LUCKY 7, or 6?

Article first published as LUCKY 7 Review on Seat42F.

ABC’s LUCKY 7 is a show, with eight main characters mind you, about seven people who work at a gas station / car repair shop / convenience store called Gold Star, six of whom band together to buy a lottery ticket and win the jackpot. Well, actually, five of them put money in, with one floating a loan to the sixth person, which becomes an issue when it’s time for the payout. But despite all the numbers, which seems appropriate for a lottery premise, you get the idea.

The “Pilot” is mostly set up, which it sort of has to be. We get to meet everyone, and find out a little bit about them. A few arcs begin, but a lot is left to speculation, and it will be weeks before the direction of the series is really set.

The manager of the station is Bob Harris (Isiah Whitlock Jr., The Wire), whom is hit in the head with a bottle during a robbery the night the numbers are drawn. Unbeknownst to him, the attacker is one of his employees, Nicky Korzak (Stephen Louis Grush, Lac du Flambeau), a “reformed” con who owes some money to very bad people. Nicky’s brother, Matt (Matt Long, Private Practice), is in on the scheme even though he looks up to Bob as a mentor because Matt’s girlfriend, Mary Lavecchia (Christine Evangelista, The Joneses), who gives birth to his baby in the “Pilot,” is ready to leave Matt if he can’t get them out of his mother’s house. To make matters worse, Bob is the one who has to break the tie vote to decide if Matt, the guy who didn’t physically chip into the lottery pool this week, gets to share the fortune.

In this one-paragraph description alone, LUCKY 7 sets a lot up. We have an ongoing police investigation which will threaten Matt and Nicky’s freedom. We have serious guilt wracking Matt for what happened to Bob. We have Matt’s suspicion that his brother is one of those who voted to cut him out of the money. This drama will be going on for quite awhile!

Other winners have their own issues, too. Leanne Maxwell (Anastasia Phillips, Stoked) is a single mother who may not be who she says she is. Samira Lashari (Summer Bishil, Towelhead) is being pressured by her father, Ahsan (Rizwan Manji, Outsourced), to date a doctor (Gabe Grey). And my favorite, Denise Dibinsky (Lorraine Bruce, The Syndicate), strongly suspects her husband is cheating on her, unhappy the Denise has let herself go. Since, besides the Gold Star employees, only Matt’s girlfriend is a main character, not Denise’s husband nor Samira’s doctor, one can start to assume what will happen.

The seventh member of the staff is Antonio Clemente (Luis Antonio Ramos, The Ruins). Antonio decides to save his money, sitting out for many lottery pools now, to spend on his wife, Bianca (Alexandra Castillo, 2012). Bianca is understandable upset, but professes that Antonio is a good husband anyway. I suspect this will cause tension as Bianca sees what being rich does for the winners. It also remains to be seen if Antonio can stay friends with his co-workers, which he is attempting to do, but also seems unlikely in the long-term.

I am intrigued by each and every one of these seven Gold Star employees. They all have something going on, and each actor fits nicely into the ensemble. Aside from Matt, LUCKY 7 doesn’t begin with its characters all looking young and hot, which will set it apart from many other TV dramas. They are on the poor end of the economic spectrum, so their lives will change more than most would. And the story seems fresh and different, giving us a serial drama that isn’t already mapped out.

The problem is, there have been others shows that seem similar to this one in nature in the past ten years, and none have lasted a full season. Whether it was 2006’s Windfall, which also concerned lottery winners, 2005’s Reunion, about former classmates coming together, or 2006’s The Nine, which saw nine hostages from a bank heist bond from the experience, none really connected with viewers. It’s been awhile since the formula was tried, so maybe this time will be different, but history is not on LUCKY 7’s side. That’s too bad; I liked all three of those shows, and I like LUCKY 7. We’ll see if anyone else does, too. Dare we wish it luck?

LUCKY 7 premieres this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.

Private Practices shuts its doors

Article first published as Private Practice shuts its doors on TheTVKing

ABC's Private Practice came to an end this week after six seasons on the air. Some of the plot arcs over the years were fantastic, others not so much. But there are some wonderful characters here, and some memorable stories, and thus, it's sad that it's over. Especially since it ran much shorter than the series it spun off from, Grey's Anatomy, still going strong nine seasons in.

The main character of Private Practice has always been Addison Forbes Montgomery (Kate Walsh). Viewers meet her in Grey's Anatomy, the cheater in a bad marriage, and we watch her pull herself together, mostly after moving away to sunny California. Addison searches for love, both romantic and as a parent, and this all finally comes together for her in "In Which We Say Goodbye."

I don't know that the show has really demonstrated that Jake (Benjamin Bratt) is a better match for Addison than anyone else. To keep the drama going up until the end, they have their rocky moments in the final season. Still, it's thrilling to see Addison get her happy wedding day, and as long as she believes that Jake is the man she is meant to be with, who are we to complain?

Besides, we know that Jake is a good man. We've seen how he treats his daughter (Emily Rios), and what he does to make sure that Addison can keep baby Henry, whom she wants more than anything. He is the type of guy that will sacrifice his own desires so that the ones he cares about get what they need. I don't know that Addison deserves someone quite so good, considering all of her faults, but it's gratifying to see her happy.

The big surprise in "In Which We Say Goodbye" comes when Sam (Taye Diggs) and Naomi (Audra McDonald) hook up, and then she gets pregnant. This, alone, would be enough, and yet, Private Practice takes it a step further. Months pass, Sam goes after Naomi, oblivious about the baby, and the episode ends with their second wedding, Naomi having returned to the practice and her friends.

Is this the ending the makes sense for the characters? After all, when last we saw Naomi, she was happily engaged. Sam is in a relationship with a wonderful woman, Stephanie (Justina Machado, Six Feet Under) throughout the past few installments. Why break up these pairings at the last minute?

That's the thing about the Private Practice finale. It gives the perfect resolution for each character, one that will pull the heart strings of the viewer, even if it doesn't quite fit with where the plot was going. The emphasis is placed on giving us the sappy. I don't know if that's the goal of every show as it goes off the air, but because of the way this show has played out, it works here.

Other stories are more mundane, but still sweet. Amelia (Caterina Scorsone) probably has the least to do, but we see things are going well with her and James (Matt Long, Mad Men), and that's enough. Cooper (Paul Adelstein), Charlotte (KaDee Strickland), Mason (Griffin Gluck), and the triplets find their balance as a terrific family. I loved this most of all, Cooper and Charlotte being my favorite people on the show. Sheldon (Brian Benben) gets to be with the woman he loves, even though she is dying.

Sheldon's plot is the only one I complain a bit about in this group. I know that there is no way to avoid his love interest kicking the bucket, and thus, he will be sad, while the others are smiling. But this would have been OK if he had returned to his job, months later, and we could see him laughing with everyone else in that final scene. Instead, he is the sole one missing, and it casts a slight pallor, knowing that where he is cannot be nearly as joyous at the practice.

Is this woman even who Sheldon is meant to be with? He has a tendency to jump into a relationship full force, and it is easily conceivable that she is just the latest in the line. "In Which We Say Goodbye" would have us believe otherwise, that she is Sheldon's soul mate, but like Jake with Addison, we don't really see what sets her apart from the other women Sheldon has loved. Thus, I'm a little bit depressed that he leaves everything else that is good in his world to care for her. He should have kept his job, and with it, the network of support at work.

Finally, we get to Violet (Amy Brenneman). She goes stag to the wedding, a sign that she is moving on from Pete and finding herself, something the character has always struggled with. This is a fitting ending for her, as Violet's plots have always been more about self-discovery and triumph, rather than depending on a love interest, the way other characters have. We get to see her doing well, probably temporarily, until the next tragedy comes along, but at least she'll have this moment in time.

It's a little too on the nose that Violet's second book about "joy" is called Private Practice. Are we supposed to think that everything we've seen over the last six years came from her book? I wouldn't think so, considering the early days were so Addison-driven. I enjoyed the characters debating whether it was a good title or not, but it does take one out of the story a bit in that moment, sacrificing the believable world the characters inhabit for a joke.

Violet also treats a patient (Sarah Ramos, Parenthood) in the finale that doesn't want to leave her. Series creator Shonda Rhimes has stated that the patient's words are her message to the fans. So Shonda doesn't want the show to be canceled, but realizes it's for the best? I'm not sure I quite understand. However, it's her show, so she can say whatever she wants. I just thank her for making it.

That's kind of my overall impression of Private Practice at this moment. I didn't always agree with the direction, and sometimes it frustrated the hell out of me. But it was definitely Shonda's vision, and at the end of the day, she knows how to jerk a tear, or help an actor develop a fully realized person. As I watched the last hour, I couldn't help but thinking, despite my periodic disappointments, it was a pretty darn good show, overall, and I wasn't ready for it to end.

At least it went out with a great last season. Private Practice will be missed.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

The Deep End fits well in ABC's Thursday

    The Deep End has been placed on ABC Thursdays nights just before Grey's Anatomy, and this is the perfect spot for it.  It resembles the other show in many ways.  It stars five attractive, young people at the bottom of the rung on a law firm, and the cast is peppered with older, established potential mentors at different tiers in the same law firm.  It's the legal version of Grey's, and the music, tone, and sensibilities are also incredibly similar.  Does that mean that this show is more of the same?  Not exactly.  It's a formula that works, with a different take.  As long as it is done correctly, and it appears from the pilot that it has been, then it should do all right, though critics aren't too impressed.  The question is, will audiences embrace it?  Based on ABC's track record, they should.

     The two young women joining the firm are Addy (Tina Majorino, Veronica Mars, Big Love, Napoleon Dynamite) and Beth (Leah Pipes).  The guys are Liam (Ben Lawson, Neighbours), Malcolm (Mehcad Brooks, True Blood, Desperate Housewives), and Dylan (Matt Long, Jack & Bobby).  Liam and Beth have already slept together, so the requisite sexual tension is already starting among the group.  Four of them already demonstrated a fun dynamic, though Malcolm showed up late in the pilot, and hasn't yet had much interaction.  They are different enough to keep the show interesting, but have enough similarities to mostly gel as a group.  They are all recently hired out of law school, the most promising candidates picked from a pool of thousands.  They will clearly be the heart and soul of the show, and the focus of the series.

     Elsewhere in the firm, Cliff a.k.a. The Prince of Darkness (Billy Zane, Samantha Who?, Titanic) has been running the place for three years, while sometimes clashing with fellow employee, and his spouse, Susan (Nicole Ari Parker, Soul Food).  However, now the old boss, Hart (Clancy Brown, Carnivale, SpongeBob SquarePants) is back, and the two have to find a way to work together.  The new recruit's marginally effective mentor is Rowdy (Norbert Leo Butz).  Each have their own concerns, but will also have to help out, or torture until they turn out right, the rookies.

     The Deep End will run Thursdays at 8pm on ABC.