breaking_in goes to "21.0 Jump Street"

     FOX's breaking_inwas recently canceled after a mere half dozen episodes, the last of which aired this week. The episode "21.0 Jump Street," which will serve as the series finale, found most of the team assigned to work for Mike Tyson (guest starring as himself), while Cam (Bret Harrison) is supposed to help a high schooler being cyber-bullied. But Cam finds the assignment harder than expected, and after asking Cash (Alphonso McAuley) to assist with a photo shop project, the situation gets even more complicated. The entire team ends up helping Cam right the situation, but as it turns out, the whole thing may have just been a nice present to Cam from his boss, Oz (Christian Slater).

     It is sad that yet another funny sitcom bites the dust without really being given a chance. breaking_in has a unique concept and a wonderful cast. Oz is the crazy, paranoid boss. Cam is a slacker hacker. Cash is the tech geek whiz. Josh (Trevor Moore) is an expert with disguises. Sexy Melanie (Odette Annable) can pick any lock. And Melanie's crazy boyfriend, Dutch (Michael Rosenbaum), is the wild card. Besides each member fitting into place nicely, with wonderful chemistry, Rosenbaum in particular stands out for making viewers forget all about his many years as Lex Luthor.

     Because there are no other sitcoms with a similar concept, its departure is a major loss to television. The premise is original and fresh, and the writing and acting are solidly funny. There are plenty of pop culture references, and zany, but not wholly unrealistic, situations.

     Even sadder, this marks the fourth project in as many years that has been pulled out from under Harrison, a very talented actor due to get a big break any second. The Loop is only vaguely amusing, but Harrison had a memorable recurring role in the second season of just-canceled V, and his star turn in Reaper, which criminally lasted a mere two seasons, should be remembered for years to come. Harrison picks good projects, that aren't given much of a chance.

     Plenty of sitcoms, much more poorly made than breaking_in, have gotten much longer lives. Currently on the air, Rules of Engagement, The Middle, and Two and a Half Men spring to mind. If justice exists, breaking_in will be rescued, as efforts are currently underway to do just that. It's a slim hope that the series may see a second season, but it's there all the same.

     The episode "21.0 Jump Street" is a great example of the series, allowing each member of the ensemble some meaty material, and so it is as good as any to end with. Cam returns to his high school and finds romance with a former classmate who has long harbored a crush on him. Melanie gets to try out high school for the first time, having been denied the experience by her grifter father. Oz plays things cool, and leaves viewers wondering if the whole episode is in service of helping an employee, or an actual job. Dutch gets to work through finding out that Cam has a thing for Melanie, but does not fall into predictable tropes.

     If you are so inclined, please write to FOX and ask them to bring back breaking_in. It deserves more time.

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     To purchase breaking_in streaming episodes, please click here.

Article first published as TV Review: breaking_in - "21.0 Jump Street"on Blogcritics.

Mad Love More Tame Than Mad

     I think the most surprising thing about CBS's new sitcom Mad Love was that the first episode was titled "Fireworks," not "Pilot." While this may not seem all that exciting to you, I am getting awfully tired of "Pilot" being the name of the first episode of every TV series. Some of the best shows to ever grace the airwaves used a title other than "Pilot," and I am pleased to see a series (the first this year, I think) do that.

     Now if you wonder why I might spend a paragraph praising a show for an episode title, it's because there's not a lot else to praise. The plot was corny, predictable, derivative, had gaping holes, and was far too dumb for my taste. A chance meeting between two strangers that fall for each other, I will buy. It's a romantic comedy staple, and one that still works. But the elaborate and ridiculous stumbles that happened in the half hour that followed were barely enjoyable, if that. Getting caught on a girl's earring so it looks like you're kissing her? Really? Are the writers that lazy?

     I think what disappoints me the most is that the principal cast consists of four great comedic actors who have all done excellent work before. Jason Biggs (American Pie, Jersey Girl) and Sarah Chalke (How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs) play Ben and Kate, the central couple mentioned. Their combative best friends Larry and Connie are played by Tyler Labine (Reaper) and Judy Greer (Archer, Arrested Development, and roughly one million scene-stealing guest star spots). With a foursome this good, how can the show possibly miss?

     And yet, it does. Ben and Kate are boring. Sure, they have good chemistry and are charming in their own right, but with a story this lame and unoriginal, it's hard to get interested. If the show succeeds it will be because Larry and Connie get developed in an interesting way. The duo clash like bitter enemies, which means they will soon end up in bed together. The final narration by Larry at the end of the episode almost made it seem like Larry and Connie will be the central couple, not Ben and Kate. If that happens, there may just be a spark of something fresh and neat here. But only if the writing improves dramatically.

     Mad Love airs Monday nights at 8:30 p.m. on CBS.

