Kinda FREAKISH

Article first published as FREAKISH Review on Seat42F.

Hulu’s latest series, available to stream now, is FREAKISH. Set in a small-ish town, a bunch of students and a teacher are at the high school on a Saturday when the local chemical plant explodes. Seeing the town nearly destroyed, most of them take shelter in the building, though a few insist on stupidly running out into the craziness to look for their family and friends. Unfortunately, that’s not a great idea, and it isn’t long before those that fled return and pose a threat to the ones trying to stay safe.

FREAKISH is essentially a zombie show. There’s a group of survivors who are in danger from former friends turned into something monstrous. There are appearance and behavior changes around the infected that mimic zombie behavior, and they attack those that haven’t been changed.

So the lone adult star, Chad L. Coleman, should feel at home, having not-too-long ago been a cast member on The Walking Dead. Though FREAKISH is much less complex and deep than its AMC cousin, so it’s definitely a step down for Coleman. Then again, practically any series is a step down from The Walking Dead.

Besides Coleman, the other characters are all kids, and perhaps appropriately enough, most are more internet famous than traditionally well known. Among the ensemble are Mary Mouser (Body of Proof), Aislinn Paul (Heroes Reborn), Adam Hicks (Zeke and Luthor), Leo Howard (Kickin’ It), Hayes Grier (Dancing With the Stars), Melvin Gregg (Sharknado 3), Liza Koshy (Boo! A Madea Halloween), Meghan Rienks (Makeup Mishaps), Chachi Gonzales (East Lost High), and Tyler Chase (The Walking Dead).

All of them are good enough, though none stood out to me as really spectacular. This feels like a low-budget, indie-type show, and that includes the casting. They’ve believable, but I don’t see any of them really breaking out and blowing up anytime soon. Though it may be that the showcase of their talent comes later in the season.

I liked the pilot a lot. It was intriguing and mysterious. Not knowing zombies were at all involved, I was very curious to see where things would go, and I was sucked in enough to want to continue. But the second episode didn’t hold my attention the same way. I quickly grew bored, and wasn’t all that thrilled to see the affected kids start showing up. It felt a bit cheesy and done-before. The pilot was good enough that I’ll give the series a chance to see if it recaptures the spirit I enjoyed so much initially, but it might be one of those quick-burns that flame out far too soon.

Despite the dramatic nature of the program, FREAKISH is only half an hour long. This format means the pilot barely has time to show the disaster, and the actual threat doesn’t appear until episode two. I haven’t yet made it any further than that, but it’s a good thing the entire first season became available all at once; ending a pilot without showing the premise would be a bad idea otherwise. I’m kind of confused as to why the episodes are so short, because there doesn’t appear to be any storytelling need for this segmentation. (And yes, I’m aware that FREAKISH got its start on a non-traditional channel, Verizon’s AwesomenessTV, but it still doesn’t make much sense from a plot-based perspective.)

Hulu isn’t known for a lot of high quality programming, but they’ve had some promising entries lately. Two episodes in, I’m thinking FREAKISH might not be one of the latter ones despite a great premiere. But there are eight episodes left to watch, so I guess we’ll see.

The entire first season of FREAKISH is available now on Hulu.

BODY OF PROOF Examined One Last Time

Article first published as DVD Review: 'Body of Proof - The Complete Third Season' on Blogcritics.

The final season of ABC’s Body of Proof  begins on a sad note, with Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) just getting back to work after three months off, a break taken following the death of her professional partner, Peter (Nicholas Bishop). To make matter worse, her daughter, Lacey (Mary Mouser), is kidnapped, and a bomb is hidden in a dead body. So Megan’s return is not exactly something to celebrate.

It’s kind of nice, though, to start with a case that will match the current tone of the series. With both Bud (John Carroll Lynch) and Sam (Sonja Sohn) gone from the cast, too, there is a sense of loss and emptiness anyway. By going down such a dramatic, depressing path, it allows the show to match the sadness felt by fans, rather than just trying to pretend that nothing has happened and move on.

