SNOWPIERCER Rides Again

Article first published as TV Review: SNOWPIERCER on Seat42F.

This weekend, TNT premieres SNOWPIERCER, a series set on a train that continuously circles the Earth after an apocalyptic event has left the surface so cold that it’s uninhabitable. If the title sounds familiar, it’s because there is already a film and several graphic novels by the same name. However, this a brand-new story that, while taking elements from both page and screen, introduces all-new characters and an all-new train. The books establish there are multiple trains, so this could possibly be a separate one from the films and graphic novels, which were themselves separate, set in the same world. But it isn’t clear if that is so in this version helmed by Graeme Manson (Orphan Black).

I think it’s a good idea to not connect the series too closely to what’s come before it. Doing so would really pin the writers down within the established canon and limit what could be done with it. A television series will run longer and cover much more story than a film or a few books, so it needs freedom. Based on the design alone, which borrows elements from both predecessors, this is clearly a new train. And that gives the production department the ability to really re-think everything, keeping what works, and adding some pleasing new elements, like the Night Car and a seemingly completely fresh take on the engine.

Of course, any story needs strong characters, and SNOWPIERCER is no exception. Viewers are essentially given two individuals to follow. Though, there are plenty of strong supporting cast members, too, including Mike O’Malley (The Good Place), Alison Wright (The Americans), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sheila Vand (24: Legacy), Susan Park (Fargo), and Mickey Sumner (Frances Ha), among others.

At the tail of the train is Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs, Hamilton, Blindspotting). The only homicide detective onboard, he is pulled out of the back to investigate two murders, which happened several years apart. This throws a wrench in what some of his compatriots would like to do to fight back. But for Andre, this is gold because it gives him plenty of opportunity for reconnaissance, as he believes they need more intelligence in order to properly establish a rebellion. Unsurprisingly, Andre is a text-book hero with noble intentions and few serious faults.

Thankfully, SNOWPIERCER is not a murder mystery. That element is there, but it’s far from front-and-center. We’ve got enough other shows that do such a thing, and here it’s only being used as a tool to explore the different classes and examine how the system works. That’s a fine use of the device without letting it take over.

Speaking of the system, the face of Mr. Wilford this time around is the Head of Hospitality, Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly, A Beautiful Mind). She keeps everything running smoothly, which is a very complicated job. While those that run the SNOWPIERCER in other adaptations have rarely been fully evil, Melanie is probably the furthest from that portrayed so far. She is genuinely concerned with keeping everyone from dying, and the pressure that puts on her are well-illustrated. The fact that this makes her blind to the plights of the tail humanizes her more than Andre, by giving her legitimate flaws that are understandable, though deeply regrettable, in the circumstances.

SNOWPIERCER is at its best, in any format, when it’s shining a light on our present-day circumstances. The television show does plenty of that, and in a way, it succeeds. Where it falters is the pacing is a little slow. But there’s still enough social commentary and sci-fi to please most would-be viewers, alongside the occasional impressive special effect.

SNOWPIERCER, already renewed for a second season, premieres this Sunday at 9PM ET, and airs weekly on TNT.

THE ALIENIST Sans Aliens

Article first published as TV Review: THE ALIENIST on Seat42F.

TNT begins a new chapter in their programming with THE ALIENIST. An alienist has nothing to do with extraterrestrials, though TNT has done their share of that type of show. Instead, the term, considered archaic now, refers to someone who practices psychiatry. Which, if you’re following along, means the series is about a person who studies the human psyche in a bygone era. A period piece drama is not the normal fare you’d expect from the network. But does it work?

Not quite. The pacing is slow and the plot is dreadfully plodding. The first word that comes to mind to describe THE ALIENIST is boring. I don’t care about the characters, nor their motivations, which is not a sustainable model for a television show.

TNT is known for works that are fast-paced and somewhat cheesy, so THE ALIENIST is a departure, and that by itself is good. Care has been taken with sets and costumes, so it looks good. This is especially true in an early sequence on a wooden bridge. There aren’t the usual plot holes and cliché dialogue that other programs on the network have contained. The acting is quality, as is the directing. So it’s not the individual elements that are the problem here.

