How to Get Away With HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

Article first published as HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER Review on Seat42F.

The latest program from Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes, premiering this fall, is called HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER. Set at the University of Michigan (which makes for an opening scene sure to upset Buckeyes in my locale of Columbus, Ohio), it follows Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis, The Help) and her employees and students as she conducts lessons both in and out of the classroom, as besides being a teacher, she’s also an active, successful lawyer. There’s also a dark, serial mystery wound through the more typical events.

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER is pretty much a hybrid of what makes Shonda’s other two hits so well-received. It begins with a group of five, inexperienced, competitive hopefuls, just as Grey’s did, working in a power structure headed by Keating, but with a couple of her colleagues in between. There will definitely be sexual relations had between tiers. It also has the fast cuts and serious tone of Scandal, with a long-running story that will not be quickly tied up. This is a pretty solid formula, and one that serves the show well, at least in the pilot, familiar enough to feel comfortable, but definitely different in plot than its peers.

Davis is terrific, of course, showing both Keating’s toughness and her vulnerability, which may or may not be faked, as HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER doesn’t hold one’s hand in explaining itself. She isn’t really likeable, at least not initially. After all, she defends people who are probably guilty of murder, and she has little emotional warmth or compassion for her fellow men. She’s also not exactly monogamous, though her partners may believe otherwise, especially the one she’s married to.

But it’s not all Davis’ show. Equal time is given to the youngsters, making for a very balanced ensemble. Wes Gibbins (Alfred Enoch, the Harry Potter films) stands out as the naïve, ‘good’ guy whom viewers will root for. He is joined by bitchy Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King, Emily Owens M.D.), sleazy player Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee, Twisted), snobby Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry, Orange Is the New Black), and quiet Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza, Verano de amor). Besides Wes, only Laurel is sympathetic right off the bat, but it’s an interesting, drama-filled group dynamic that will keep audiences watching, whether or not they respect the characters.

Four of these five get a lot of screen time in a second setting, four months after the events of the rest of the pilot. HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER doesn’t do the lame, over-used thing a lot of series are doing these days of showing the climax of an arc first, then working up to it. Instead, it frequently jumps between the present and the future, with most of the hour in the former, but the latter picked up on consistently throughout. I do wish it had skipped this device, but it does provide a hook for viewers to keep tuning in, and isn’t as annoying as usual.

The pilot ‘present’ also divides its time between introductions of the cast, a case-of-the-week, and a missing girl, whom threads through several people’s scenes, including those of Wes’ new neighbor, Rebecca Sutter (Katie Findlay, The Killing). The last of these is likely going to be the driving force in the initial run, and, I hope, even tie into the future scenes, though the connection is not obvious at the onset. This provides a true entrée for the series, ensuring it’ll go somewhere.

If I have one complaint about this first episode is that does not feature Bonnie Winterbottom (Liza Weil, Gilmore Girls) enough. As a fan of the actress, still sad about her relatively quick death on Scandal, I want to see more from her, and she’s probably the character with the least to do in this installment. Being among the principal cast, I’m sure that will change, as she and co-worker Frank Delfino (Charlie Weber, Buffy the Vampire Slayers) are the obvious bridge between the kids and their boss.

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER isn’t perfect, but it’s enticing and seems to be heading in the right direction. Both of Rhimes’ previous series took some time to find their legs, and this one doesn’t score high right out of the park, either. However, the elements to make it a great show are all there, and I think it’s more about getting into the meat of the tale, rather than changing anything, that will kick it up a notch.

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER premieres Thursday, September 25^th at 10 p.m. ET.

Onion News Empire

Article first published as Amazon Originals Onion News Empire Review on TheTVKing.

Onion News Empire is the best of Amazon's new "Pilot" offerings. From the minds of the infamous satirical Onion comes a show that is part The Newsroom parody, part a lambasting of modern CNN, part political roast, part journalism criticism, and part just plain fun. Plus, though I like The Onion's shorts and former Comedy Central series, Onion News Empire boasts a casts of mostly proven actors, which helps the credibility of the franchise's latest effort, and the boosts the talent level involved.

We are quickly introduced to quite a few characters in the "Pilot." Not just introduced, but told their backstories and motivations immediately and explicitly, a play on the jarring way some characters begin on a television show. Many of those shown are stereotypes or the personification of a cliche, and all the standard news types are present.

There's: Sam West (Christopher Masterson, Malcolm in the Middle), the young upstart who has just been promoted to the big leagues and will do anything to prove himself to his more experienced colleagues; Jillian (Aja Naomi King, Emily Owens M.D.), the helpful young assistant who wants to be more, but is taken advantage of by everyone else, including Sam, her stated love interest; Cameron Grey (Cheyenne Jackson, 30 Rock, Glee), the very popular, hot reporter who is trying to hide his illiteracy; David Bryan (Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development, Bent), the washed-up, self-involved veteran worried more about playing the game and maintaining his status than doing his job well; Helena Zweibel (Laila Robins, Bored to Death, In Treatment), the hard-nosed executive; and Ed Musgrove (William Sadler, The Pacific, Damages), the definition of a newsman, and the most direct mocking of The Newsroom.

