Back to TV’s Roots

Article first published as Back to TV's Roots on Blogcritics.

Lately, television networks have flocked to remakes and reboots as much as the cinema has. Sometimes, it works well; other times, it’s a disaster. What could or should be remade, and how do those projects that deserve to see the light of day proceed?

Crime procedurals are typically easy to redo. There are a million CSIs and NCISs on the air, so it’s clear the genre is still popular, as puzzling as that is to many critics, myself included, who quickly grow bored with formula.

Hawaii Five-0 is entertaining because it’s set in a beautiful locale and has humorous dialogue mixed with big action. Ironside is a flimsy concept whose only real departure from the norm is that the main character is in a wheelchair, not exactly a novel twist. One of these is popular and has run for years, the other is likely to get canceled in the very near future.

NBC wants to bring back Murder, She Wrote, this time starring Octavia Spencer in the role made famous by Angela Lansbury. One one hand, Spencer is a fantastic actress (though so is Blair Underwood on Ironside) and deserves her own TV series. On the other, Lansbury is iconic in the role, still stuck in our minds many years after her cancellation. As good as Spencer is, overcoming the shadow of the great lady that came before her seems a daunting task, and thus I am not optimistic about the show lasting.

Angsty dramas are a mixed bag. Melrose Place showed us how not to do it, and 90210 lasted a few years not because it tapped in to the nostalgia of the previous generation who watched the original, but because it found a new (somewhat limited) audience and didn’t rely too heavily on history. Yet, Dallas has been my favorite in this category, continuing a familiar story, mixing beloved characters with new blood in a way that gives the series new life. The only question is if it can survive without star Larry Hagman, which remains a lingering mystery.

Sci-fi also can work, but rather than continuing, like Dallas does for its drama, the series must reinvent itself. Star Trek: The Next Generation and the other spin-offs built upon the original Star Trek, but also added a lot of new elements, coming into their own. V was interesting, and had it had stronger writing, it could have lasted longer than two years. Battlestar Galactica was fantastic, re-imagining the old version completely, and surpassing its origins.

The real reason I sat down to write this column today, though, is because of the news that the History Channel is redoing Roots. In my opinion, this is a horrible idea.

Roots was an extremely popular miniseries, which won a ton of awards. History, which has only recently entered the scripted fare market, has gotten good attention with its efforts so far. From the standpoint of its brand, I could see why they would pick this property as a contender to continue to build its slate.

However, have you watched the original Roots lately? It still holds up extremely well. And being as widely viewed as it was, and continues to be in high schools across America, it is still relevant in the public conscious. Most of the people tuning in to watch the new version will remember the old, and comparisons will be inevitable. Considering the very high quality standard the original set, this seems like playing with fire.

It’s a big risk, and one I would not recommend making, as much as I think it’s great when television takes risks. It’s like if someone decided to remake the Back to the Future films, or even the Harry Potter movies, in the next few years. It just isn’t a smart idea. The payoff, should it be accomplished successfully, could be pretty good, though it’s unlikely to reach the heights of the earlier broadcast, which aired at a time of much fewer channels and competition. It seems doomed to always be pegged as the lesser edition. And that’s the best case scenario. If it sucks, it could set History back considerably.

So I have a question for you, gentle readers. Actually two. What could History do to make Roots a win in your book, and what shows would you like to see remade?

My answer for the first is to cast LeVar Burton as the older version of Kunta Kinte, which would only be a smart move for Burton is the new project is awesome, but him signing on would automatically give it gravitas and attention. For the second, besides another Star Trek series, I’d like to see a grittier, more realistic, dramatic version of Gilligan’s Island. How about you? Weigh in in the comments below.

Does TV, and CBS in particular, have too many crime dramas? Continue reading on Examiner.com Does TV, and CBS in particular, have too many crime dramas?

Cop shows. Crime dramas. Police procedurals. All of these are terms for a very familiar television trope. Many, many shows on the air feature a bunch of people in law enforcement investigating crimes, which are usually solved by the end of the hour. The people may vary, and different camera techniques and varying levels of humor may be used, but the simple fact remains that busting perps is a very common television series topic.

Most networks, especially the broadcast ones, available without a cable subscription, have their own version of this. FOX has "Bones." ABC has "Castle." NBC has "Grimm." But perhaps CBS is most guilty, filling the air waves with "CSI" and its spin-offs, as well as "Blue Bloods," "Hawaii Five-0," "Person of Interest," and now, as of last night, "NYC 22." The number of these programs beg the question: are there no original ideas left?