THE ALIENIST stars Daniel Bruhl (Captain America: Civil War) as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a doctor who works with the mentally disturbed and tries to treat them. Not cure them, mind you, but make their conditions more manageable. He is assisted by John Moore (Luke Evans, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast), an illustrator who helps Dr. Kreizler see things he cannot, a second pair of eyes who provides other perspective. Rounding out the central trio is Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning, The Runaways), a police clerk who is interested in following the law, but is intrigued by the doctor’s work when it seems more reliable than the old techniques.

These three are decent actors, as anyone who’s seen them in other works can attest. Fanning, once a child actor who has starred in respected films, makes her first foray into series television, and Evans and Bruhl have had some success on screens both large and small. I can’t point to any of the trio as a weak link.

The three begin by trying to clear the name of a man sentenced to death. I would say there is some moral quandary as to whether they should, as the accused is suffering from painful, incurable syphilis anyway. But as all good classic heroes, they are committed to truth and justice, and so seek not just the extension of their ground-breaking work, but to use it to help people, too.

It’s not this somewhat tired premise that spurs the bad review. Although it seems similar to a couple of recent streaming and cable shows, also period pieces, the trappings of the setting and the way the story plays out distract enough from the common formula. It’s just the overall tone, which doesn’t rise to the level of the style of the piece.

THE ALIENIST is also very gory. Gory enough that I couldn’t see it on basic cable in the pre-Walking Dead days. This choice fits well with the story they’re telling, being brutally up front at showing things, not glossing over and romanticizing. In that, I do think the show made the right decision, supporting the premise and plot.

In the end, I must conclude that the show is decent, certainly a step up for TNT, but lacks the charm, intensity, and magnetism that many of the best shows today have.

THE ALIENIST airs Monday evenings on TNT.

Not So GOOD BEHAVIOR

Article first published as GOOD BEHAVIOR Review on Seat42F.

TNT’s latest drama is GOOD BEHAVIOR, premiering tonight. Based on the book series by Blake Crouch (The Wayward Pines Trilogy), the program follows an alcoholic con artist on parole from prison who gets drawn back into the underworld in a big way. She’s just a small-time thief, but when she steals from an assassin, she suddenly goes even deeper into the dark side with no clear path back.

Our protagonist, Letty Dobesh, is played by Michelle Dockery of Downton Abbey fame. While Lady Mary could be a bit of a jerk from time to time, she certainly would not approve of Letty’s behavior, and it’s quite a different role for her. Gone is the British accent, and in its place are wigs, a bunch of role playing, and some guns. Dockery does all right, but I just don’t know if she’s the right person to lead GOOD BEHAVIOR.

To be fair, few actresses would be great in this series, and that’s more the fault of the program than the performer. It’s pretty messily plotted, with twists coming quickly and too conveniently, motivations barely examined before rocketing on to the next thing, and an emphasis on flash over substance. It’s laid out as sort of a case of the week, but wrapped in a serial story. So that fact that Dockery can’t make it believable isn’t entirely surprising.

GOOD BEHAVIOR does try to flesh Letty out by giving her a child she’s trying to regain custody of and a far-too-lenient parole officer, Christian (Terry Kinney, Billions, Oz). Yet, rather than providing context for Letty, these seem to be set dressings. If Letty were really devoted to her kid, she might try harder to turn over a new leaf. And if Christian were even a little good at his job, he wouldn’t allow her to walk all over him. It feels flat, elements stolen from better stories to try to dress up a mediocre show.

The chemistry between Dockery and Juan Diego Botto (Zorro, Roma), who plays the killer, Javier, whose thumb Letty gets trapped under, isn’t bad. In fact, I’d bet that GOOD BEHAVIOR is banking on the steamy, dangerous romance as the primary draw. Will they sleep together? Almost certainly. Will they fall in love and allow that to get in the way of their criminal activities? That’s a little less obvious, but if the series runs for a few years, almost equally certain.