Each of these personalities are so well cultivated, there is not a weak link among them. What's more, with only twenty plus minutes of screen time total for the episode, I feel like I know exactly who each and every character in the series is. This is no small feat, and it's a testament to the great work each of the performers are doing.

The writing is incredibly tight. There are at least a dozen one-liners I could pull from this "Pilot" and tweet, including bits about a very specific Ohio rape law and my favorite, a story that the nation's poor people pooled their money to buy an oil company so that the government might finally offer them assistance. There is something amusing and clever in every minute of the show, and from beginning to end, I was inspired and entertained.

The plots themselves are smart, too. Sam is assigned a crappy beat, which he turns into a big story, only to find out that it makes the network's biggest sponsor look back. So then, he peddles back and spins it, saving the day by getting into the muck. Jillian is looking after a little girl whom is kidnapped by the network to create news on a slow day, though they screwed up by nabbing a chubby girl, whom no one cares about. If these are the kinds of plots we have to look forward to, I very much anticipate some great snarky, current commentaries.

As if that isn't enough, Onion News Empire reveals a huge, sinister scheme at the end of the episode that could have deep and lasting implications for... well, who knows? But it's cool.

Plus, the sets are great, the detail is perfect, and there are visual gags sprinkled throughout, including two matching portraits in David's office. This is the total package, and the culmination of everything The Onion does best, finally delivered in one heck of a fantastic production.

In all, I can find nothing to complain about in the Onion News Empire "Pilot," and dozens of things to praise. Check out Onion News Empire, now available on Amazon.com.

Check out Emily Owens

Don't let the goofy poster fool you. The CW's new drama Emily Owens M.D. is good. It's very good. In fact, it's so good, that it feels like it belongs on another network. No offense to the CW, as I do enjoy much of their programming, but it's target viewing audience skews young, and Emily Owens could easily be enjoyed by people of all ages.

I understand why it's on the CW. The concept is that a hospital is just like high school, with the various cliques filling in various departments, and peers treating one another just as meanly as teenagers. This is definitely a pitch that belongs on this network, and would feel right at home among their other shows.

But the fact of the matter is, this idea plays very little into what Emily Owens M.D. actually is, and it would not be surprising if it's pushed to the back burner or abandoned as the series plays out. Instead, we get a Grey's Anatomy style series, with a main narrator, story for all of the doctors closest around her, and a focus on their interactions and relationships. Patients pass through quick enough to avoid being a procedural, and instead, it is a mature series, overall.

It also helps that Emily Owens M.D. stars Mamie Gummer (Off the Map) in the title role. Gummer channels her mother, Meryl Streep, beautifully in so many scenes. She is clearly a very good, very experienced actress who could be doing roles far more demanding than this. By bringing her serious gravitas, incredibly impressive to see in one so young, she raises the level of the entire project. Can you imagine if Meryl Street had starred in a medical drama a couple of decades ago? That's what you're getting in Emily Owens M.D.

If this seems to clash with what I laid out as the main idea of the series, that's because it does. Gummer's internal monologue is sometimes great, but at other times, usually when she feels awkward, it becomes out of place. Scenes at the high school across from the hospital aren't great. Emily should be confident and brave, like Gummer. The opposite of most shows, I think the character will have to grow into the actress.

And the thing is, the rest of the cast is also really good. Justin Hartley plays Will, Emily's best friend whom she has an unrequited crush on. But he does so while proving that he can do better than running around in a hood and tights, as he formerly did on Smallville. Emily's new pal Tyra (Kelly McCreary, White Collar), who happens to be the chief's (Harry Lennix, Dollhouse) closeted lesbian daughter, is a complex character of the type that you might see on a network series. And even the villain, Cassandra (Aja Naomi King) already has depth after only one episode! This is done with making Emily look foolish in a moment where she actually deserves to look foolish.

With a solid cast, which also includes Michael Rady (The Mentalist) as a superior and real love interest for Emily and Necar Zadegan (24) as a gruff boss, and well developed characters, it's up to the writing to sell it. If the patients in the first episode are indication, challenging Emily and the other characters, and teaching them lessons, this will work out, too.

There isn't much to complain about in the "Pilot" of Emily Owens M.D. It's a great hour of television, highly enjoyable and engaging. Gummer is meant to be a star, and while this may not be the absolute best showcase for her to shine in, being a standard medical drama, it's a not a bad package, and she is definitely going to make the best of it.

 Emily Owens M.D. airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on the CW.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing