Excited About EXTANT

Article first published as EXTANT Review on Seat42F.

CBS’s summer slate is turning out to be nothing like their regular season fare. While tired procedurals that basically tell the same story week after week dominate CBS programming from September through May, June, July, and August have suddenly become a spot for mind-bendy, dramatic, highly serialized science fiction shows, of the likes which FOX might air and quickly cancel in the fall. Last year’s Under the Dome is a decent series, but EXTANT, premiering this week, promises to be quite a bit better.

EXTANT tells the story of an astronaut, Molly Woods (Halle Berry, the X-Men films), whom, after thirteen months alone in space, returns to Earth pregnant and in the middle of a conspiracy. She experiences something very strange during her mission, which we see in flashbacks throughout the pilot, “Re-entry,” and is determined not to reveal to anyone what she saw and felt. Those who would control her on the ground may or may not know what she knows, but they have had issues with other astronauts in recent years and are definitely are keeping a close eye on Molly.

In the second major element of the series, Molly’s husband, John (Goran Visnjic, ER), has created an artificial intelligence to satisfy the couple’s un-fulfilled urge to have a child. The boy, named Ethan (Pierce Gagnon, One Tree Hill), is every bit as self-aware as the kid at the center of A.I., but with an added creepiness where viewers are left to wonder if he is performing as designed to do or is the first stage in a robotic uprising. Of course, this question is barely posed in the first episode, nowhere near an answer yet, but worth exploring.

Thus we get a suspenseful mystery, a tale of corrupt leadership, a Big Brother-like level of secret monitoring, questions about the existence of a soul and the ethics of creating life, and many other smart elements all wrapped into one. The writers have spun a very interconnected web of characters and motivations, obviously intelligently put together in “Re-entry” alone, and an incredibly enjoyable watch.

That is not to say that the show is without problems. At first, I wondered about a huge plot hole in Molly trying to keep her secrets her own, but then realized that the character is acting exactly as many would given the circumstances, logical or not. More troubling is that she has the means to try to cover things up, which I find unrealistic given the level of scrutiny she is under.

Overall, though, EXTANT is very good, definitely the best thing on the broadcast networks this summer. It’s exciting, fast-paced, gorgeous in its special effects demonstrating futuristic technology (it is not set in the present day), a world that captures the imagination, and a story that engages viewers. The questions it raises are deep, and the universe these characters live in is one I can see us getting very close to within my lifetime, even if we’re still many decades away from it. It feels right.

The acting is pretty convincing. I’m not a big fan of Berry, never have been, though she does a serviceable job. I like Visnjic a lot here, and Gagnon is amazing, given his age and relative lack of experience. The supporting cast also includes some capable players such as Camryn Manheim (The Practice) as Molly’s doctor and friend, Grace Gummer (The Newsroom) as a colleague of John’s, Michael O’Neill (Rectify, Bates Motel) as Molly’s boss, and Hiroyuki Sanada (Helix, Lost) as John’s investor. Plus, Annie Wersching (24), Brad Beyer (Jericho), and Tyler Hilton (One Tree Hill) serve recurring roles. Most of these are not A-listers, but they are no slouches, either.

If you’ve been on the fence about whether to give EXTANT a try, and believe me, I understand that position, please do. You’re likely to be pleasantly surprised at the superior effort put forward. More summer shows like this and CBS will be a competitor in the hotter months for the first time.

EXTANT premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

GCB is an appropriate name

ABC's newest drama, GCB, premiered this week. Originally titled Good Christian Bitches, but abbreviated due to decency standards, the story follows Amanda Vaughn (Leslie Bibb, Iron Man, Crossing Jordan), whose husband dies unexpectedly in a sexual encounter, not involving his wife, while driving. After his demise, it comes out that he ran a Ponzi scheme, and Amanda, who looses everything, is forced to move home to Texas, and in with her mother, Gigi (Annie Potts, Designing Women, Ghostbusters). Believe it or not, Amanda's life gets worse than that, as she has trouble finding a job, and is soon tormented by the girls she wasn't so nice to in high school.

See, Amanda is a former mean girl, and her past victims would like to turn the tables on her, especially when she is so vulnerable. This clique is led by Carlene Cockburn (Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies, The West Wing), who lives across the street from Gigi. When Carlene isn't making veiled criticisms of Amanda in church or spying with bionoculars through the window, Carlene calls upon her network, including business maven Cricket (Miriam Shor, Damages, Swingtown), beauty queen-gone-to-seed Sharon (Jennifer Aspen, Glee, Rodney), and real estate agent Heather (Marisol Nichols, The Gates, 24). Heather quickly softens towards Amanda, as they don't hate each other as strongly. But Carlene is in charge, and Heather isn't likely to stray too far out of line. 

GCB is good, not great. Which is why the title is apt. The problem seems to stem with Bibb. Surrounded by pros like Potts and the other main women, Bibb just doesn't have the chops to pull off being the center of the series. It's not that she's terrible; this just isn't the ideal role for her, and she doesn't feel all that authentic in it. Bibb's faults are glaringly magnified in the company of the others. She's still a pretty face, but she doesn't exhibit the depth the others do.

It's a story told before, and it isn't all that fresh just because of the Texas drawl several, but not all, of the characters exhibit. Viewers are supposed to feel sympathetic towards Amanda, no matter what her past indiscretions are, because she is in a sorry state, and has changed quite a bit while raising two teenage kids (Lauran Irion and Passions' Colton Shires) as a widow. However, as soon as she is back with her mother, Gigi seems to take over much of the parenting responsibility, and Amanda starts to slip back into her old ways. Perhaps this can be forgiven, as she is being pushed to it, but it's not a pretty quality for her.

There are men in this story. It may not be immediately obvious because they are basically eye candy, interchangeable amongst each other. Of course, this is just the "Pilot," so some of them may grow into something down the road. But despite a few distinguishing moments, such as Cricket's husband, Blake (Mark Deklin, Lone Star, Hawaii Five-0), flirting with a guy, and Sharon's Zach (Brad Beyer, Jericho, Third Watch) trying to sleep with Amanda, they aren't all that memorable. It's no wonder that their wives are unhappy, with spouses who act like this! With even the lone faithful man, Carlene's Ripp (David James Elliott, JAG, Close to Home), barely developed, these stereotypes are enough to drive any girl crazy.

What isn't clear is if any of these characters will turn out to be good Christians. There are bitches aplenty, but characters that actually stick to their moral values, well, those are less sure.

Besides all of the cheating and the backstabbing, the actual good story here trying to get out revolves around the relationship between Gigi and Amanda. Gigi doesn't seem to have approved of Amanda's high school attitude, but still loves her daughter. She eagerly opens her home, and even anonymously showers Amanda with gifts. This is a mom trying to make up for perceived failure, which may not even be her fault. Which makes Potts the absolute best part of GCB.

Following Desperate Housewives, and with a somewhat related sensibility, one would expect something a little better. GCB is not that something. GCB airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

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