Wicked, WICKED CITY

Article originally published as WICKED CITY Review on Seat42F.

Anthology series seem to be all the rage these days. Cable started things off with the extremely successful American Horror Story, followed soon by Fargo and True Detective. But ABC has gotten into the game, too, with American Crime and WICKED CITY, the latter of which premieres this week on the alphabet network.

WICKED CITY’s first season tells the story of a serial killer on the Sunset Strip of L.A. in 1982. Kent Grainger (Ed Westwick, Gossip Girl) is the smooth-talking man that seduces ladies by telling them exactly what they want to hear, then stabs them to death and has sex with the bodies. He’s a psychopath who happens to love children, and can be quite scary, indeed.

Now, that description of what Kent does is pretty disturbing, but ABC doesn’t get too graphic, nor would anyone expect one of the broadcast networks to do so. The sex side of the crimes is handled without showing too much, barely any skin, and certainly none of the actual corpse desecration. Instead, it’s more about the seduction game, which Westwick does very well, talking the worst sides of his former character, Chuck, and making them bigger and more dangerous.

Several women come into Kent’s orbit in the first episode alone. There’s Betty Beaumontaine (Erika Christensen, Parenthood), a desperate single mother who quickly falls hard for the smooth fellow. There’s also Karen McClaren (Taissa Farmiga, American Horror Story), a wannabe reporter. And these are just the two I think might survive awhile; there are victims in the pilot.

Their best hope at staying alive is Detective Jack Roth (Jeremy Sisto, Suburgatory), who is on Kent’s trail. Given that this miniseries will last ten weeks, it’s surprising just how much Jack finds out in the first installment. Yet, Kent is smart, and I’m sure some of the information Jack gleans will soon become outdated and useless. The cat-and-mouse dynamic set up between Kent and Jack is immediately interesting.

Jack doesn’t work alone, of course. He has a new partner he despises, Paco Contreras (Gabriel Luna, Matador), as well as a romantic liaison, who happens to be an undercover officer, Dianne Kubek (Karolina Wydra, True Blood). These two may just serve as collateral damage as the case goes on, as they certainly are taking a back seat to Jack initially.

In an attempt to make Jack grittier and more complex, Dianne is the mistress, as Jack has a wife, Allison (Jaime Ray Newman, Mind Games), and teenage daughter, Vicki (Anne Winters, Tyrant), at home. But honestly, this doesn’t do as intended, as Jack seems like a typical hero even when he’s cheating on his wife. It’s like there are two separate Jacks, both equally noble, that happen to co-exist. This may be cynical on my part, being able to segment his life without judgment, but that’s how the show feels as it plays out, with Jack otherwise not being the least bit edgy.

WICKED CITY is engaging. There are a number of scenes in the first episode where I find myself on the edge of my seat, wondering what will happen. While it is done in the ‘true crime’ style, I’m not sure if it tells a real tale, like the inferior Aquarius, or a false one, like Fargo; I am not able to confirm this is based on a real killer. As such, it feels like anything can happen, and I hope ABC makes sure it stays that way, instead of settling into a comfortable pattern, as the broadcast networks usually do. If the rest of the episodes are as good as the pilot (and continue to have catchy music), I’ll be quite happy to continue watching.

WICKED CITY premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

A TYRANT Rules

Article first published as TYRANT Review at Seat42F.

FX, which has been very successful in making quality television programs these past few years, does it again with TYRANT, premiering this week. Set in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Abbudin, the story is one of a dictator’s family in a country trying to modernize, and whose people want to be free. The son who has rejected his homeland and spent the past twenty years living in America is forced to return and rule when circumstances incapacitate those who should be running Abbudin.

The lead character in TYRANT is Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed (Adam Rayner, Hawtorne). He is a closed-off doctor and family man who has tried to escape his past. He only reluctantly agrees to go home for a brief visit after a long absence, and is determined not to be dragged in to the politics there, which he follows from afar. His friend, Fauzi (Fares Fares, Zero Dark Thirty), an opposition journalist, and Barry’s family really want him to contribute. Can Barry be persuaded to help the two sides come to an understanding?

 

This is a very delicate time for Abbudin. Barry’s father, Khaled (Nasser Faris, House of Sand and Fog), doesn’t understand why the people want to be out from under him, thinking he has given them prosperity and peace. Watching his fellow dictators fall, Khaled tries to find a way to hold onto his power. He quickly realizes that his elder son, Jamal (Ashraf Barhom, The Kingdom), is too brutal and dispassionate to appease the population, and so hopes younger child Barry can help with that.

TYRANT is very interesting in making us see the perspective of the ruler. Khaled is shown to be ruthless in flashbacks, but seems a just leader now. Does he have a point in his views? And clearly, having the wisdom to work on bringing Barry into the fold, he’s trying to do right by his people. If he simply wanted revenge he could bomb them, which he’s not doing, and it he was solely worried about his own life, he could take some wealth and flee, again another option not considered.

Viewers are asked to see Barry as a reluctant captain, someone people can follow because he’s worthy of such loyalty, but made all the more eligible by his derision for the position. He is a normal guy and wants to stay that way. He has abandoned the trappings and riches he is entitled to by birth, and so should be the type of president the masses would fall in line for.

Barry is further grounded by his American family. Wife, Molly (Jennifer Finnigan, Better With You, Close to Home), is compassionate and understanding, though she’s getting tired of Barry refusing to talk about his past. His daughter, Emma (Anne Winters, The Fosters), is a perceptive daddy’s girl. His son, Sammy (Noah Silver), is a typical rebellious teen, and somewhat-secretly gay, which will be a problem in the Middle East. Together, the trio serves not only as a window into what is an alien culture for many viewers, but also a way to give Barry reason to stay true to who he is, rather than what he was.

But there’s definitely an undercurrent of awfulness to the Al Fayeed family. As I said, Khaled is shown to be terrible in the past, and reveals a hint of that now. Jamal is following in those footsteps, perhaps with an extra level of insanity and total lack of moral compass. Barry, too, exhibits brief flashes of that anger and cruelty in the “Pilot,” meaning back in this environment, he may struggle to hold on to his mature, civilized self, reverting to someone no better or more deserving than his relations.

Also starring Justin Kirk (Weeds), Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact, meaning FX now has both Borg Queens), Moran Atias (Crash), Salim Daw (Prisoners of War), and Mehdi Dehbi (Septieme ciel Belgique), TYRANT is an intriguing, complex, character-driven drama that will challenge worldviews and open audience’s eyes to global differences. It is important for showing us something we’re not used to seeing, but it’s also fully engaging on its own, with family and political drama, apart from the setting. The acting is terrific, the set design is spectacular, and the pacing is near-perfect. I am definitely hooked.

TYRANT premieres this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on FX.