Another Kelley GOLIATH

Article first published as GOLIATH Review on Seat42F.

The prolific David E. Kelley, gone from the broadcast airwaves for a few years, returns to television on Amazon this week with GOLIATH. Like most of his former series, GOLIATH is a legal drama. But with the freedom of streaming services, unbound from the set running times, act breaks, and episode counts of the broadcast networks he called home for so long, it’s a new beast from the old hand. And, let’s be honest, what fan of legal drama doesn’t want another one from this guy?

GOLIATH stars Billy Bob Thornton (Fargo, Friday Night Lights) as Billy McBride, a washed-up alcoholic who is past the peak of his career. Spinning into a personal hole, Billy has a bad relationship with his ex-wife, Michelle (Maria Bello, Touch, Prisoners), and daughter, Denise (Diana Hopper, Hidden Truth). He doesn’t start in a very good place.

Billy’s break comes when a woman brings him a big case that would pit Billy against his former partner, Donald Cooper (William Hurt, Humans, Into the Wild), and the firm Billy was forced out of, which Michelle is still involved in. Now, personal and professional life is intermixed as Billy fights for justice, and possibly for a little revenge from those who wronged him.

It’s an enticing premise. Everyone wants to cheer for the guy who is down, and who we expect to turn it around, especially when his opponent (Donald) seems so clearly in the wrong. It’s a black-and-white dynamic, and while the odds are stacked against Billy, David-and-Goliath-style, we are sure that the misfit crew he puts together, which includes a real estate attorney and a call girl, will win the day.

If I were to compare this to any of Kelley’s other series, I would say, on paper, it is most like Harry’s Law, which featured a noble, flawed character staging a comeback. Except, GOLIATH is a much darker drama and the case will be ongoing over at least the course of the season, whereas Harry’s Law was funny and procedural. So GOLIATH still has some of the classic Kelley elements and similarities to his past work, but isn’t just a retread.

The writer takes to the looser format very well. Watching GOLIATH, I was struck by how much it resembles some of the higher-quality series on the premium cable and streaming networks. It doesn’t have the same memorable juice as Fargo, American Horror Story, Westworld, Breaking Bad, and the others at the top of the heap, but it is a very solid entry that can hang in the same general stratosphere.

Helping this along is the excellent cast assembled. Thornton proved himself to any doubters with his last television role, and he is more than capable of taking the lead here. Yet, so are most of the other actors around him, so he is in good company with Bello, Hurt, Olivia Thirlby (Good Vibes, Juno), Molly Parker (House of Cards), Nina Arianda (Hannibal), Tania Raymonde (Lost), Sarah Wynter (24), Damon Gupton (Bates Motel), and more. There should be no complaints about the company.

The pilot starts off intriguing, but like the excellent Damages, it just seems to be scratching the surface initially. It sets up the scenario and introduces us to most of the players, but there are sure to be a lot of twists and setbacks as things unfold. At approximately eight hours running time, it looks to be a manageable, quick series, with no time for fluff and treading water, so I expect it will move quickly, but going by the pilot, not too quickly. I’m intrigued and plan to watch the full season.

GOLIATH’s entire first season will be available on Amazon Prime beginning today.

Touch getting "Closer" to what it should be

Article first published as TOUCH Season 2 Premiere Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 87%

FOX’s TOUCH returns this Friday with two new hours. When last we see Martin Bohm (Kiefer Sutherland), he is in California, led there by Jake’s (David Mazouz) number trail. He encounters Lucy Robbins (Maria Bello, who guest starred in last spring’s finale), whose own daughter, Amelia (Saxon Sharbino, I Spit on Your Grave), is kidnapped after touting the same sequence as Jake. Now, teamed up, they must find Amelia and stop the dastardly corporation, Aster Corps, who will use the numbers for evil, rather than good.

TOUCH has undergone a major cast overhaul heading into season two, ditching social worker Clea Hopkins (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), left behind in New York when the Bohms head to the West Coast, and adding four new stars, including Lucy and Amelia. For some shows, a drastic change like this would be startling. However, in TOUCH, it seems a natural part of the growth of the story. The series follows Martin and Jake, and when they move to the opposite end of the country, they will necessarily be surrounded by different people.

