Nbc Crusoe

In the two-hour premiere of Crusoe, the expensive-looking and silly new 13-part television series NBC adapted from literature’s stranded-man classic, our hero (Philip Winchester) keeps having flashbacks to the civilized world he’s left behind. I have to admit, I kept having flashbacks, too — to the 10-year-old me who was awed and thrilled by Daniel Defoe’s iconic story of ill-fated and exotic banishment, cultural upheaval and self-sufficiency. Although Defoe’s Crusoe wanted to return to society, his predicament seemed hopelessly romantic to my hermitlike youthful self, who preferred a closed-door bedroom hideaway where books flourished, drawing paper and pens were plentiful, the television was like a warming sun, and endlessly replayed LPs were the native sounds. I didn’t want to live on an island, mind you, just my island.

CRUSOE | NBC | Fridays, 8 p.m.