Television is often used as escapism. Some viewers, tired after a long day at work, wish for a form of mindless entertainment, where the good always triumphs over bad, and most issues are relatively black and white. But with so many options to fulfill this need, why do networks keep churning out program after program, adding more crime dramas to the schedule every year? Enough is enough. This quota has been met. Stop robbing the airwaves of fresh ideas.

Now, that is not an argument against getting rid of all crime shows. "The Killing" is a unique take, spending more than a season solving just one crime. Why not try more experiments like this? This is the polar episode of new series "NYC 22," which has nothing in the first episode that hasn't been done a hundred other times, and is the perfect example of why this needs to stop.

But that's not what the people want. It's the same reason the airwaves are flooded with mindless "reality" shows and singing competitions. Which makes people who care about quality weep, watching great, interesting, original series after great, interesting, original series bite the dust, while yet another one of these same-as-the-last cop shows gets renewed or ordered all of the time. Is this fair? Is this right? No, but that's not the way life is.

So what can be done? Well, stop watching the pulp, and start looking for shows that deserve your attention. Encourage your friends to do the same. Many people want to watch what others are watching so they can keep up with the conversation. Change starts somewhere. Let it be on your television screen.

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Hawaii Five-0 - "Ha'i'ole"

     Hawaii Five-0's season premiere "Ha'i'ole," picks up one week after the season finale ends. Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) is in jail, until Victor Hesse (James Masters) stabs him. Victor knows Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) will soon come after him, and wants McGarrett to take out their mutual enemy first, so a non-fatal wound provides an opportunity to escape. McGarrett goes on the run, with his old friends showing up to help him. They succeed in getting McGarrett's name cleared and Five-0 reinstated, but Kono (Grace Park) is not part of the deal, since she is being investigated by Internal Affairs. And by the time it's done, Victor is already dead.

     McGarrett is lucky that the Five-0 group has bonded. If not, there is no way that he would be able to clear his name. Not only do Danno (Scott Cann), Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), and Kono assist, but so do Jenna Kaye (Larisa Oleynik), Kamekona (Taylor Wily), and Max (Masi Oka, now a series regular). Plus, the man who trained McGarrett, Lt. Commander Joe White (Terry O'Quinn, Lost), comes to the island. White doesn't tell them why exactly he came, but he does lend a hand, and his familiarity with McGarrett's father (William Sadler) proves invaluable to proving McGarrett  innocent.

     Unfortunately, the evidence, which comes from a camera that the senior McGarret placed in the governor's study, has some dark implications. Yes, the film shows that McGarrett did not shoot Jameson (Jean Smart), but it also reveals a secret meeting between Jameson, Wo Fat, and the elder McGarrett. Could Steve's dad not be the hero that Steve thinks he is? Or, more likely, does the team just not understand what they are seeing? After all, there is no audio to clue them in.

     Things will not stay status quo for Five-0, or so it seems. With Jameson dead, the lieutenant governor (Richard T. Jones, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) gets to decide the team's fate. He is willing to allow them to continue, since they have been effective at lowering the crime rate, but he also tells McGarrett that they will not be able to cross as many lines. They no longer have unlimited power and resources. When McGarrett falters at agreeing to these terms, the lt. gov. says it's fine. But is it? Will he be an impediment? And if not, why even go through the trouble of bringing in the new character?

     Even though Five-0 is back on the job, things are not all cheery for the team. As mentioned above, Kono is not reinstated with the others because she is under investigation. Considering how corrupt the police department is, it's not certain that she will ever be allowed to rejoin her friends in an official capacity. It took a lot of effort for Chin Ho's honor to be restored. Is it Kono's fate to repeat her cousin's journey this season? Hopefully not.

     Worse, Danno learns that Rachel's (Claire van der Boom) baby is likely not his, so she decides to go back to her ex, leaving him alone. Is she being truthful? Why raise the plot point of Danno getting Rachel pregnant in the first place if the writers are just going to go back on it? Sure, some drama is necessary to give a series life, but does everything have to be an uphill battle all of the time? It's not like Danno's love life is an essential element, or Rachel is a main character, where tension needs to build between them each week.

     "Ha'i'ole" is a satisfying episode overall, tying more into the larger arcs of the show than a stand-alone case. Even the crime that is investigated in the episode has to do with Wo Fat, making the stakes mean more. As such, it's a pretty good outing, and hopefully Hawaii Five-0 will give more of those, and less of the stand alone hours that filled up most of last season.

     Hawaii Five-0 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Article first published as TV Review: Hawaii Five-0 - "Ha'i'ole" on Blogcritics.