It makes sense, too, then, that many of the recurring players of the first season are not in evidence in these initial two hours back. Some, like Randall Meade (Titus Welliver), seem to have already run their course, while others, like the Asian girls, are simply gone. It won’t be too disappointing if many season one players don’t come back, as the story has moved into the next phase, and so, too, must the people in it. However, the pattern is often illustrated as a spiral, so TOUCH may eventually circle back around to them.

I really like the changes TOUCH has made. Whereas season one seemed a little wandering, a little unfocused, playing a bit with mythology, but also presenting a lot of seemingly stand-alone stories, season two tightens up the plot. Now, there is a singular enemy, and all of the various characters in the show are involved in one situation. It helps to focus, and while there are still plenty of coincidences and patterns, they are usually guiding towards something specific.

As the first episode back, “Event Horizon,” begins, Jake narrates, telling viewers that his lack of speech is about to change. He doesn’t utter a word out loud in these two hours, so it seems a little odd to start this way. Does he just mean that he will begin communicating more clearly, though utilizing the tools he already has, or does he mean that he will start talking? Others like him, including Amelia, have no problem with vocalization. Why does Jake stay silent?

The dynamic between Jake and Martin is already being shaken by the inclusion of Lucy with them. Amelia does provide a handy way for Martin’s time to be freed up, leaving his son with Lucy. But she’s not just a babysitter, with the action following her, as well as Martin. I am very curious how things may change even more when they find and rescue Amelia, which seems a foregone conclusion. TOUCH isn’t nearly dark enough to kill a child viewers are made to care about.

TOUCH places Amelia in the most unlikely place. She is staying with someone we think of as a good guy, based on the story laid out in “Event Horizon” and the second part, “Closer.” I won’t spoil where she is, but suffice it to say, it’s unexpected. In keeping with what the show does best, TOUCH sets up some storylines in the first two hours, but only gives viewers a taste of what’s to come, leaving many unanswered questions.

Unanswered questions hover over the other two main characters quite thickly. The first, Calvin Norburg (Lukas Haas, Inception), is the brain behind Aster Corps’ recent activities, but he is feeling bad about what they plan on using his ideas for. He wants to save the world, and finds that hard to do in his current position.

Calvin’s path already begins crossing the rest of the cast quite quickly, being in L.A. at the same time they are. I don’t know if we will join up with them or pursue his own path, but he definitely will not remain outside of the circle. The question is, will he have power to help them? And what insights might he offer into what is going on?

Lastly, TOUCH has added a true face of evil in Guillermo Ortiz (Said Taghmaoui, Lost). Ortiz is traveling the globe, slaughtering people who know about the number sequence. We don’t yet know what his motivation is, though there are hints in his physical appearance, nor do we know what his end game might be. However, it does seem like his negative emotions about what he’s doing, which are present, are not enough to sway him off the course, so he could end up being quite a danger to the protagonists, since he cannot be reasoned with or moved by sympathy.

All in all, TOUCH’s season two ups the ante and makes the latest installments more exciting by shrinking the world in which this tale unfolds. I am curious as to if this is a trend that will continue more and more as the show goes on, spiraling towards an impressive climax. At least, that’s what it appears should happen at this point.

TOUCH airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

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Touching on the Touch season finale

FOX's Touch ended its freshman run this week with the two part episode, "Gyre." Things come to a head as Sheri (Roxana Brusso, Southland) and the company make a play to take over full custody of Jake (David Mazouz). Knowing that the shady organization killed Arthur (Danny Glover) and made a little girl named Amelia disappear, Clea (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) helps Martin (Kiefer Sutherland) sneak Jake away. With pursuers hot on their heels, Martin and Jake flee New York.

Touch is all about patterns in the world, and how things are fated to come together. For many weeks, this is simply something hinted at, seen in brief glimpses, or at the ends of episodes. But "Gyre" really pulls things together. A number of guest stars, such as Arnie (Jude Ciccolella, 24), return, making the world appear a little smaller. As first Abraham (Bodhi Elfman), and then Randall (Titus Welliver, Lost, The Good Wife), help Jake and Martin escape, it seems like their team, which includes Clea and Abigail (Catherine Dent, The Shield), has gotten a little bigger.

This is great! Martin and Jake need a team behind them!  They are facing one of the unseen, shadowy corporations with unlimited power and staff that makes for many an exciting story. Everyone wants to root for the little guy when he is threatened by the big guy, and Touch taps into the classic storytelling technique. Plus, how doesn't love a secretive group of traditional Jews, and prophecies of thirty-six people saving the planet?

