Like a penny in a bucket, "Rosemary's Baby," the 2014 modern and contemporary version, made its debut onto the small screen last weekend. The small screen is TV on NBC.

There are huge differences, similarities and reinterpretations in this Rosemary miniseries when compared to the 1968 feature length film version of "Rosemary's Baby."

One of the three main differences is obviously the ethnicity. Mia Farrow's Rosemary Woodhouse is white, and Zoe Saldana's Rosemary is black. Why do you think they did that? Who cares! Both Farrow and Saldana play the roles with naivety and inner strength. But Saldana's Rosemary is not at all so quick to trust the mysterious Castevet couple, and she seems a lot more independent than some would let on. I tend to like Saldana's subtle and strong approach to the role.

The second major difference is location, location, location. The 1968 version was set in the hustle and bustle of New York City with a typical high-end New York City apartment. Flash forward to 2014, the couple is still American, but the Woodhouse couple has moved to Paris so that Guy Woodhouse can pursue his struggling writing career, which has now become his struggling teaching career. And the American couple are living in a typical small Parisian apartment until they are forced to move out because of a fire that almost kills Guy.

The fire that trapped Saldana's Rosemary and Patrick J. Adams' Guy Woodhouse could have been a lot more dramatic; instead it became an unmitigated distraction -- albeit a purposeful plot point to advance the closeness between the Castevets and the Woodhouses. It is the fire and the untimely and demonic demise of Guy's competition to have tenure at the university that tends to explode as fast as it fizzles. In other words, these instances go nowhere.

The final major difference is that Adams' Guy is more likable than John Cassavetes' Guy. His Guy seemed so pushy and a little cold. Adams on the other hand brings a sense of conflict and frustration, but he is mostly kind and loving to Rosemary. Spoilers: Even when after episode one, as Saldana's Rosemary lays there to be plucked or "taken" by the unknown beast/demon/devil, Guy emotes through his eyes that he wants to take her away from this place, but it is the deal that he made that is forcing him to stay.

The similarities are that 2014's Agnieszka Holland-directed Rosemary has the essence and darkness of the Roman Polanski directed 1968 version, but with TV, they tend to drag it out too much; in the film, they tend to get there quickly. And of course the famous line that the modern version kept, "This isn't a dream? This is real," Saldana said, which is a variation of Farrow saying, "This is no dream! This is really happening!" Both lines are electrifying. Some critics call the 2014 version more of the same thing.

At least in the 1968 film version we know how it is going to end. In the modern version, they could go in a different direction, but that is doubtful.

Also this 2014 version is somewhat of a family affair for Saldana. It is Zoe Saldana and her sisters Cisely and Mariel Saldana that are all producing the show.

The original "Rosemary's Baby" was not a penny in a bucket: It was a stone that landed in the fountain of all horror genres. It was intriguing, compelling, as well as scary. The 2014 "Rosemary's Baby" is unfortunately the penny in the bucket of everyday horror genre, but it has the potential to pull itself out of the bucket. I am hoping they will do so by episode two, which airs tomorrow night.

Here is the 1968 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5lxTx68Hlo

And the trailer for the 2014 version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCeDxXQtPzM