SUPERMAN AND LOIS Are Parents

 Article first published as SUPERMAN AND LOIS TV Review on Seat42F.

The CW has a new entry to their DC Arrowverse with SUPERMAN AND LOIS. Superman is a character who has had many, many incarnations on screens big and small, and the CW has had a lot of superhero shows over the past decade. But while key elements to Superman’s well-known legend are present, SUPERMAN AND LOIS feels different on both counts, and a worthy addition to a crowded slate.

SUPERMAN AND LOIS spends a few minutes reminding fans of the story between the titular couple, which is both a refresher on the often-told origin story and an outline of what choices have been made differently in this version of the tale. Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch reprise their lead roles from earlier CW DC appearances. Then, we catch up with the couple in Metropolis, where Lois is “the most famous reporter in the world” while Clark’s Superman is successfully keeping the planet safe. And they have twin fourteen-year-olds at home, Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, Little Fires Everywhere) and Jordan (Alex Garfin, The Peanuts Movie), who sometimes feel a bit overlooked by their busy parents, especially Clark, whose secret they don’t know.

The primary plotline in the pilot of SUPERMAN AND LOIS finds Clark feelings out-of-touch as a father and struggling to right that. He still saves people, but he’s realizing that he needs to be present at home, as well, a sentiment that Lois agrees with, but her father, General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh, Nip/Tuck), does not. So when Clark is laid off by The Daily Planet and his mother, Martha (Michele Scarabelli, Alien Nation), passes away, he takes the opportunity to move his family to Smallville and try being a stay-at-home farmer-father.

In true hero fashion, Clark has multiple motivations for doing this, besides his wife telling him to be a better dad. Lois strongly suspects something rotten is going on in the dying small town as a rich man forces residents into reverse mortgages and buys up properties. Also, moody Jordan exhibits superpowers, although his brother, star athlete Jonathan, does not. And the boys discover Clark’s secret. So he’s trying to get back in touch with them while helping them cope with tough stuff in the only way he knows how – the same way his parents did with him.

Smallville is full of memories, of course. Besides the farm, there’s Clark’s ex, Lana Lang Cushing (Emmanuelle Chriqui, Entourage), who works for the bank. Her husband, Kyle (Erik Valdez, Graceland), is kind of a jerk, though Lana makes excuses for him. Their daughter, Sarah (Inde Navarrette, 13 Reasons Why), is clearly a love interest for Jordan, despite already having a boyfriend. Plus there’s a villainous Luthor afoot because, of course.

But SUPERMAN AND LOIS won’t be a rehash of Smallville or any other Superman adventure because Clark is in a different place. He’s the dad now. And his sons are very different from him. They have their own challenges and relationships, which are pretty different from Clark’s with his parents. All of the Arrowverse shows have some kind of family element, but on this one, family is the central core, with the superhero stuff being the side story. For now, anyway. So it’s a new twist on an old tale, and one I’m very much looking forward to. Fresh Superman is not something I expected in 2021, but SUPERMAN AND LOIS delivers.

There are two things that bother me a bit about the setup. One, Jonathan and Jordan seem way closer and more understanding of one another than any two siblings I’ve ever seen in real life. Two, I get Clark being busy with his Superman stuff, but Lois is an extremely present mother while still maintaining her international reputation? That seems far-fetched. More likely, there’s a missing caregiver who was with the boys a lot before the series begins.

Still, these are small squabbles, and I’m excited to see this iteration. SUPERMAN AND LOIS airs Tuesday evenings on the CW.

Hello, CLARICE

 Article first published as CLARICE TV Review on Seat42F.

CBS’s newest drama is CLARICE. As you might guess, it is related to The Silence of the Lambs and its protagonist, Clarice Starling. In fact, the story is set in 1993, a mere year after the events of the film and book. Clarice isn’t doing all that well, mentally speaking, suffering some severe post-traumatic stress from her ordeal. While being evaluated to see if she’s even fit to do her job, a status very much in doubt, Clarice is called up by the Attorney General of the United States (who also happens to be the mother of a girl Clarice rescued) to hunt a new possible serial killer.

A lot of CLARICE’s pilot is very interesting. Rebecca Breeds (The Originals) does a fine job portraying the damaged agent, and all the pain and suffering she is going through. Clarice is not OK, and yet she often manages to function in public and in her job. Breeds strikes just the right balance of sanity and trauma in crafting the role to make her believable. Clarice is easy to get annoyed at, as she makes many bad decisions or acts rashly, but Breeds keeps her sympathetic, as well, even when the character is making her own life harder.

Similarly, the production may call to mind NBC’s ill-fated Hannibal, evoking some artistic images. Although, CLARICE often goes for the gruesome over the pretty, so it’s not quite the same thing. The pacing moves a lot faster and the characters, other than the titular one, don’t seem as well-developed, either. So while those fond of Hannibal (for very good reason) may be pleased to see some similarities, CLARICE doesn’t live up to that previous effort.

There is a lot of imagery from the events of the film, reshot, of course, with new actors and sets to that everything matches. This is a good element, immediately calling to mind the horror Clarice bore witness to and helping audiences understand where she is. It’s a finely crafted premise executed pretty well in that regard.

Where CLARICE shows its weaknesses are among the supporting players. It’s not because the actors aren’t good; CLARICE has the likes of Kal Penn (Designated Survivor, House), Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead), and Jayne Atkinson (House of Cards) in its lineup. But the roles these actors play aren’t great. Jayne’s Ruth, the aforementioned attorney general, is too single-minded and harsh. Penn’s Shaan gets almost nothing to do in the pilot. Cudlitz’s Krendler is the most well-rounded of the three, playing Clarice’s boss, but even the parts where softness gets through his tough exterior feel cliché and tired. I don’t blame the performers, but these are stock characters in a procedural, not the deep ones that make up a high-quality drama.

Which makes sense, because CLARICE is a procedural. The pilot hints at a larger story arc, and I’m sure it’ll be followed up upon. But the whole season isn’t spent on a case, like the prestige shows. This is CBS, so most bad guys are caught in an hour and not much changes. With this unfortunate core, the high-quality aspects seem like set dressing, not the point of the series, and the program suffers for it.

The world doesn’t exactly need a better version of CLARICE; there are enough other series in this genre that foot that bill. But any chance this one has of standing among them is squandered by the network television mantra to have things static and easily consumable. This is fine for their audience now, but doesn’t necessarily build a devoted fanbase that will keep it living and talked about on streaming services from years to come.

CLARICE airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.

Meet the New RESIDENT ALIEN

 Article first published as TV Review: RESIDENT ALIEN on Seat42F.

SyFy’s latest dramedy is RESIDENT ALIEN. Based on the comics of the same name, the series follows an extraterrestrial that crash-lands on Earth and has to fit in among the local population. He tries to stay apart initially, taking the identity of a doctor who lives in a remote cabin in Colorado near the crash site. But when the town’s local physician dies and no one else can get through the roads at this time of year, the mayor pulls “the doctor” out of retirement and forces him to fill in. Toss in a murder mystery, possible romance, a child nemesis, and a planned genocide, and there’s a lot going on.

Alan Tudyk stars in RESIDENT ALIEN as Harry Vanderspeigle, the human appearance of the alien (once the real man is killed). Tudyk has a long resume full of lots of voice-over work (Rogue One, Harley Quinn), as well as both comedic and dramatic turns in the series Firefly and its film spin-off, Serenity, so he’s already proven his bona fides and is overdue for a starring role. He mixes just the right amount of levity to a very dark story, and his humor is beautifully downplayed. Tudyk finds plenty of good moments for subtle acting, both physical and emotional, and is highly believable in a very strange part.

Harry, as I’ll refer to the alien from here, was on a mission to wipe out mankind when he crashes. It’s evident from the pilot that, living among the species, he’ll grow to have affection for humans, and likely protect them. Despite a couple of heinous acts, it’s still easy to root for Harry – as long as he is able to be stopped from murdering young Max (Judah Prehn, Kinderwood), the only one who can see his true form. I just don’t see how Harry could come back from killing a kid.

It would be very easy for Harry to fall into stereotypes, but so far RESIDENT ALIEN deftly avoids them. Harry is neither heartless nor full of emotion. He is intelligent, yet socially awkward, but neither to the point where it defines him or distracts from the story. He isn’t easy to pin down, and this complexity makes the character work in a way he very easily might not.

The supporting cast of working, but mostly not yet household name, actors are excellent, too, finding the absurdity of individualism and small-town life, making the most awkward group of delightful individuals this side of Stars Hollow. Sherry Mike Thompson (Corey Reynolds, The Closer) is a tough guy who’d like to be referred to as Big Black. His deputy, Liv Baker (Elizabeth Bowen, Upload), is awkward and open-minded. The two share a touching sing-along moment in the RESIDENT ALIEN pilot. D’arcy (Alice Wetterlund, Silicon Valley) stands out as the fun bartender. Mayor Ben Hawthorne (Levi Fiehler, The Fosters) is a liberal in a conservative town. And the second lead of the show, Astra Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko, Once Upon a Time), is a loner who finds the hidden kindness in Harry. Or maybe she just needs someone and he’s there.

I like that RESIDENT ALIEN has a sizeable ensemble cast. I like that it has a distinctive look that works for it. I like the mystery of the doctor’s murder that extends beyond the first episode. I like a lot of things about this show, including that I can’t adequately describe it one sentence. Mostly, I like that it’s a fully realized world, and despite some coincidences that stretch believability, it’s a well-thought-out story of complicated people, and one alien, that stands apart in its lack of cheesiness that often suffuses similar premises. It probably helps that its not a sitcom.

RESIDENT ALIEN airs Wednesdays at 10 ET on SyFy.