Add to that a smattering of witty dialogue, clever character twists and, of course, the Victo-goth steampunk look, and ABC has another shot at redefining the family hour.
The clever character is known for giving warrior Theseus a ball of thread to help him navigate his way out of a labyrinth.
And while he cites the influence of Milton, Browning and Blake, there is also a slice of Ray Davies or Jam-era Paul Weller in some of his clever character sketches.
Assembled in one-page vignettes with titles like "Haircut," "Fireside Chat" and "Mother," "Wilson" builds from clever character sketch to deadpan comedy to surprisingly forceful melodrama.
In certain sequences the bludgeon strokes alternate with the deft touch of the artist, and one can't help regretting the sour streak in some of the episodes, even if it is coupled with clever character delineations.
The Era commented that "Miss Lloyd's clever character work, her versatility and unflagging endeavours to please were rewarded with deserved success".
Arnold went further, saying that "Never Say Never Again is the best acted Bond picture ever made, because it clearly surpasses any predecessors in the area of inventive and clever character delineation".
Television Without Pitys Ethan Alter admitted to enjoying Scar, praising the character as "a fantastic villain and easily the most fully realized of the film's characters, thanks both to Jeremy Irons' marvelously wicked vocal performance and some clever character flourishes on behalf of the animators".
Made me bark with laughter", that, "Lord Reith would be so proud" and the programme was, "Pornography for the brain!" Miranda Sawyer of The Observer criticised the show, saying that, "it's no QI, because the joy of that programme rests almost entirely in the host, Stephen Fry, and his subversion of the prissy, clever character we're familiar with (in QI, Fry is clever, but relaxed).
"Saturday Night Live" hilariously skewered the sanitized takes from President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr in a clever three-character cold-open about what is known so far about special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
And finally there are some writers who invent clever characters as a front for less clever writing.