The problem is that a little flirtation doesn’t make up for the weak overall presentation. With only four main characters, the fourth being Lusia Strus’ (Wayward Pines) Estelle, there’s a lot of lingering focus on the main players, especially the central pair. So when the plot is flimsy around them, without totally showing a realistic relationship or reasons for what the players are doing, then the whole thing doesn’t hold up very well.

I do think TNT has been trying to make better dramas lately. But most of their shows tend to be like GOOD BEHAVIOR, interesting ideas that are not as well developed as the same series might be on their leading basic cable competitors, FX and AMC. I will give TNT credit for having a brand and sticking with it, but I can’t help but wish they allowed themselves to get a little more complex in their storytelling. Letty would be a much more interesting character if the series toyed with ambiguity and shades of grey, which in this case are minimized in favor of action.

So should you watch GOOD BEHAVIOR? Well, if you like other TNT series, you probably are already adjusted to the lowered expectations that come with viewing that network, and may enjoy this one, too. If you’ve wanted to watch TNT, or have occasionally given in only to be disappointed, this program is not going to change your mind; stay away.

GOOD BEHAVIOR premieres tonight at 9/8c on TNT.

Wild ANIMAL KINGDOM?

Article first published as ANIMAL KINGDOM Review on Seat42F.

TNT’s new drama ANIMAL KINGDOM, based on the little-seen 2010 film of the same name, is about a crime family. Like any show about a crime family, there’s the strong leader, in this case a matriarch, several brothers of various levels of competency, the relation that has spent time behind bars, and the fresh-faced kid who viewers and characters alike will wonder how far in they can be drawn before they start to seem like everyone else. And these people will get into new scrapes together that constantly put them in danger and mess with the clan dynamics, while more or less maintaining status quo.

The matriarch in this series is Janine “Smurf” Cody (the fantastic Ellen Barkin, The New Normal). Janine maintains a house where her grown sons are welcome to hang out and party, which seems a little strange, considering how much nudity ends up being involved. Janine has four children, twins Pope (Shawn Hatosy, Southland) and Julia, reckless Craig (Ben Robson, Vikings), and affection-seeking Deran (Jake Weary, It Follows). Perhaps not finding any of her children competent enough to take over the business, she also adopted Baz (Scott Speedman, Felicity, Underworld) when he was twelve, and he is now the de-facto leader of the children.

The story really begins, though, when Julia, who has been estranged from the Codys for a decade, dies of an overdose. Janine immediately takes in Julia’s seventeen year-old, J (Finn Cole, Peaky Blinders), which upsets at least a couple of her sons, unsure if they can trust J around their illicit activities. Add to this, Pope shortly thereafter returns home after three years spent behind bars, and the finely-tuned system Janine has becomes unbalanced a bit.

The main drives revolve around J and Pope, which makes sense, considering they are the new elements. J is a very familiar protagonist, the outsider thrust into the strange world, but keeps his cards close enough to his chest that viewers will wonder whether or not he approves of what his family is doing. Pope is even less predictable, seeming to have some serious mental imbalance. As such, there is probably enough steam in these two threads to push the first season through easily enough.

Perhaps to add some much-needed estrogen to the proceedings, ANIMAL KINGDOM has two other female characters besides Janine: Baz’s baby mama, Catherine (Daniella Alonso, Revolution), and J’s girlfriend, Nicky (Molly Gordon, I Am Sam). Sadly, they aren’t used much; at least not yet. Catherine does have some friction with Janine, but that is barely touched upon in the pilot. Nicky seems to exist solely as a tool the Codys can use against J.

The plot in the first episode is secondary to getting to know the characters. A lot of time is spent dwelling on their various relationships and existing life, presumably to establish a baseline before things change too much and to get the audience used to the players involved. There is a bit of action, but no real threat or danger in the initial hour. I assume that will appear in the coming weeks.

