SEVEN SECONDS Too Long

Article first published as TV Review: SEVEN SECONDS on Seat42F.

Netflix’s newest drama is SEVEN SECONDS. Created by Veena Sud, it shares a fair amount of DNA with her previous television series, The Killing. SEVEN SECONDS begins with a car accident involving a young boy on a bicycle, and then tells the story of the investigation and familiar reactions to the incident. Unlike The Killing, however, viewers get to see exactly what happened in the opening, so the mystery is more about what will happen next, rather than what has already happened. Plus, the boy survives, at least the first hour.

The cast, as in most modern shows, is excellent. Regina King (American Crime) and Russell Hornsby (Grimm) play Latrice and Isaiah Butler, the grieving parents who don’t know the truth about what happened, and are not thrilled with the legal system in place. Clare-Hope Ashitey (Suspects) is KJ Harper, the alcoholic prosecutor who looks into the boy’s case. She is assisted by cop Joe Rinaldi (Michael Mosley, Sirens). Though this won’t be an easy one to solve, since it’s another cop, Mike Diangelo (David Lyons, Revolution), doing the covering up.

Why would a cop do such a thing? Well, the offender is another on the force, Peter Jablonski (Beau Knapp, Shots Fired), Mike’s friend who is expecting a child soon. Even Peter thinks he should confess, so the whole force isn’t villainized in SEVEN SECONDS. But the societal pressures of previous violent assaults by white cops on black kids, which the victim is, are all the reason Mike needs to think Peter would be in much deeper trouble than he deserves, and prompt him to frame someone else for the crime. Though by the end of hour one, Peter and Mike now both deserve pretty bad.

This makes for a timely, complex tale, which all the best shows are these days. Like a lot of other television programs, this one is about crime and police officers. And like most others, the cast is good. So SEVEN SECONDS is great, right? Well, not exactly.

The biggest problem SEVEN SECONDS has going for it is that it is boring and slow. I like slow when the characters and tone are super compelling and the camera lingers to really delve into emotion. In this case, nothing much happens, but it’s not because the running time is dwelling on the characters. For instance, a portion of the first hour finds KJ and Joe filing some paperwork and visiting the hospital and impound lot. None of this furthers anything, nor are there long, insightful moments between them. They’re just there.

I think it also probably hurts that we know who the guilty party is. I mean, mystery can be overdone or melodramatic, but at least there’s a strong hook as viewers try to figure out what happened and the implications of it. Instead, here it’s pretty safe to assume the truth will come to light, so the only suspense is how. We already know the fallout will be bad, we just don’t know how bad. So there’re not enough stakes, nothing to truly wonder about. There is a fake-out about the victim’s identity early on, but it doesn’t go anywhere.

And, bottom line, none of the characters are compelling enough. I get Peter’s conflict, but it’s hard to root for him when he did something so heinous, even as he considers stepping forward. Of course, it’s easy to sympathize with the parents, but at least in the first hour, we don’t learn all that much about them. The cops are even less interesting.

SEVEN SECONDS seems to prove, as a few other shows have recently, that sometimes a series just isn’t as good as the sum of its parts.

The first season of SEVEN SECONDS is available now on Netflix.

SIRENS Ends With a "Wedding"

Article first published as TV Review: 'Sirens' - 'Shotgun Wedding' on Blogcritics.

Just after premiering its second sitcom, USA wraps up the freshman run of its first, Sirens, this week in “Shotgun Wedding.” Theresa (Jessica McNamee) starts questioning the direction of her life after being shot. Thinking there isn’t anything keeping her in Chicago, she considers a transfer to the F.B.I. in Washington D.C. Desperate not to lose her, Johnny (Michael Mosley) proposes and tries to make the ceremony happen right away to prove he’s serious. Needless to say, things go awry.