CBS fall 2011 lineup

     Right in the middle of season finale madnesses, the networks are releasing their fall schedules, handing down decisions on what goes and stays. CBS probably has the least amount of change of any of the major networks, but there are a few new series, and some timeslots shifting around. Here goes:

     Monday stays essentially the same, though Mad Love is canceled, and 2 Broke Girls is in. Kat Dennings (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and vritual unknown Beth Behrs play the titular roommates from a script Whitney Cummings helps write. Ironic, since she has her own sitcom on another network. Matthew Moy (Scrubs), Garrett Morris (Saturday Night Live) and Jonathan Kite co-star. How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men (with Ashton Kutcher instead of Charlie Sheen), Mike & Molly, and Hawaii Five-0 stay put.

     Tuesday nights deliver the one-two punch of NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. They are joined by new series Unforgettable. Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) plays a cop with an impecable memory, and Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) is her boss slash ex. Kevin Rankin (Justified) also stars.

     Wednesdays consist of Survivor, Criminal Minds, and CSI at a new night and time. Because, with CBS, one can never have enough reality and crime shows. Which is a nice way of saying, don't watch. It's a waste of time.

     Thursday night retains The Big Bang Theory and the horrible piece of junk that is The Mentalist. In between, is a promising new sitcom called How to Be a Gentleman starring Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Kevin Dillon (Entourage), David Hornsby (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and Rhys Darby (The Flight of The Conchords) and Person of Interest. Although the latter is yet another crime show, it does boast J.J. Abrams creds and an interesting premise. A billionaire played by Michael Emerson (Lost) assists a cop everyone thought was dead, played by James Caviezel (The Prisoner) The series also stars Taraji P. Henson (Boston Legal) and Kevin Chapman (Mystic River). So Thursday nights may be the best night for CBS, as long as the channel turns at 10 p.m.

     Friday ends with the week with A Gifted Man, a medical drama starring Patrick Wilson (Angels in America), who is searching for meaning in his life with the help of his deceased spouse, played by Jennifer Ehle (Pride & Prejudice). Julie Benz (Dexter) plays the doctor's very caring, but overworked single mother sister. CSI: NY and Blue Bloods finish off the night.

     Besides reruns and 48 Hours Mystery, CBS curiously will present new episodes of Rules of Engagement on Saturdays, which puts the sitcom out all by itself on the weekend night. Will that spell its death, or a brilliant new seven-nights-of-original-programming strategy? Most likely, the former.

     The brilliant series The Good Wife, CBS's best drama by far, moves to Sundays! Which is a bright spot, because the rest of the evening contains 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, and CSI: Miami. But did I mention The Good Wife?

     Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, $#*! My Dad Says and The Defenders. Sorry if you liked any of those. But if you did, it's time to have a long overdue talk about what qualifies as worthwhile television.

     Mid-season will bring back a third outing of Undercover Boss, as well as the new series The 2-2, a self-described gritty crime drama starring Leelee Sobieski (Joan of Arc), Adam Goldberg (The Unusuals), and Terry Kinney (Oz).

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

Hawaii Five-0 - "Oia'i'o"

     As CBS's Hawaii Five-0 wraps up its freshman year, a lot goes down in "Oia'i'o." The biggest surprise is that the governor (Jean Smart), the woman who founded Five-0, isn't who she says she is. Once Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) learns her secrets, he becomes a wanted man, on the run from both the law and criminal mastermind Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos). Only Danno (Scott Caan), who is supposed to be leaving the island forever with his family, can likely clear Steve's name. Unfortunately, one of Five-0's own, Kono (Grace Park) is arrested, and another, Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), turns his back on the department. All of this makes for one intense cliffhanger.


     Blue Bloods, take note. This is how you get around the CBS procedural trap, and make a show that is both popular and exciting. While many episodes of Hawaii Five-0 do feature stand alone story, it is the full season mystery of Wo Fat, and his connection to McGarrett's father, that is the driving force behind the series. With the season finale, the show drops all pretense of a case of the week, and focuses completely on the larger arcs that have threaded their way throughout the season.

     Steve McGarrett is the hero, and no matter what Wo Fat does, any obstacles thrown at Steve are only temporary. When McGarrett realizes the governor's assistant, Laura Hills (Kelly Hu), is the one returning his father's evidence to him in small packages, McGarrett turns his attention to Governor Jameson. Hills is blown up in a car bomb, and it isn't long before McGarrett figures out that Jameson is behind it. However, instead of taking down a corrupt official, when McGarrett goes to confront the governor, Wo Fat kills her and frames McGarrett, leading to the Five-0 leader's subsequent arrest.

