FOX's SECOND CHANCE

Article originally published as SECOND CHANCE Review on Seat42F.

FOX’s first mid-season drama out of the gate this January is called SECOND CHANCE. While it has gone through quite a few title changes (it used to be known as Lookinglass, and before that, The Frankenstein Code), the premise seems to have stayed relatively consistent. A brilliant, but antisocial, man develops a way to save his dying sister, reversing what death means. Testing it on an old sheriff who was murdered, it’s about someone getting a second chance to live.

It’s probably wise they didn’t keep Frankenstein in the name of the show. Frankenstein was about creating new life, and this series is about getting a do-over on a life misspent. Dr. Frankenstein obsessively sought to create a creature for his own selfish purposes, while the brain in this, Otto (Adhir Kalyan, Rules of Engagement), is trying to save his sister, Mary (Dilshad Vadsaria, Greek). And if you’ve ever read the novel by Mary Shelley (which I do recommend), I doubt you’ll see very little of that echoed in this particular story.

The revived is Jimmy Pritchard (The Loop’s Philip Baker Hall at the start, then EastEnders and True Blood’s Robert Kazinsky, likely for the rest of the series). While Jimmy’s death is just a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is life is made up of bad choices, being a bad father to FBI agent Duval Pritchard (Tim DeKay, White Collar) and drunk Helen (Amanda Detmer, What About Brian), and having to resign from office in disgrace. At least Duval’s daughter, Gracie (Ciara Bravo, Red Band Society), still likes Grandpa.

Obviously, Jimmy is probably not the ideal man for Mary and Otto in terms of personality, but his genetic markers make him ideal for their science experiment. Hence how an uneasy partnership is formed.

I like the SECOND CHANCE pilot, and think it could be a very interesting drama. If it is about Jimmy trying to be a better person, and if it remains about his family (Duval and Gracie are main characters, and there’s a very cool twist after Duval meets new Jimmy), I would very much enjoy this show. The first episode is certainly focused on those things, and that’s a good sign. I am also very interested in the Mary / Otto relationship, and what goes on within their company and with their assistants, Alexa (Vanessa Lengies, Glee) and Arthur (Scott Menville, Teen Titans).

What I worry it will devolve into is a case-of-the-week procedural. It could take a little bending, but if Jimmy teams up with Duval and works to solve cases so he can be the lawman he never was, I’ll be super disappointed. FOX hurt its failed, almost brilliant sci-fi series Almost Human by trying to force it into a procedural box. That show managed to still be good, but it could have been so much better without the shackles. I could easily see this one taking the same path since so much of the broadcast networks’ fare does.

Which is a shame. With FOX in a total ratings free fall this year, and the Big Four dying out overall, it seems a good time to take a chance on something new, something exciting, something that can build a loyal fan base who excitedly engage and may even bring back a canceled show for a second chance if it doesn’t live long enough. SECOND CHANCE could be FOX’s second chance to get things right, which would be nicely poetic. It just seems unlikely that it will be.

SECOND CHANCE premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. on FOX.

It's time to Man Up

     ABC's newest sitcom "Pilot," Man Up, finds three guys wondering what defines masculinity in 2011. Will Keen (Mather Zickel, The Cape, Delocated) searches for a very special 13th birthday gift for his son, Nathan (Jake Johnson, Little Monk). Will's brother-in-law, Kenny Hayden (Dan Fogler, Balls of Fury) still lets his ex-wife, Bridgette (Amanda Detmer, What About Brian, Private Practice), get into his head. Which she loves to do, made easier by the fact that she remains best friends with Will's wife, Theresa (Teri Polo, Meet the Parents, The West Wing), and so is always around. Craig Griffith (series creator Christopher Moynihan, 100 Questions) would really like his ex back, but she's getting married.

     In 2011, many men are no longer defined in the way that their parents and grandparents were. For instance, Will's narration covers how his grandfather and father both fought in wars. Sure, there are still soldiers overseas, but without the draft, and with the implementation of drones, there seems to be less manpower needed. Instead, many men today have embraced more feminine traits, such as keeping good hygiene and pampering oneself from time to time. Even the more widely accepted "man-like" activities, such as playing video games, are tame. Thus, Will, Kenny, and Craig are left wondering how, without uprooting their entire way of life, should they demonstrate that they are men? This message is especially apt for Will, who must provide a standard of man for his son Nathan to look up to.

      Not all men will relate to Man Up, of course, but that applies to any other television series as well. For those of us that do identify with the "weaker" end of the spectrum, though, Man Up tries to show that there are new ways to be a man. In "Pilot," when Craig angers his ex's new guy, and some males arrive at Will's house to seek revenge, the central trio still head out into the yard, thinking that they must engage in violence to be manly. Yet, once Bridgette's date handles the physical end of the altercation, they are only too proud to claim they act in a manly fashion, even without throwing punches. This is a message guys who have no desire to fit into older generations' definitions can get behind.

     Arguably, Will is as manly as he needs to be. He provides for his family, sets a good example for his children, is a loving husband, and a good friend. Where all three men fall short, though, is letting women control them. This is not necessarily a great message, as equality is the more desired option. Will uses an offer of sex to get free time for video games, knowing his wife will turn him down, but compromise. Is this a sign that he is subservient, or merely that he can play the game?

     Kenny and Craig have it worse. Craig can't get over a woman that no longer wants him. Kenny lets Bridgette yank him around, even going and bailing her date out of jail, post-fight. Is Man Up saying that modern men have gone from patriarch to second-in-command of the household or relationship? If so, that's a sad state of affairs. And yet, the way it comes across in the story, these guys don't feel whipped, and are mostly satisfied with their lives.

     Questions of gender roles aside, Man Up proves far funnier than expected. From frequently replacing the f-word with fluffin' (this is network TV, after all), to holding Toby Maguire, of all people, up as the standard men should measure up to, the laughs keep coming. Bridgette is a wonderfully delicious drama queen, and Nathan is so un-manly, he cuts himself as soon as his father gives him a knife. With characters such as these, as well as delightful chemistry between the three main men, Man Up should prove to be a decent addition to the airwaves.

     Watch Man Up Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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