Sirens is a pretty funny comedy. There is lots of sexual humor, some of it weird, and a little play on gender roles, making for a crass but risk-taking show. Comedy is extremely subjective, much more so than drama, but if you like the vibe of “normal” people palling around and don’t mind when they talk about porn and the like, then this is probably for you.

For those looking more for the personal stuff, character development and growth through maturation, Sirens has that, too, especially in the finale. Johnny is introduced as the type of man who has trouble committing, possibly because he isn’t in touch with his emotions. He definitely loves Theresa; that’s clear in every single installment. But he doesn’t always know how to show it, nor how to make her happy.

Theresa isn’t exactly perfect, either. She’s much more casual and self-driven in her sex life than the traditional female, but she isn’t good at setting boundaries. She does stand her ground when breaking up with Johnny, but she can’t seem to stay away from him after, her attraction to him not abating. She sort of encourages his attention, hoping that one day he might grow up and be worth it. In “Shotgun Wedding,” he finally does.

There are all sorts of arguments to be had about the wisdom of spur-of-the-moment nuptials. This is a major, life-changing decision, and it’s worth taking a little time to consider the ramifications of the choice. Yet, Theresa and Johnny have been in one another’s orbits for quite some time. It’s not like they’ve only had a few months to figure each other out. It’s time to commit or finally make a clean break. That’s what “Shotgun Wedding” is about, a pivotal moment for their relationship.

In the end, due to a series of comedic mishaps and possibly the universe acting against them, the couple says I do, but isn’t pronounced husband and wife, through not for lack of intention. This might be a good thing, as they settle on moving in together and seeing how that goes first. If the ceremony is going to be this messy, that might actually be a sign they should slow down just a bit. They do have forward momentum, it just doesn’t need to get to an end game for them yet.

Is this an authentic, modern couple? Well, everyone is different, but I do think this is the type of pair that is only more recently portrayed on television. We get current sensibilities and attitudes, a peek at how people with careers and no marriage turning thirty act in this day and age. More folks are waiting longer and making sure they are absolutely sure before settling down. Sirens presents a comedic take on that.

A wedding episode is a popular format for a season finale, so Sirens isn’t re-writing the book on sitcoms, nor do the other episodes feel groundbreaking, either. But it’s also not stale, the chemistry of the ensemble cast being excellent, further enhanced by the great guest stars playing Johnny and Theresa’s parents this week. It’s a slightly fresh twist on a sitcom staple.

Which is basically a good way to sum up what Sirens is. Sure, a big, black, gay EMT like Hank (Kevin Daniels) isn’t a stereotype, but he’s familiar enough to be relateable. And while Voodoo (Kelly O’Sullivan) is anything but normal, she is still likeable enough in a harmless manner. The dialogue may not be the cleverest around, but it serves to amuse, such as when Cash (Bill Nunn) suddenly makes an ultimatum that he’s head usher (of two) or not taking a role at all, even though Johnny and Theresa aren’t handing out jobs. It all just comes together nicely and works.

The only concern is, USA played it safe with their hour-long shows for a long time and is just now moving into the territory of having must-watch series. With Sirens and Playing House, the network is starting in very tame territory for comedies, goofy like TBS, more edgy than the broadcast networks, but nothing that surprises and delights as much as what, say, FX, delivers. Is that a sound principle? Only time will tell.

Sirens has not yet been renewed.

Blaring SIRENS

Article first published as SIRENS Review on Seat42F.

USA is trying its hand with sitcoms when the new series SIRENS premieres Thursday evening. The episode sent to critics, and that is currently streaming free on the network’s website, is listed as #1.04 “Rachel McAdams Topless.” I’m not sure that’s going to be the first episode that airs, but it should give us a taste of not only the tone of the series, but who the characters are as well.