Article first published as TV Review: Mad Love More Tame than Mad on Blogcritics.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

V - "Red Rain"

     To be perfectly honest, not a lot happened in the second season premiere of ABC's V this week. After the huge developments and cliffhanger last spring, it was a remarkably tame episode. Not one person died or had their life really even threatened. No shots were fired; nothing blew up. The worst thing that happened was when Tyler (Logan Huffman) got a little bump on the head during a would-be riot, which quickly calmed down. That doesn't mean it was a bad episode, but I honestly expected more excitement.

     Anna (Morena Baccarin) continues to battle human emotion, sparked when Erica (Elizabeth Mitchell) destroyed all of her solider eggs in the season finale. Some of the ships' captains, and especially Marcus (Christopher Shyer), seem to have noticed the slip, though Anna denied the feelings were real or had a significant impact on her. What I find curious is, if Anna is so easily affected, why doesn't she suspect more of her people are? The whole 5th Column came about because Visitors started to sympathize with humans. Now that Anna has seen just how easy it is to lose control, she shouldn't be asking how some of her people did the same, but why didn't more of them? In fact, she doesn't ever have even appeared to consider seriously that her daughter, Lisa (Laura Vandervoort), is more than just play acting her relationship with Tyler.

     That is merely one of the plot holes in the series. Plot holes are probably the number one mistake V makes. The acting is good, even Vandervoort, one of the best on V, whom I found lousy on Smallville. The special effects look fantastic. The drama builds just fine. Real action and danger play out wonderfully. But then there are these major aspects that just don't make sense. Let's look at more examples.

     Chad (Scott Wolf) has decided to join the human resistance against the Visitors. Sure, Jack (Joel Gretsch) is hesitant to let Chad know too much about the secret group, but he is given membership by the end of the episode. Besides that, Chad ignored plenty of evidence right in front of his face before, but seeing a human get pricked with some needles, and interviewing a few more who went through the same thing, but not even finding out why the Visitors were doing the pricking, swayed him? Based on his character as shown up til now, he should have asked Anna what the purpose of the pricks were, and if he couldn't get to her, assumed that they were something helpful. I didn't see a great reason for his sudden change of heart.

     Why were the humans so forgiving of the Visitors about Red Sky and Red Rain? I understand that Anna gave an explanation that Red Rain was a gift to mankind, healing the damage we had done to the planet. Yep, that sounds nice. But once she says that, no one seems to remember that she spent four days refusing to engage with the humans and arousing suspicions. She shut down healing centers, and stopped shuttles. No one asked her to explain why she did that, they just took her word that Red Rain was good, and everything was fine. Why? How?

     Lastly, I thought the twist of Anna letting Ryan (Morris Chestnut) go and keeping his baby so that she could control him, a major terrorist (from her perspective), down the road, was a good move. It was a nice story that made sense. But Hobbes (Charles Mesure) figured out Anna's real motivation immediately, and no one paid him much attention when he pointed it out. Maybe they believed him, but just couldn't see any way to get around Anna's game. That would have been fine, if they took a moment to say that. Instead, viewers are left confused at why nobody cares Anna has a potential mole in their group.

    The episode wasn't all bad. Dr. Sidney Miller was introduced to the cast, as the 5th Column's newest member. Though he wasn't given a choice about membership, and despite his obvious hesitation to join up, he also didn't argue much. Miller is played by Bret Harrison, who I thought hilarious on both The Loop and Reaper. I'm glad to see him get some more work, and hope he sticks around. The series would benefit from some of his brand of humor.

     I'm not sure why I like V, given the obvious flaws that run rampant within the series. There is still something about it, perhaps the underdog fight to save the world, that is appealing. As I mentioned, perhaps it's the actors themselves, who really commit to the material, even when it's not up to par, which is often. For whatever reason, I hope V sticks around long enough to fix those issues. And given that the show is beginning season two just as screwed up as season one was, let's hope the people making the show realize there are issues that need to be fixed.

     V airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on ABC.


Article first published as TV Review: V - "Red Rain" on Blogcritics.


For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Rookie Blue is cop clone of Grey's Anatomy

    I just finished the pilot of ABC's new cop drama Rookie Blue, "Fresh Paint", and I'm having flashbacks to spring a few years ago to another ABC pilot, Grey's Anatomy.  Both were held very until late in the television season before premiering.  Both featured five newly minted professionals, out of school and ready for on the job training.  One was a very attractive blond, one seemed more confident than she should.  The main girl harbored feelings for a superior, and had a parent that was well respected while working where she works now, but is no longer active.  The pilot had a couple of bar scenes, and the first day was more eventful than expected.  Who copies Grey's and thought we wouldn't notice?  Did they just assume that people who watch hospital shows don't also watch cop shows, and wouldn't notice the blatant mimic?  I, for one, noticed.