I like ANIMAL KINGDOM, but I don’t love it. The concept is both familiar and decently executed, with a fine ensemble cast who can handle what’s required of them. My hesitation is that it might not show us anything we haven’t seen before, and the characters are a lot less complex than those on the higher-tier cable networks such as FX, AMC, and HBO. I think ANIMAL KINGDOM will definitely be enjoyable, but I do not see it being a serious contender for major awards or to be a “must-see” show.

ANIMAL KINGDOM premieres Tuesday, June 14^th on TNT.

AGENT X Not the Spot

Article originally published as AGENT X Review on Seat42F.

TNT’s latest drama is AGENT X. Apparently, there is a secret section in the Constitution that outlines the Vice President’s real power, and remains unknown to the public, or even the President, to this day. These words give the VP the ability to use an unnamed agent to do the bidding of the U.S. that must be kept off books. AGENT X is that agent, and the new Vice is ready to use him.

(Yes, this is fiction. No such article exists.)

The center of AGENT X is Natalie Maccabee (Sharon Stone, Casino). The first woman to hold the second highest office in the land (have they never heard of Selina Meyer?), she is surprised to learn about the Agent X program from her new right-hand man, Malcolm (Gerald McRaney, House of Cards). Having to take control with barely any direction, President Thomas Eckhart (John Shea, Smallville) himself must deny his knowledge now that he’s been promoted to the top spot, Natalie is nervous at first, but settles into the job quite nicely.

On the other side of the show is Agent X himself, John Case (Jeff Hephner, Chicago Fire). He is an almost-superhuman agent who can slide in and out without being seen. In the first couple of episodes he tangles with Olga (Olga Fonda, The Vampire Diaries), an enemy spy who is quite formidable, and still bests her without too much trouble. He’s the sexy eye candy for the ladies, bursting with the testosterone that keeps the guys coming back.

So AGENT X splits its time between two different types of shows. One part is adrenaline-fueled action, James Bond on steroids, and the other deals with politics and conspiracy theories, a more grounded version of The Librarian. Both go for a simplistic world view, without getting too deep, and with the same type of attitude with which the main player in 24 approached the world. It’s light, popcorn fare that is entertaining, but refrains from going too deep.

The cast is good. Stone and McRaney are always likeable, and Hephner fits well into the archetype. James Earl Jones (Star Wars, The Lion King) shows up as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, which lends some gravitas to the series. This isn’t a character study type of program, so it’s unlikely any of these actors will get to deliver an impressive, Emmy-worthy performance. But they do just fine in the roles they’ve been given, and make the show pretty watchable.

My problem with TNT series these past few years is that they lean too heavily on the action, not paying enough attention to plot and the cast. AGENT X improves in this category, still giving the basic element that TNT fans have come to expect, but with a bit better foundation to back it up. As I’ve said, it’s not deep, but it also doesn’t flit over things as quickly as Falling Skies or The Last Ship, marking a noticeable improvement for the content of this network.

That being said, I’m still not going to watch Agent X. There are a ton of very high quality series out right now that are just plain better than this one. This is a sign TNT is moving in the right direction, but it’s not there yet. If you want mindless entertainment, this is one of the best examples I’ve seen in awhile and will serve you well. This show itself, given time, might even become more worthy. But for now, if you’re looking for the biggest talent in the writing and production department, there are plenty of choices on AMC, FX, HBO, Starz, and others that run circles around this one. When there were fewer choices on television, AGENT X would have stood out. Today, it just doesn’t measure up.

AGENT X airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on TNT.

PUBLIC MORALS Cartoonish, But Good

Article originally published as PUBLIC MORALS Review on Seat42F.
 

TNT goes in a bit of a different direction with PUBLIC MORALS. A 1960s-set crime drama from Edward Burns (Saving Private Ryan, The Brothers McMullen), it tells the tale of cops and robbers in New York City. It’s the Mad Men era, but this is the other side of the tracks, those lower income people who think the laws are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Does the series work?

Well, at first I was taken aback by the style. It’s very specific and consistent, but comes across as cartoonish. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, though. After watching the pilot, it is clear that the characters and plot are in this same vein, so the costumes and set decoration match the tone that the series is going for well. While PUBLIC MORALS is a hyper reality, no one ever said every TV show must be totally grounded.