Unfortunately, the replacements for those missing characters seem a bit too contrived. I like Mark Valley (Harry’s Law, Boston Legal), but his character of Tommy Sullivan, the new police detective that works with the Medical Examiner’s office, has a past with Megan. Yes, he is more magnetic than Peter, but the two men are far too similar, making every feel like replaceable archetypes. Why must TV shows force past connections? Why not allow new relationships to bloom on their own? Why does Tommy so neatly fill the role that Peter did? There’s both a sense of continuity, and one of overreach, right from the start of the run.

There are some things this third season of Body of Proof does correctly. It allows Megan to delve deeper into her father’s suicide, uncovering a cover up, and find closure. In fact, her story overall ends on a very hopeful note. The ensemble is still intact, with delicious friction between Megan and Kate (Jeri Ryan), and comic relief provided by Ethan (Geoffrey Arend) and Curtis (Windell Middlebrooks). Each member of the cast gets some nice bits of their own this year.

The final thirteen episodes are teeming with fantastic guest and recurring stars. Among those featured in The Complete Third Series are Henry Ian Cusick (Lost), Alan Dale (also Lost), Luke Perry, Joanna Cassidy, Richard Burgi (Desperate Housewives), Lorraine Toussaint (Saving Grace), Marissa Ramirez (Blue Bloods), Annie Wersching (24), Christopher McDonald (Harry’s Law), and Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue).

Of course, bringing in that kind of roster, especially while struggling to stay on the air, does seem a bit gimmicky. And the biggest issue with the show, that it concentrates too much on the case of the week, rather than the soapy drama between the characters, which is the bread and butter of most ABC series, is not overcome. But as far as procedurals go, this one is better than many.

Now that it’s canceled, Body of Proof will be missed, most especially because Dana Delany deserves to be on screen. She is a wonderful actress who can draw an audience, a fact proven in the multiple shows she has starred in. At least we have The Complete Third Season on DVD to rewatch and enjoy, as these are pretty solid installments, especially the series finale. Hopefully, she’ll be back before you know it.

This three-disc set has five bonus features, including an amusing gag reel. Other offerings include featurettes on the look of the production, the importance of props, a set tour, and the visual effects that make Los Angeles look like Philadelphia. It’s an appropriate amount of extras for the size of the release, and while none are super memorable, they do fit with what is presented.

Body of Proof The Complete Third Season is available now.

Dig up Body of Proof The Complete Second Season

ABC is not usually beholden to the procedural formula, preferring to specialize in soapy drama instead. However, there are exceptions. One such example is Body of Proof, a crime-of-the-week show following a medical examiner and her team. Body of Proof The Complete Second Season has recently been released on DVD.

The main issue I take with Body of Proof is that it is rote. Week after week, Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) and her co-workers manage to figure things out before the cops (John Carroll Lynch and Sonja Sohn) do. The whodunnit may not always be predictable, but it is nearly certain that Megan will finger the killer by the end, thus maintaining her glowing reputation.

The thing is, Megan isn't even the boss. She is a former surgeon who now works on the dead instead of the living. She must take orders from her ex-husband's girlfriend, Dr. Kate Murphy (Jeri Ryan). It's not an ideal situation.

Which is why Body of Proof manages to stay entertaining. Like it's network sibling, Castle, too much time is devoted to the crime, but when the series dares to stray into the personal interactions of the team, it becomes quite entertaining. Body of Proof has a fantastic cast that is often wasted. When they are used, they really shine, with terrific chemistry, witty one-liners, and shifting relationships. This focus on the personal is slightly amped up in season two by the promotion of Megan's daughter, Lacey (Mary Mouser) to series regular, and the scenes between Megan and Kate remain the best part of the show.

