I’m not familiar with the original French film, but James Cameron’s 1994 remake has become a truly iconic creation, a reference to which is present even in Pelevin’s Chapaev and the Emptiness. Is he losing the new series? In fact, yes, like almost any serial remake. And the point here is not even that the level of production and acting this creation does not reach Cameron. But everything in order.
The main, in my opinion, disadvantage of the series is the undisclosed line of children of the main characters. In the 1994 film, Harry Tusker's daughter's abduction by the main villain gave him additional motivation to defeat him. In the final battle on the fighter, the hero of Schwartz saved not only his country, but also his family. In the series, the Tasker couple have two children at once, but they have very little screen time. Yes, at the end they begin to more or less put into action (and then, the role of the son for me remained unclear), but before that they, in fact, do not need the fuck for the plot!
Another downside is primitiveness. In Cameron’s film, Schwarzenegger’s character tricked his wife into working as a salesman when he was actually a secret agent. At the same time, his wife had an affair with a simple salesman posing as a secret agent. Both spouses had secrets from each other, which, however, in the course of the plot were woven into one tangle, and through their disclosure, the characters learned to overcome family differences. What about the new series? Well, Harry Tasker is a spy. And--that's it. His wife learns about the secret work in the first series, and then they just perform the same type of spy mission, not related to each other almost in any way!
However, against the background of other spy-comedy series, such as “Whiskey Cavalier” or the recent “Fubar” with the same Schwartz, “True Lies” looks more profitable. At a minimum, there are no unnecessary attempts at drama and tear-crushing (except perhaps the last series, but it is served in moderation), there is no tension seriousness, everything looks very cartoonish-comic and fervent. I really liked the reference to Cameron's original film at the beginning of the 13th series - who has seen, he will understand what is called. The final move with the main character, ready under the influence of drugs to kill their own, albeit not new, but adds some variety to the abundance of happy endings with a "miraculous salvation". The installation twist with the split screen at first and annoyed, but over time began to be perceived simply as an interesting feature of the series.
Despite the raggedness of the plot in the last series, the sequels, as in the aforementioned “Whiskey Cavalier” and “Fubaret”, we, apparently, will not see. It seems that the creators of such content are too positive, if they hope that their creation will go so far that it will be possible to shoot next season with confidence.