     Thankfully, Steve does not work alone. He did on taking down the governor, and look where it got him. Luckily, Steve's story is not over, and next season, it shouldn't take more than an episode to clear Steve's good name.

     The most likely person to do so is Steve's partner, Danno. Danno cares more about his daughter, Grace (Teilor Grubbs), than anything else in the world. Yet, when Danno's ex, Rachel (Claire van der Boom), offers Danno a chance to run back to New Jersey with his family, he hesitates. That's because Danno knows the difference between right and wrong, and what is happening to Steve is wrong. If he doesn't stay, who else will help Steve's? It isn't a mark against Rachel and Grace that Danno doesn't make the flight. He'll catch up with them eventually. His only mistake is promising to get to the airport when so much bad stuff is going down around him.

     Of course, Danno is never leaving Hawaii, at least not until the end of the series. And considering that he moved his life all the way out to the island for his daughter, Grace's departure can only be temporary. She must be in Hawaii for Danno to stay, and Danno is staying, or the show would suffer severely. Therefore, logically, Grace and Rachel will soon return. Hopefully Danno hasn't screwed up his chances with Rachel permanently.

     Kono is also a loyal member of the team, so it is with great regret that she takes the fall in something they all participated in, stealing money from lockup. Five-0 stole the money to save Chin Ho's life, and it turns out the governor is the one who has been protecting them. With her gone, and evidence already having leaked against Kono, that protection is no longer guaranteed. But like Danno, Kono is an essential part of the Five-0 team, and like McGarrett, she is righteous hero. All that points to a very short stint behind bars for her as well.

     Sadly, Chin Ho doesn't seem to share Kono and Danno's loyalty. Sensing the end of Five-0 now that they are not supported by Governor Jameson, Chin Ho accepts a restoration to the police force, which comes with a promotion. The Five-0 unit is still new enough that Chin Ho can be forgiven his betrayal. After all, from where he stands, McGarrett looks guilty. But that forgiveness will only extend so far, so it is advisable to Chin Ho that he come to his senses soon and help clean up the mess he contributed to.

     And what of Jenna Kaye (Larisa Oleynik)? She is clearly taken with Five-0, and also wants to help McGarrett. Any chance she may be sticking around long-term, once Steve's name is cleared? Not likely, considering the cast list for season two of this as-yet-unrenewed-but-certain-to-be show has already been released, and includes only new name among the primary cast - Dr. Max Bergman (Masi Oka, Heroes). Sadly, that means Kaye's days are limited. Hopefully this means recurring status with much time spend off the island, rather than death.

     The final important cast member, who should also be ungraded to main character, but hasn't been, is Kamekona (Taylor Wily). Time and again Kamekona has proven himself invaluable to the Five-0 team, and in "Oia'i'o," he does so again, not only supplying Steve with firepower, but warning Danno that he did so. Kamekona is wise and helpful, keeping his finger on the pulse of both the legal and illegal communities. Considering where Steve and Kono are right now (in jail), Kamekona's assistance may be necessary once more if they are going to secure release for the team.


     Hawaii Five-0 gave an exciting first season. It will most likely return for a second outing next fall on CBS.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

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Article first published as TV Review: Hawaii Five-0 - "Oia'i'o" on Blogcritics.

Hawaii Five-0 - "Ne Me'e Laua Na Paio"

     On this week's episode CBS's Hawaii Five-0, Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) gets another piece of the mystery concerning his father's death when he learns Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) may have ordered the hit. McGarrett is now being aided by C.I.A. analyst Jenna Kaye (Larisa Oleynik), who has a personal vendetta against Wo Fat, and after finding his location, takes a leave from the agency to track him. Steve isn't fooled as Kaye claims to be on an active mission, but soon the two team up and work together.

     I hope it doesn't take 12 years for Steve to catch Wo Fat. I am aware, though I never saw the show, that Wo Fat was a character in the original Hawaii Five-O that messed with the team from the pilot all the way through to the series finale after a dozen seasons. While the first half of this new show's first season has done little to deal with this overall arc, the past few episodes have been very good at furthering the larger story. As such, Steve may not take down Wo Fat this year, but two or three years from now, it'll definitely be time to find a new bad guy.

     As for the rest of the episode, it is fun, but not anything special. Like most procedurals, even though Hawaii Five-0 has a spectacular cast, things drag a little as the team pursues the case of the week. This week's murder is convoluted, making the team work through a number of twists before solving the case. That leads to some fun moments, such as Steve and Danno (Scott Caan) at a costumed convention, Kono (Grace Park) channeling her inner stripper to send a text, and the team talking to eccentric medical examiner Max (Masi Oka). But it did get boring in parts.