After a short first season, year two basically keeps the same set of circumstances, though a few things are allowed to evolve over the course of the sophomore run. Some memorable installments:

• "Love Thy Neighbor": The cul de sac central to this episode is a play off of Delany's former series, Desperate Housewives, making for some fun tongue-in-cheek moments. Kate tries to not-obviously bribe Megan.
• "Hunting Party": Kate fires Megan from a case at the request of a wealthy guy who is not afraid to throw his money around, but Megan still manages to save the day.
• "Missing": Bud (Lynch) is under investigation after an interrogation gone wrong, and Megan's mother (Joanna Cassidy) offers to help her daughter, though her motives remain murky.
• "Point of Origin": Megan clashes with firefighters.
• "Hard Knocks": Megan's ex (Jeffrey Nordling) decides to move away, making Lacey choose between her parents. Bud tells everyone that his wife is expecting.
• "Home Invasion": Curtis (Windell Middlebrooks) gets Kate's job, leading to lots of tension in the office.
• "Going Viral": In this two parter, a deadly virus is plaguing the city, and it's up to Megan and company to stop the body count on it's sharp rise.
• "Mind Games": A serial killer from Megan's past returns, posing a serious danger that results in the death of one of the team.

There are also 12 other episodes on the four-disc set, so plenty to keep you busy for awhile!

One thing ABC does do right is bonus features. There are quite a few on these DVDs, including a goof reel and some webisodes. Featurettes examine the set design, how the crew makes the dead bodies so realistic, various stunts in the series, and special effects. There's also a fashion bit, if you're into that sort of thing, and many Delany fans probably are, given her good looks and sense of style, both in this role and in others from her earlier career.

All in all, it's a decent series with some really interesting characters, and slightly better than average procedural cases. Were the focus to be even more about the people, it could be something really special. As it is, it's still worth a watch if you like a crime mystery.

Body of Proof The Complete Second Season is available now on DVD.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first published as DVD Review: Body of Proof The Complete Second Season on Blogcritics.

Does Body of Proof "Love Thy Neighbor" ?

     For the second season premiere of ABC's Body of Proof, "Love Thy Neighbor," the team investigates a case in a neighborhood that purposely will remind fans of Dana Delany's previous series, Desperate Housewives. In an idyllic cul-de-sac, a man is murdered, and the body is made to look like an accident. But a little digging, and the team discovers an extensive circle of swinging, and eventually, the real cause of the murder, a meth lab. Throughout the case, Megan (Delany) proves she still has her wits, even while increasingly bothered by the relationship between ex-husband, Todd (Jeffrey Nordling), and her boss, Kate (Jeri Ryan). Specifically, how they might mess up Megan's still-in-repair relationship with her daughter, Lacey (Mary Mouser).

     The setting is a fantastic homage, and even Megan's toss off about "desperate housewives" at the end of the episode doesn't seem too corny. The whole thing is done with affection, rather than parody. The characters making up the neighborhood get filled by some fantastic guest stars, including Joelle Carter (Justified), Derek Phillips (Friday Night Lights), Rick Fox (Dirt, Oz), Christopher Wiehl, (Jericho), and Danielle Bisutti (True Jackson, VP). The cops find evidence of kinky sexcapades and false real estate schemes, with juicy twists and delicious surprises. As a case of the week, this one is pretty darn good.

     Thankfully, much of "Love Thy Neighbor" focuses on Megan's personal life, rather than just the case of the week. ABC. is generally pretty good about keeping the characters interesting in their procedurals, and Body of Proof looks to continue that trend. Megan now seems far closer to Lacey than when season one ends, and she is desperate to keep that mother-daughter thing from deteriorating, a perfectly understandable reaction. It's hard to tell how much of Megan's distress over the situation comes from worrying over Lacey, and how much is jealousy concerning Todd, but the former seems to be winning. Nice job keeping that at the forefront, while still going about this week's business.

     Other characters besides Megan are showing some growth and depth, too. Is Kate just acquiring a fancy, expensive new piece of machinery so that her staff doesn't hate her for what she is doing to Megan? Bribery is not necessary, as Kate is staying as classy as possible under the circumstances. Ethan (Geoffrey Arend) and Curtis (Windell D. Middlebrooks) continue to bicker, but help each other.

     Bud (John Carroll Lynch) gets to complain to Sam (Sonja Sohn) about his sex life. This opens up something that is perhaps not necessary to know about Bud. But it also humanizes him, and allows a real look at the two homicide detective's working relationship. This is welcome, and so are the scenes of the two doing their own jobs, as the pair are often only on the fringe during season one. Clearly, both actors can handle a bigger workload.

     Peter (Nicholas Bishop), so far, remains generic and boring.

     Watch Body of Proof Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

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