The main reason I quickly got over my hesitation and embraced PUBLIC MORALS is because of the cast. Burns not only writes and directs, but stars as Terry Muldoon, who isn’t in charge, but is definitely the most defined force in this world, feeling totally authentic for the piece. Burns has surrounded himself with an excellent ensemble including Michael Rapaport (Justified), Robert Knepper (Prison Break), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Castle), Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives), Brian Dennehy (First Blood), Elizabeth Masucci (Shame), Timothy Hutton (Leverage), Wass Stevens (The Wrestler), Katrina Bowden (30 Rock), and more. Many of these supporting players are doing some of the best work I’ve ever seen from them, and those that already have impressive resumes feel like they get this project and meld in seamlessly.

Together, they create a complex world that thrives on shades of gray. As Burns says to his son, the line between hero and asshole is a thin one, with the cops substituting the letter of the law for their own moral code, and working hand in hand with the bad guys when the bad guys stay in line. There are a number of differing relationships between the characters, and PUBLIC MORALS does a good job of painting its reality in just that first hour.

Once introduced to the status quo, the show also spends little time upheaving it. A new officer joins the plain clothes force, and it’s hard to tell if he’s going to be on board with their schemes or a hindrance. Someone who seems like a main character in this initial installment is killed off at the end, which will surely shake up several of the other players and provide a driving force through the season.

PUBLIC MORALS isn’t as brilliantly groundbreaking or as beautifully artistic of many of the cable shows on the air, and it feels a bit strange to be praising it, as those high-quality, original dramas make up much of what I gravitate towards. TNT doesn’t really have any of those, so that’s not surprising. Not everything that happens is realistic, and while some of the story is a slow boil, there’s a lot of fast talking and bits of action, too, so it never gets boring. True Detective or The Killing, this is not.

However, the program knows what it is and makes the best example of the genre that it can, and there’s a lot to be said for that. When coupled with magnetic personalities that suck the viewer right into the world, I find little to complain about. Honestly, I went into this expecting little, and now plan on setting a season pass on my TiVo because I really want to find out what happens next. That’s just about all I can ask for from a pilot, and I look forward to seeing what they do with the rest of the season.

PUBLIC MORALS premieres Tuesday, August 25^th at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

PROOF a Bit Flimsy

Article originally published as PROOF Review on Seat42F.

TNT’s newest drama is PROOF. Dr. Carolyn Tyler (Jennifer Beals, The L Word) is a respected surgeon who has had a near-death experience and lost her teenage son. She’s found a way to go on, putting thoughts of an afterlife out of her head, until she is approached to study what comes after living from a scientific perspective. She’s fundamentally opposed to what she considers a waste of time, but for the right reasons, can be persuaded to try to find PROOF of what happens to us.

The thing that gets a grounded person like Carolyn to look into this is a little girl. Well, that and her own experiences. When billionaire Ivan Turing (Matthew Modine, Weeds, Full Metal Jacket) proposes the idea, Carolyn is quick to shoot it down. But appearances aside, she’s not a heartless person, and she softens when confronted with a kid who has recently visited the “other place.” It’s a bit too cheesy and done-before an event, and it doesn’t exactly start the show off on the right foot.

Carolyn is not alone in her quest, of course. She has an assistant, young intern Dr. Zed (Edi Gathegi, House M.D.), who brings a more open mind, and Janel Ramey (Caroline Rose Kaplan), who works for Turing and so is probably a spy in her midst. That’s it for now, Carolyn embarrassed for anyone to know what she’s doing, but swayed by the extraordinary amount of money Turing is offering (which of course will be used for charity because television archetype heroes cannot be the least bit selfish).

