Bates Motel Strikes Gold

I rarely get excited about programs based solely on their casting decisions, but every once in a while I get surprised. With movies it's a bit easier because there are usually more movies based on other things that have existing characters. For example, I was thrilled to hear Heath Ledger was selected as the Joker way back in the day because in the comic books, he was more of a demented serial killer as opposed to Jack Nicholson's campy lunatic, and I felt (based on Ledger's previous work) Heath was the right talent to pull off the "real" Joker. Television programs are usually (hopefully) original ideas that allow casting directors to hire based upon what they imagine the character looks like. So when I heard not-so-little-anymore Freddie Highmore was chosen to reprise or "preprise", if you will, the iconic role of Norman Bates from the Hitchcock classic, Psycho, I was absolutely elated.

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