show that Bilson, De Meo, and Hattman are famous for: It's heart. Despite its action-oriented thesis, The Human Target also is a poignant portrait of a rather lonely, often conflicted hero.

Hattman explained Chance: "This was a man who, at a very young age, went to war in Vietnam. He was in Special Forces. He was, in fact, an assassin. He did what he felt was his duty. It affected him.

"At one point he took life, but now he finds life sacred. This is a character who's on a redemptive trek through his like and that's why he chose to become 'The Human Target' - to protect lives in danger, stop murders."

Springfield's quiet acting style gives the character this reflective, contemplative edge.

"The redemptive quality is a big thing for me," he said. "Plus I enjoy the physical quality aspect of it, too. I could get into this character very easily. His pain, I can understand. It gives the character a real drive, a lot of places to go, a lot of power."

Springfield, a native of Australia who lives in the United States but retains his Australian citizenship, skedaddled to fame as a rock 'n' roll singer. He won a Grammy in 1981 for Jessie's Girl. Springfield also starred in the motion pictures Battlestar Galactica and Hard to Hold, and was a regular cast member of the ABC serial General Hospital.

His dark good looks make Springfield an immediate hit with teen-agers, a mantle the actor wears lightly.

"I've been saddled with the teen idol thing for so long. I just go ahead with my work. I certainly think I've worn that out."

The Human Target represents Springfield's first role in a long time, he said. "I had, for want of a more accurate phrase, a mid-life crisis. I became a hermit for about four or five years. I'd been touring for six years and I just thought I'd take six months off. Six months turned into five years.

"I went through a lot of pain, a lot of ups and downs in that time. It was a very scary thing, the process of getting back to my life."

The vehicle he chose for his comeback, The Human Target, is a good one: It's an entertaining new series, combining high-tech hijinks with heartfelt moments.

Hattman said: "Absolutely, the appeal of the show is what he can become. What difficulties will he face? How do you make it work? In episodes so far we've had him become a criminal judge, a psychiatrist. We've had him go back and confront his father."

Added Bilson: "This is really about storytelling. It's about violence and intensity and death. If you've got a guy who's saving somebody's life, you have threats to his life. The better executed the threats, the more the audience is interested, and the more you're rooting for Rick to save the day."