Category: TV Dramas (Page 218 of 235)

“Saved” built on successful template

July 7, 2006 /

TNT’s new drama, “Saved,” stars Tom Everett Scott (best known as the drummer in “That Thing You Do!”) as Wyatt Cole, a troubled paramedic with daddy issues. The character is not dissimilar to Meredith Grey of “Grey’s Anatomy.” Both have parents that are/were successful surgeons and both are coming to grips with the legacy they’ll leave in the medical world. Wyatt went to medical school for two years and his father insists that he return to finish, while it seems that Wyatt has decided the last thing he wants to do is please his father. Much like Meredith, Wyatt has a complicated history with a doctor, Alice Alden (played by Elizabeth Reaser), who is on the verge of committing to a relationship with another ER doc, but her attraction to Wyatt is holding things up.

Unlike “Grey’s,” “Saved” doesn’t have the tedious voice-overs and the “what lesson did we learn this week?” moments. Wyatt is a compulsive gambler, and while his dealings with the gay mafia are a bit odd, the show is grittier than its counterpart. Scott has good chemistry with Omari Hardwick, who plays his partner, John Hallon. Hallon has his own problems – he’s a recovering alcoholic who is just starting to become a father to his 8 year-old son, after being absent for most of his life.

Wyatt’s whimsical nature carries the show, and the rest of the characters play off of it well. It’s clear that the attraction between he and Alice is going to continue for the duration of the season, while he and his father continue to battle over Wyatt’s future. “Saved” isn’t must-see TV, but it’s solid viewing, especially for the summer. Along with “The Closer,” TNT has found a niche and is filling it well.

External Entertainment, External TV, TV, TV Dramas

“PSYCH” – Friday, 10 PM, on USA Network

July 6, 2006 /

You can’t very well begrudge the USA Network for attempting to find a perfect companion show to run along with their well-established hit, “Monk.” You can, however, waggle your finger at them for maybe trying a little too hard to reproduce the comedy / drama feel.

James Roday, who looks like Sam Rockwell’s little brother, plays Shawn Spencer; he’s most decidedly a slacker – the number of jobs he’s held since getting out of high school is decidedly into the double digits – but from a very young age, he was trained by his policeman father (Corbin Bernsen) to be very, very, very observant. Yes, it’s worth three very‘s. Though he’s easily bored (hence the tendency to leave a job once he’s felt he’s learned all he can), Shawn’s skills of observation remain honed; he regularly watches the local news and calls in tips to solve crimes, based on what he’s witnessed in the reports. These calls, however, lead him to be picked up by the cops and questioned in one of the crimes; in an attempt to weasel out of arrest, he claims to be a psychic…and that’s when the fun begins.

Unfortunately, Shawn’s having too much fun. That’s not a plot development, however; that’s a critical opinion based on the fact that his dialogue is a bit too wacky. He’s always ready with a quip or a joke, to the point where it becomes obvious that the scripts are trying desperately to paint him as a real cut-up. We get it; he’s funny. Now how about a bit of subtlety…?

Shawn’s crimefighting buddy, Gus (Dulé Hill, who played Charlie Young on “The West Wing”), is appropriately cynical of his friend’s motives, but he’s painted with a broad brush here, basically serving just to give Shawn someone to bounce his one-liners off of. Bernsen’s gruff performance as Shawn’s dad, Henry, is great; one hopes he ends up getting more screen time as the series progresses.

But will the series progress? Let’s hope so. USA has ordered 11 episodes, and, despite the heavy-handed humor at times, there’s a great concept at work here. Particularly impressive is the camerawork used when Shawn is using his gift for observation; the feel is rather like you’re looking through Sherlock Holmes’s eyes while he’s putting together the pieces to solve a mystery. Just stop trying so hard to be a laugh riot. When you’ve got a good premise, use it; don’t try to shoehorn it into matching precisely with the show preceding it.

In this case, a little less comedy will go a long, long way.

External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Comedies, TV Dramas

Is “Brotherhood” the next “Sopranos”?

July 6, 2006 /

It’s hard to say, actually, since the series is a lot more like HBO’s “The Wire” (or the short-lived “Boomtown”) than the popular mobster drama, namely because it focuses on several different parties including the politicians, the gangsters, and law enforcement. What I can tell you, though, is that this is Showtime’s best new series in years. It’s just a shame that a lot of people won’t get a chance to see it, since, when deciding which premium channel to fork over extra money for, almost everyone sides with HBO.