At the center of SIRENS are three EMTs. Johnny (Michael Mosley, Pan Am, The Proposal) is having trouble defining his relationship with on-again, off-again girlfriend Theresa (Jessica McNamee, Packed to the Rafters). Or are they dating? It’s not clear. Hank (Kevin Daniels, Modern Family, Ladder 49), Johnny’s best friend, is gay and black, though neither is really played up as a character element in the first episode, with Hank’s role being to deliver the best lines and support Johnny. They are joined by nervous, naïve newbie Brian (Kevin Bigley, Game Change).

Now, that doesn’t sound like a recipe for a particularly original show, and I admit, Brian, especially, is a familiar type. But Sirens doesn’t try for anything fancy. It’s about a group of guys hanging out together, getting into absurd situations, and having way too personal conversations. They have good chemistry, and are enjoyable.

For instance, in “Rachel McAdams Topless,” they try to erase a patient’s computer, only to be scarred by disturbing porn. Then they end up talking about porn and sex for the most of the half hour, as other things they stumble upon also hinge on that topic. So it’s a lot of raunchy, honest talking between buddies.

I happen to find this very funny. I know it’s certainly not everyone’s type of humor, but it’s far better than gross vomit and poop gags. SIRENS rises or falls on how real each of these three men seem and whether viewers will care about them or not. Half an hour in, I do care. They seem nice and are trying their best, never mean-spirited or cruel.

The relationship between Johnny and Theresa is good, too. He swears to her that he’s given up porn for her, a lie of course, which she quickly discovers. But not knowing she knows, he and his buddies try to prevent her from finding out, stumbling on her own embarrassing secrets in the process. Theresa and Johnny learn a little about one another, and it helps them appreciate their partner more.

First and foremost, this makes “Rachel McAdams Topless” a comedy of errors, with one-liners smartly tying into later twists in the story, running gags rather than just a series of punchlines. At times, the situations feel staged, of course, and in this style of narrative, that’s unavoidable. But the energy put off by the cast is infectious, and it keeps moving forward at a pleasing pace.

I’m not sure Theresa is all that authentic a character, possibly more of a guy’s dream of what a woman should be than real. Or maybe she’s someone who just bucks trends and doesn’t conform to what’s currently publicly acceptable to say, a liberated, modern woman. At times, she’s more masculine than Johnny, a relatively new arrangement in society that can still seem novel on television when done right, as it is here.

But SIRENS doesn’t ask us to overthink this stuff. It’s just a goofy comedy designed to make us laugh. I wish it aired on HBO or Showtime so it could actually back up the topics of conversation with visuals; hearing and hinting at things that are never shown make it tamer than it should be. But its sensibilities do seem appropriate to a TBS or basic cable format, so it should work for USA, known mostly for fluffy dramas.

SIRENS premieres this Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on USA.

Scrubs ends abruptly

 
     Scrubs, after a mistaken decision to be kept on air this year with a new format, was canceled after a mere thirteen episodes.  Ok, it's not quite canceled yet, but would you believe that a portion of this article was written nearly two months ago and saved, because it was so obvious that the end was coming?  Technically, the episode that aired this week was a season finale, and was certainly not written to cap a long-running series.  However, that's most likely what it was.

     It's biggest mistake was a lack or originality. It was a mere goofier version of the original. The security guards, while funny, were just an extension of the Janitor (Neil Flynn, The Middle) character. Drew (Michael Mosley) was a mini-Dr. Cox, Cole (Dave Franco) was like The Todd (Robet Maschio), both of whom were still on the show. Lucy (Kerry Bishe) was a cross between J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke), and Denise (Eliza Coupe) became very similar to Elliot as well as Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), but with less emotion than the former. The problem was, all of these new characters resembled the old ones, instead of bringing something new to the show.

      The one positive was that it gave Dr. Cox and Dr. Turk (Donald Faison) a chance to really grow their friendship. We finally got to see them on equal footing, rather than Turk being seen as the much younger student.  And in the end, both Cole and Drew got some serious growth that would have made them much more interesting were they allowed to continue.  Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who seemed to have the most fun in this continuation of the show, was nowhere to be seen this week.  Anyway, it's likely too little, too late.