Give Human Target Back to Steinberg and McCreary!

The primary goal of this petition:
Convince FOX to fire Matt Miller and re-instate Jonathan E. Steinberg as showrunner on "Human Target".

The secondary goal:
Get FOX and/or Matt Miller to re-hire Bear McCreary as the composer of the show's original score.


To all "Human Target" fans:

Notice the change in music on "Human Target" this year? Do you miss the old "Human Target" theme in the intro? There are a number of reasons for the change, and the biggest is new showrunner Matt Miller. If you're bothered by the change in music, sign this petition and let FOX know that you want the old "Human Target" back, and you don't want it canceled. Or better yet, you could send a letter to FOX.

FOX Broadcasting Company
10201 West Pico Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90035

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To FOX,

On January 15 of 2010, a new show debuted on FOX that was unlike anything else on TV. It was, in fact, unlike just about anything seen in TV or movies since the 1980s. This show was called "Human Target".

"Human Target" was developed for television by Jonathan E. Steinberg, creator of cult favorite TV show "Jericho". Steinberg set out from the beginning to create a TV show that didn't conform to the tired trends of current television, and instead attempted to create a fun, nostalgic, and exciting show that was a throwback to the golden age of action/adventure movies/shows in the 1980s. "Human Target" was like an awesome new James Bond/Indiana Jones adventure every week!

"Human Target" was never 100\% perfect, but it was in a perpetual state of growth, becoming better and better as it went along. It was clear that Jonathan Steinberg had a vision for the show and a story to tell, and I believe the show would have achieved much more of its potential in season 2 with Steinberg at the helm.

Jonathan Steinberg also knew how extremely important the music would be to achieving his vision for "Human Target" and giving it a big-budget, cinematic feel. So he hired Bear McCreary, possibly the greatest television composer of our time, to compose the original score for the show. Jon and Bear agreed that, unlike most shows, "Human Target" needed to have a live-recorded, fully orchestral score. As just some of his many influences, Bear cited a number of his favorite composers, like John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Elmer Bernstein, Alan Silvestri, Basil Poledouris, Danny Elfman, and Bernard Herrmann. These men are some of the absolute finest film composers to have ever lived, and gave us many of the most beloved film scores of all time.

When you first hear Bear McCreary's sweeping and adventurous theme for Christopher Chance playing across the intro of "Human Target", you immediately know that you're in for something special; something different and fresh. The main theme was even nominated for an Emmy. McCreary poured his heart into the show's music, weaving dozens of themes into exciting new material into each and every week. Before long, Bear's swashbuckling adventure music became inextricably connected with the identity of the show. Show star, Mark Valley, even had (and possibly still has) the iconic Christopher Chance theme as his cell phone ringtone. By the final episode, Bear was recording music with the largest orchestra ever assembled for a network television show.

In the 3-CD release of Bear McCreary's music for season 1 of the show, Jonathan Steinberg said this: This score occupies special real estate in my heart. Partly because Im proud of what we accomplished in making this show. Partly because I know how hard Bear and his guys worked to take it from a crazy idea into something real. But partly, simply, because its been a long time since Ive heard a new score that refused to apologize; a score that had the courage to shoot for the stars; a score that made me feel inspired.

Though the music was obviously one of the biggest reasons for the show's greatness, Jon Steinberg's influence as showrunner was arguably just as integral. It was his and Bear's intent to create a full-fledged action movie every single week. But what they accomplished on a TV budget was, in my opinion, more spirited, exciting, and fun than most actual theatrical action/adventure movies.

I was initially relieved to hear that "Human Target" had not been canceled, and had been renewed by FOX for a second season. But this relief was short-lived, as the news appeared that Jonathan Steinberg had been replaced as showrunner by Matt Miller (of "Chuck"). Miller had little understanding of what made the show great, and quickly began changing the show to fit his own tastes. Bear McCreary was dropped from the show and replaced by "Chuck" composer Tim Jones. Miller failed to recognize McCreary's music as the essential part of the show that it was. Instead, along with Tim Jones's music, more contemporary songs would be included in each episode.

It should also be noted that Matt Miller completely lied about what we could expect from season 2's music in an August 5 interview with HitFlix:
http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/press-tour-new-human-target-producer-matt-miller-has-a-few-changes-to-make
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HF: Now, I love Tim's work on "Chuck," but one of the best things about the show last year was Bear (McCreary) and the theme song and all of that. Can you talk about the decision to switch?

MM: Basically, the idea is that we wanted to give the show a slightly different tone to it. Bear's a very busy guy, he's taken on another job, and I talked to Tim about it, and we felt there was some way to take the music from last year and just tweak it slightly. So it's not going to be totally new score, or anything like that. It's just going to be slightly revamped and remodeled. And also, the show last year was musically great, but it had no music in it. There were no needle drops. So we want to do that, add some songs to the show.

HF: But are the theme song and title sequence going to be the same?

MM: It's going to be very, very, very similar.
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Tim Jones's music for season 2 is not a slight tweak of Bear McCreary's score. And the theme song is not "very, very similar" to Bear's theme song in season 1. Matt Miller was completely dishonest about this. Compare the two intros and see for yourself...

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Season 1 Intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCkHqoEzoMc

Season 1 Intro (Finale Version):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMEMH949UL8

Season 2 Intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tol5333xgUs
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Now I ask you, can you imagine the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park movies without the amazing musical themes composed by John Williams? The makers of the third Jurassic Park movie at least had the wisdom to retain the classic themes originated in the first two films. Imagine James Bond without the extremely well-known guitar theme. Or how about a Mission: Impossible movie without its theme? Music is, perhaps more than some realize, unfathomably important to certain film and TV franchises. Bear McCreary's Christopher Chance theme is as important to that character as the Raiders March is to Indiana Jones, the Imperial March to Darth Vader, or Jerry Goldsmith's "It's A Long Road" theme for the Rambo character. The fact that Matt Miller and Tim Jones have completely ignored all of the themes from the first season shows a tremendous disrespect, not just to the show as a whole, but to every beloved classic film score. Just try and tell me that John Williams could easily have been replaced for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". You can't, because you know that it's not true. With the removal of Jon Steinberg and Bear McCreary from "Human Target", the very heart and soul of the show has been ripped out. The characters we love still remain, but it's not enough. "Human Target" has been broken and needs to be made whole again.

Matt Miller is, in my opinion, completely ruining "Human Target". Even casual viewers are bothered by the replacement of the main theme in the intro. I believe that the changes being made to "Human Target" will inevitably destroy viewer interest in the show and result in the show's rapid cancellation. Fix "Human Target" while there's still time. At the very least, we would at least ask that Matt Miller bring back Bear's original theme song for the intro, or have Tim Jones compose a new theme utilizing the Christopher Chance theme.