Jason Isaacs - Brotherhood

Starring Jason Isaacs and Jason Clarke as two Irish brothers from different walks of life, “Brotherhood” takes place in Providence, Rhode Island where politics and crime practically go hand-in-hand. After a seven-year departure from “The Hill,” the block of Providence assigned to brother and state representative Tommy Caffe (Clarke), small-time gangster Michael (Isaacs) – or three-part Mike to his friends – has finally returned. A virtual Boondock Saint in his own right (minus the whole religious mumbo jumbo), Michael’s nickname is derived from his habit of acting as “judge, jury and execution” in matters he really has no business sticking his nose into. Of course, that doesn’t stop him from going all “Reservoir Dogs” on one of gangland boss Freddie Cork’s (Kevin Chapman) guys after seeing the punk beat up a couple on the street.

This role might finally bring Jason Isaacs the credit he deserves, and while we’ve seen plenty of hard-boiled gangster types win awards in the past (i.e. James Gandolfini, Michael Chiklis and Ian McShane), that shouldn’t detract from the obvious: this character is Emmy gold, should the writers point him in the right direction. The rest of the series is littered with familiar faces, from Ethan Embry as a police detective hot on Freddie Cork’s tracks, Annabeth Gish as Tommy’s seemingly loyal wife, and the amazing Fionula Flanagan as the Irish mother of the two boys.

Showtime certainly isn’t reinventing the wheel here with their latest series, but it’s got me excited for the possibilities. Does that mean that I’m going to rush out and order Showtime before the season premiere on July 9th? Probably not, but it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.

External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, The Sopranos, TV, TV Dramas

Nobody puts Swearengen in a corner

July 3, 2006 /

Deadwood Al Swearengen

During Al’s BJ philosophy, we found out a little about his past, and how he doesn’t like to be restrained. After being held down and losing a finger at Hearst’s hand, he’s having difficulty swallowing (no pun intended) the magnate’s offer to leave and let Al and Sy handle his affairs in Deadwood. As it stands, it looks like Hearst will leave peacefully – but what will he have Al do?

It was a big day in the camp as Alma opened up its first bank, with Trixie as its teller. Appropriately, this episode featured two real estate transactions. The first between Hostetler, who brought back the horse that killed Bullock’s child, and Steve, who had been tending to the stables in Hostetler’s absence. Steve is none too happy with Hostetler for abandoning the stock, and had a great rant in Tom’s saloon. Despite Steve’s attitude, Hostetler has agreed to sell him the stables as he was planning to move to Oregon anyway. Bullock has acted as a go-between in this arrangement, probably because he does not want any additional loss of life due to the accident involving his son. The deal is not complete yet, so it will be interesting to see if it can go off without a hitch. When we left them, Hostetler and Steve couldn’t agree on who would sign the title first, so I have my doubts.

Al’s friend, Jack, offered to buy Joanie’s building (currently the camp’s school) for use as a theater for his troupe. When she said it wasn’t for sale, he asked, “Perhaps you’d consider renting.” Her reply: “Perhaps you’d consider f*cking yourself.” You’ve gotta love that Joanie. She went to Charlie for advice, revealing that her biggest concern was that the schoolchildren have a place to learn. Charlie suggested that she ask Jack to build a new school as part of the transaction. Joanie trusts Charlie and I think this interaction is an indicator of how their relationship is going to grow over the final season.

Deadwood, TV, TV Dramas

Having sex with a young, single schoolteacher? Hot. Having sex with a young, single schoolteacher who happens to have Chlamydia? A different kind of hot.

June 27, 2006 /

So, you’ve just split up with your wife, only to discover that she’s now dating your older brother. What do you do? Track down his ex-wife and plan revenge, of course. Well, that’s what Tommy Gavin would do anyways, and it certainly helps when that woman looks like Marissa Tomei. The chances that Tommy actually stays with her after they’ve had their fun, however? About ten percent. It also doesn’t help that he might have the Little C (“Chlamydia,” as cleared up by Lou, who informs Tommy that the Big C is actually reserved for Cancer), compliments of Ms. Turbity, who’s just been arrested for “raping” a couple of her students; and Damien isn’t even one of the kids mentioned.

Can we all agree that things are getting just a little out of hand? First, Alisha “kidnaps” Keela from right under Franco’s nose. Then, Jerry finally hooks up with his lady friend on the same day that Ginny’s brother agrees to help him out with the cost of assisted living, only to have the check torn apart in his face. And finally, there’s Probie, who may just have the most fucked-up relationship of them all. Aside from getting voluntary blowjobs from his male roommate (despite their claims that neither one is gay), the two engage in random fistfights only to make up several seconds later.

It’s official: the series is digging its own grave, and no one can be blamed except for star Denis Leary, who pulls double duty on the show as the head writer, as well. What else is there to say? After last week’s controversial “rape” scene between Tommy and Janet (which received a good deal of exposure from major publications like the Boston Globe), it seems like Leary and writing/producer partner Peter Tolan are going for pure shock value in order to boost the ratings for the series. What a sad, sad world we live in…

Rescue Me, TV, TV Dramas

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