     That being said, it's not a bad recipe.  Grey's is plenty popular, and should Rookie Blue miraculously outlast the summer, it could be, too.  The main character, Andy McNally (the talented Missy Peregrym, who played a different Andi on Reaper) is charming.  The other four rookies didn't get that much development in the pilot, and honestly, I don't think I could even give you one difference between the two guys.  However, none of the actors were unpleasant or grating, so there's a plus.  Eric Johnson (Flash Gordon, Smallville) is her love interest, although I sense a triangle brewing with undercover detective Sam (Ben Bass).

     The show also focused more on the cops themselves than the cases they were working, which is a good thing.  Grey's managed to find a balance between patient stories and doctor stories, and that's why it's so much better than the procedural dreg out there.  It's truly serial, with developments in maturity and relationships among all the players.  Blue has a shot at doing that, too, if they stick to what they did in the pilot.

     Rookie Blue isn't particularly original, so it's hard to give a rating, or even a long, detailed review, without feeling like I'm not taking the show on it's own merits, or just repeating myself.  Bottom line, I'm setting a season pass for now.  It'll make good summer television, at least.  Time will tell if it'll ever be anything more, and I just can't bring myself to make a prediction.  I give it 3 and a half stars out of 5.

     Rookie Blue airs Thursdays at 9pm on ABC.

The Good Guys is bad a**

    Fox has a new buddy-cop show this summer, called The Good Guys.  Two episodes have already run; the first ran many times over a two week period.  It's odd for a summer series to get so much attention and air time, but this is no ordinary summer series.  In fact, if they just cleaned up the writing a little bit, it could be a good contender at any time of year.  In fact, with twenty episodes now ordered, it will be running in the fall on Friday nights, which could spell doom.  However, it seems it's being given a fair shake, on Monday nights this summer.

     The show is from creator Matt Nix (Burn Notice) and stars two cops.  The new-ish partners are washed up legend Dan Stark (Bradley Whitford, The West Wing), and abrasive, going-nowhere Jack Bailey (Colin Hanks, Roswell).  Though, Dan seems to be anything but ineffective and Jack can solve cases with the best of them.  So how they became the no-go duo is kind of anyone's guess.  In the first two episodes they turned routine cases into big take downs.  For reality's sake, the cases are either going to have to get more minor, or they are going to need to get promoted.  Hopefully it'll be the latter, because what's happening on screen is great fun, the primary component being the wonderful chemistry between the two leads.

     The series also stars the lovely and talented Jenny Wade (Reaper) as Jack's ex, Liz, and the tough and feisty Diana-Maria Riva (Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip) as their boss, Lt. Ruiz.  It's a shame they weren't given a larger group to work with, because I wish Julius (RonReaco Lee, In the Motherhood), their snitch, was sticking around.  He brought much levity to the first two episodes.  But from the cast, to the colorful setting of Dallas, the show has plenty going for it.

     An annoyingly too-often used device in recent television is showing the ending of the episode first.  The Good Guys often does this, but many of the other scenes also air non-chronologically.  It's always done for good reason, and actually adds another fun element, rather than falling into the cliche trap.  I hope they keep it up.

     If you want to watch The Good Guys, and I certainly hope you do, please tune into Fox Monday nights at 9pm.

Sons of Tucson

     I am mad at Fox's new Sons of Tucson, which premiered last night, and here's why.  There was a fantastic show on the air for two seasons on the CW called Reaper, where three guys helped capture souls for the devil, and one of the stars was Tyler Labine.  Reaper was canceled well before its time, and while there were rumors that it was being shopped around to other networks, including cable, nothing came of it.  I do not have any proof that the reason, or part of the reason, was that Labine was already attached to a new pilot and possibly would not be available, but were I a network considering the series, I would have considered not picking it up if Labine was not in it, as he was definitely a necessary component for making it work.
     That being said, Sons of Tucson is not completely awful.  I certainly can't call it great.  The show revolves around three kids whose dad is in jail and mom is gone.  Worried about being sent to separate foster homes, they pay a dolt named Ron (Labine) to pretend to be their father and enroll them in school.  Labine does it for the money, then negotiates his way into their home, or rather, the shed behind their home.  Better than sleeping in his car right?
     There were funny moments.  Labine basically plays the same character he played on Reaper, but without the other guys to balance him out.  In the pilot, at least, the kids' personalities were not really apparent.  They all sort of seemed the same.  Hopefully this will be corrected if the series continues, which I find unlikely if it is kept during the Animation Domination Sunday lineup.  The last time a live action sitcom was inserted there (The Winner, three years ago), it was quickly pulled off the air.
     I've been hedging around the bush, but the show really isn't very good.  I can't in good conscious recommend it, even though Labine is funny.  I will continue to watch, for now for that reason, and hope it improves drastically.  Sons of Tucson airs Sunday nights at 9:30pm on Fox.