A weekly program focusing on the arts and entertainment

Camelot. It really was more than a fleeting wisp of glory. At least to those who learned the value of the printed word by reading about the adventures of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round table.

But, Arts and Entertainment Editor Bob Sokolsky claims, something happened along the way. Producers and writers tried to adapt their tales into movies and TV. And there went the neighborhood, especially when those bold heroes were morphed into self-conscious actors moving clumsily about in their tin suits.

Sokolsky cites the NBC pickup of the British series "Merlin" as the latest example of that. However, he adds, this one comes across a little better than most of its predecessors.

That's despite the fact that it has changed Merlin from a mystically wise adviser into a noble king. He is now a companion to the prince who will some day be a king. And the difference is almost painful.

Or to put things another way, Sokolsky suggests picturing a new version of "Star Trek: Next Generation" spotlighting a young Geordi La Forge teaching an even younger Jean-Luc Picard ways to set off firecrackers in a nasty rival's clubhouse.