     One complaint, and I know this is being picky, but at the convention, a black man in a Star Trek uniform corrects Danno when he calls him Captain Kirk, claiming to be Commander Sisko, instead. The man, if he were really a Star Trek fan, would know that he is dressed as Captain Sisko from the later seasons of Deep Space 9. Four pips on the collar represents Captain, not Commander. Sisko began the show as a Commander, but was promoted about halfway through. The uniform in the episode is also the uniform design worn later, after the promotion, rather than the completely different design from when Sisko was a commander. Look up Commander Sisko and Captain Sisko on google images, and you will see a startling difference in appearance, though it is still the same actor, so I'm complaining about a lot more than just a button on the collar. The casual viewer would not catch such a mistake, but Deep Space 9 is one of my favorite shows of all time, and certainly the best Star Trek series. The man in the costume would definitely know the difference.

     I know this is the most popular new show of the season, and I will anger people with my criticisms, but it is the truth. Watching the same thing over and over again gets boring. I have watched all 19 episodes thus far, and have really enjoyed only about a third of them. Thus, the series joins the ranks of other popular shows that are really not very good. I'm looking at you CSIs, Law and Orders, NCISs, The Mentalist, etc. It's not a coincidence that most of those air on CBS. I won't even get into the plethora of reality shows like Dancing With the Stars and American Idol. The biggest difference with Hawaii Five-0 from those other shows is that this one has the potential to be really great, and sometimes is, rather than staying mediocre and rote.

    To make a consistently better show, I recommend they give more screen time to the larger arcs, and less to the case of the week. Sometimes, get rid of the case of the week all together. Have more interaction between team members. Sure, the group is often together in various combinations, but much of that together time is spend examining evidence. Steve and Danno's one on one conversations in the car are ALWAYS a high point of any episode. So why not have two or three, or even four, every week? And give a little more to Chin Ho (Daniel Dae Kim), who has had fewer fun bits than anyone else. Making Kamekona (Taylor Wily) a series regular, also not a bad idea. Embrace the humorous elements, and play them up more. Lastly, an English translation of the episode titles at the beginning of each episode would be nice.

     I am rooting for Hawaii Five-0 to succeed, and the winter has been better than the fall. If the spring can improve even more, we'll be in business.

     Hawaii Five-0 airs Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

Article first published as TV Review: Hawaii Five-0 - "Ne Me'e Laua Na Paio" on Blogcritics.

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Hawaii Five-0: TiVo 'Em, Danno!

     CW, take note. This is how you remake a classic television show. I was too young to have watched the original (it ended three years before I was born), but I loved the pilot of the new Hawaii Five-0 last night. Yes, the remake has a 0 instead of an O in its title, which seems weird to me. However, that was the only thing that appeared to be out of place.

     I dislike cop shows as a general rule, and procedurals as well. Hawaii Five-0 is probably both, and so may soon get boring and worthless. I suspect that will not be the case, though, because of just how right this first episode was. Not only do we get to see the beautiful island state every week, but CBS (which also aired the original show) brought together a terrific cast of four talented actors, and that may be what sets this series apart from other recent updates.

     The new Hawaii Five-0 is not a sequel to the original series, but rather a reboot, featuring the same characters played by new actors. Steve McGarrett, the leader of the squad, is played by Alex O'Loughlin. This was a bit of a surprise, since O'Loughlin has very recently starred in two short-lived shows for CBS: the mediocre Moonlight and the terrible Three Rivers. Neither made it to a full-length season, but gladly, the network is taking a chance on the actor again. Third time's a charm, right? Danno is now Scott Caan of Entourage and the Ocean's movies. Daniel Dae Kim, who recently completed the Hawaii-filmed Lost, takes on the role of Chin Ho Kelly. Finally, Grace Park plays Kona Kalakaua, as she is apparently the go-to girl when a series is remade and the producers want to change a heavyset male part into that of an attractive female (she did the exact same thing for Battlestar Galactica).

     Each one of those four leads have magnetic chemistry. Add to that the legendary Jean Smart (Samantha Who?, 24, Designing Women) as the governor who sets up the task force, and there are the makings for a real television classic that breaks the standard cop show mold. Despite the familiar situations, there wasn't a thing ho-hum about the pilot. It has charm and amusement that no other crime show on the air matches. Plus, it retains the original theme song. And, if you need another reason to watch, the pilot guest starred Buffy the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters.

     Tune into the new Hawaii Five-0 Monday nights at 10pm on CBS.

Article first published as Hawaii 5-0: TiVo 'Em, Danno! on Blogcritics.