Is DESGINATED SURVIVOR Gonna Make It?

Article published as DESIGNATED SURVIVOR Review on Seat42F.

We all know about the DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, right? During the annual State of the Union speech, one member of the administration is chosen to stay behind at a safe location in case an attack wipes out the rest of the government. This unlikely event has never happened, but it’s a worse-case scenario contingency that is ripe with story potential, as shown in the great reboot of Battlestar Galactica a few years ago. But it was only one element of that show; does it have the legs to support a weekly series?

ABC is going to find out as DESIGNATED SURVIVOR premieres this week. Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland, 24) is the outgoing Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, probably left behind because he’s fallen out of favor with the president and being forced to resign anyway. But when disaster strikes, Tom is quickly sworn in as leader of the free world, thrust into a situation where he must make the tough calls in short order, set the country’s response to the most devastating attack its ever experienced, and assert power from those who don’t believe he can handle the job.

One such critic is Seth Wright (Kal Penn, House, Harold & Kumar), a speech writer for the POTUS that does not think the new guy has what it takes. Nor do any of the military leaders. This is understandable, not just because Tom is not a combative guy, but because the first things we see him do do not inspire confidence in his ability to lead and make the tough calls. It seems like he will not be able to make this work.

But if that were to remain the case, there would be no show, right? Tom is our hero and he will step up to the plate. That’s a given before we even start watching the series.

The problem is, Tom finds his inner strength way too easily. I guess you can take the man out of Jack Bauer but you can’t take the Jack Bauer out of the man. While Kiefer does a fine job finding Tom’s timid nature at the start, he transforms ridiculously quick into what he’ll need to be. Where’s the struggle? This would be a far more interesting show if the focus was on that growth journey instead of moving quickly past it to get to the action.

Funny enough, ABC president Channing Dungey recently said she wished cable series weren’t automatically seen as better than broadcast shows. DESIGNATED SURVIVOR is the perfect example of exactly why this bias exists. Were the series on FX or HBO or AMC, the show would be about the character’s struggle. The cast would likely be smaller, and the story tighter to the immediate situation. Instead, like a lot of ABC shows, it’s bloated and quick moving, wanting to get more action and soapy drama in than worrying about Emmy-worthy performances or fantastic writing.

Though I called the roster bloated, I’m not complaining about the rest of the cast; it’s a strong ensemble comprised of Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Tom’s wife, Alex, Italia Ricci (Chasing Life) as Tom’s aide, Emily, Adan Canto (The Following) as the new president’s, well, tutor seems appropriate though isn’t entirely accurate, Aaron, LaMonica Garrett (Sons of Anarchy) as a Secret Service agent, Mike, and Maggie Q (Nikita) as an FBI agent, Hannah. But most of them are underdeveloped, such as the First Lady being a very bland type, or poorly used, in the case of Q. This could improve over time, but these supporting players are not well established in episode one.

I really want to like this show, and I kind of do. It is exciting, I do enjoy the actors, and I am curious about the mystery that we start with. I just worry DESIGNATED SURVIVOR is not set up for success, and that things will get hokey and insincere as the season plays out, forcing twists where they aren’t needed, and skipping over the potential deep bits beginning to be explored based on the unevenness and flaws of the pilot. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if this one can be great or not.

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR premieres Wednesday at 10/9c.

Stop CHASING LIFE

Article first published as CHASING LIFE Review on Seat42F.

ABC Family’s newest drama is CHASING LIFE. April Carver (Italia Ricci, Don Jon) is an ambitious, young, up-and-coming journalist. She lives at home with her widowed mother, Sara (Mary Page Keller, Hart of Dixie), rebellious teenage sister, Brenna (Haley Ramm, X-Men: The Last Stand), and grandmother, Emma (Rebecca Schull, Suits, Wings), a pretty happy existence. But her world is rocked when she finds out she has cancer.

My first impression is that CHASING LIFE is a step up from most of ABC Family’s fare. It does not center on a bunch of teenagers, as the network has sort of become the adolescent version of Lifetime. Its characters are better developed and played by actors who aren’t totally cheesy. It’s soapy, to be sure, but leans more ABC-esque than daytime level.

But upon further examination, the writing still suffers many of the same foibles that CHASING LIFE’s peers fall victim to. Too many bad things happen in quick succession to April, threatening to tear down her cheery disposition. Developments happen too quickly in ways that don’t make sense. Short cuts are frequently taken, possibly for pacing’s sake, but it makes the story feel unrealistic.

Take, for instance, the delivery of April’s cancer diagnosis. Her estranged uncle (Steven Weber, Dallas, Wings) secretly does blood work on her after April faints, which could be chalked up to the actions of a concerned relative. But then he’s worried she’s in eminent danger, and starts stalking her when he can’t get a hold of her for half a day. He hasn’t had the chance to run any tests yet, so how does he know how serious it is and how dire April’s circumstances are? April’s nose blood does confirm her uncle’s suspicions, but it seems far too convenient when it happens.

Also stale is the way April’s love interest, Dominic (Richard Brancatisano, Reef Doctors), is handled. They have one date and they’re smitten. Then she blows him off because she has other things on her mind (i.e. cancer), and he gets sulky. An overheard conversation between April and her uncle gets Dominic suspicious that she’s untrue (again, after only one date, so he has no right to expect exclusivity), but the whole thing is sorted out after April confronts him. It’s neat and false, not at all an authentic relationship beginning.

The Dominic subplot is completely unnecessary. Why does April need a guy in her life at this juncture? Doesn’t she have enough going on? What are the chances that her love life begins right at the time her career is taking off and illness strikes? It’s all just so obviously scripted, lacking in authenticity and originality altogether, which rips the viewer out of the fictional world.

Add to this the Big Twist at the end of the “Pilot,” which I won’t reveal in case you haven’t watched yet, and CHASING LIFE is little better than Pretty Little Liars and its ilk. While the characters may appear to be mature, sort of, the storytelling is not, relying on cheap tricks and cliché crutches to move along. Instead of creating something new, CHASING LIFE follows a pale version of a tried and true formula, which is not a good thing during the current golden age of television, surely to be lost amid the plethora of series that are way better.

I did enjoy CHASING LIFE, despite the glaring plot holes and logic jumps, but it’s nothing more than fluff entertainment, failing to be anything that makes you think. It may tug one’s heartstrings, but in a very much planned, manipulative way. One day ABC Family may make a series worth watching again, which it really hasn’t had since the cancellation of Kyle XY, but today is not that day.

CHASING LIFE airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC Family.