Similarly, Touch has lots going on behind the scenes, too. Masquerading as a procedural, with Martin helping a different person each week, "Gyre" exposes the true serial story. Touch is something that will play out over years, and connections come together constantly, in the most unexpected ways. Those watching most of the first season may be forgiven for being disappointed in the lack of movement of the major arcs. "Gyre" makes up for this, and points to a less fomulaic approach moving forward. In fact, the title of the episode plays into unexpected change, and hints at things moving in different directions.

Not that the cases of the week are bad. Seeing a son and father finding understanding in Japan, or a man making up for a mistake that he thinks he made, or another guy, who is lost, but finds himself while building a church and a life in a community, is heartwarming. Unlike the slew of medical and crime dramas flooding the airwaves, Touch is more of an anthology series, with common threads typing things together. It's also inspiring and uplifting, making it unique and deserving of airtime.

Besides Martin and Jake's plot, which is the central thread of Touch, "Gyre" opens up a whole new bag of worms by introducing Lucy (Maria Bello, Prime Suspect). At first, she seems to be a crazy woman destined for a single hour, interacting with a traumatized man on the beach (Cougar Town's Ian Gomez). But then viewers learn that she is the mother of Amelia, and she is looking for her daughter, whom she does not believe is dead. With the ending of "Gyre" bringing together Martin and Lucy in California, she appears to figure more prominently into season two of Touch. As a fellow servant to the numbers? As a love interest for Martin? Who knows, but it would be nice if she is signed full-time.

Season one of Touch has been a mixed bag experiment, sometimes growing boring and confusing. But both parts of "Gyre" are shining examples of what the series could, and should be. With a finale like this, I am very much looking forward to season two! Touch will return to FOX next fall.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Catch up with streaming episodes of Touch. Article first published as Touching on the Touch season finale @TheTVKing.com

Prime Suspect not prime

     NBC's Prime Suspect follows Detective Jane Timoney (Maria Bello, ER), a homicide detective who is not exactly welcomed into her new department, even having her cases stolen. Things get even worse when, after a colleague dies, she secures his position, putting her in a leadership roll. The boys club that runs the show doesn't trust her, though Lieutenant Kevin Sweeney (Aidan Quinn, Weeds) has faith that she will get the job done. And she does, without much help and support from her team. Though she may warm a few of them up slightly.

     Prime Suspect is based on a very successful British series of the same name. The themes of the original involve a woman trying to make it in a man's profession. Given that this is 2011, those don't seem quite so relevant any more. Yet, somehow Jane's treatment at the hands of her co-workers rings with a bit of truth. Is it possible, even in this day and age, there are still some jobs that women are not expected to do? Other television shows rarely address this, and there are plenty of cop shows around to choose from. But perhaps taking this different stance gives Prime Suspect a leg up on the competition.

     The cast is fantastic. Bello shines as Jane, even if she should consider losing the stupid headwear. Quinn does a decent job, and Brian F. O'Byrne (Mildred Pierce, FlashForward) is terrific as Jane's main protagonist. The other guys don't get a lot to do in the "Pilot," but recognize Kirk Acevedo as Fringe, so hopefully he will have a large role. The feel is also pretty decent. It's a grittier show than many, and the cinematography isn't completely typical.

     Unfortunately, that will probably not save it from being a rote procedural. Though Prime Suspect airs on NBC, not CBS, it has many of the familiar staples of the million other crime series already airing. There isn't much story apart from the case of the week. Unlike the original version, each case will be solved by the end of the hour. These are not the makings of a bold new show. It may be too soon to tell if Prime Suspect can hold interest, but it's not exactly off to a promising start, despite a couple of intriguing characters.

     The best thing Prime Suspect has going for it are the scenes that Maria spends with Matt Webb (Kenny Johnson, Sons of Anarchy, The Shield), the guy she lives with. Matt is trying to get partial custody of his son, but his ex (Lena Georgas, Kingdom Hospital) doesn't make it easy. She has a new guy, but still seems jealous of Maria. Maria steps in, behind Matt's back, and makes sure that Matt gets to see his kid. This bit really makes the character of Maria, demonstrating what she is like off the job.

     Also nice is the time that Maria spends with her father, Desmond (Peter Gerety, Mercy, Brothers & Sisters). If Prime Suspect can keep a major focus on Maria's family, as it sort of does in the "Pilot," then perhaps Prime Suspect will make something of itself.

     Prime Suspect airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.

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