But she has other things pulling her attention, too. Her boss, Dr. Oliver Stanton (Joe Morton, Scandal, Eureka), doesn’t know about her extra-curricular activity, nor does Carolyn want him to, though I doubt she’ll be able to hide it since she’s doing her research at the hospital. At home, she has a daughter, Sophie (Annie Thurman, Dark Skies), and spanning the two worlds, an ex-husband, Dr. Len Barliss (David Sutcliffe, Gilmore Girls). There’s also a man who claims to be in touch with the other side, Peter Van Owen (Callum Blue, Dead Like Me, Smallville), whom Carolyn (no surprise!) distrusts.

PROOF is an odd bird. It starts off with a very serial concept, the main character being tasked to find proof of life after death. The characters are decently well developed with some driving forces that would lend themselves well to an ongoing story. Yet, the way the first hour deals with a single patient indicates that it will be a repetitive procedural, Carolyn finding one person each week through which to continue her research, and the whole set up is rote. Doing this makes the program far less compelling.

If Carolyn ever solves the essential question at the heart of the series, it would be over. But I don’t think she will, which is disappointing, PROOF setting itself up for failure right from the beginning. No one knows what comes after death, and it’s unlikely that anyone ever will. Those who are spiritual enough to believe there is something don’t have a way to test that theory and report back on it, and anyone who thinks they do is considered to be on the fringe, possessing no concrete evidence. Yet, the pilot of PROOF, from the start, tells us there is more than life. So how can Carolyn’s project possibly end?

The idea at the heart of PROOF is an intriguing one and I like the pilot OK, I just have little confidence in this series going forward. The central premise is too flimsy and closed-ended, the procedural element is heavy, and the cast is just a bit too much structured like practically every other show in the genre, with no real surprises in the makeup. As such, I just don’t see this as a series to get excited about

PROOF premieres Tuesday, June 16^th at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES Speeds Into the U.S.

Article first published as TRANSPORTER THE SERIES Review on Seat42F.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES, a French-Canadian spin-off of the successful film franchise of virtually the same name, first premiered two years ago in Germany, and is just starting a second season there. After Cinemax declined to air it in the States, it finally finds a home on TNT as it premieres this weekend.

Note: I have not seen any of the movies in the series, so this review is strictly about a single episode of the television show, the first in the American broadcast order.

Frank Martin is The Transporter. A man who can get anything he is hired to from point A to point B (or C or D, for that matter), he is focused on his work, which he does extremely well. This, despite the fact that he consistently breaks the only three rules he has: never change the deal, no names, and never open the package. He’s a capable, smooth bad-ass, the type of guy women want to sleep with and men want to be. If that sounds cheesy, well, it’s no cheesier than the dialogue.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES is fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping. There are numerous car chases in the first installment alone, with the promise of plenty more where that came from. Action sequences are frequent, often with a slowed-down camera to better highlight the stunts being performed. There are guns, of course, one-note villains and sexy, exotic women for our hero to sleep with, though none he’s tempted to begin a relationship for. Clichés are tossed about freely, and we know Frank will always win.

There is something to be said for predictable popcorn fare. Many people enjoy seeing such scenarios played out, the fantasy of fast cars and willing women, living a life they will never live. It’s escapism entertainment, to be sure, and the writing is not particularly smart or high quality. But the production looks cool, with neat, foreign landscapes (the show is filmed in Canada, France, and Germany) and attractive individuals inhabiting it.

Chris Vance (Rizzoli & Isles, Burn Notice, All Saints) brings the titular role to the small screen. Because of the non-American involvement, he may be the only face recognizable to local audiences, and even he’s not a household name. Vance is well-suited for this role, and while I know he can do better than TRANSPORTER THE SERIES, he’s giving it his all, delivering a fine performance for what this is and probably having a ton of fun.

The focus is mainly on Frank and the case-of-the-week, but the show does list four other main characters, who occasionally appear. There’s Inspector Tarconi (François Berléand, the lone actor reprising his role from the movies) as Frank’s police friend who keeps him out of trouble, mostly. Carla Valeri (Andrea Osvárt, Elsö generáció) is former CIA, a tech genius who gets Frank his information. Juliette Dobois (Delphine Chanéac, Splice) is investigating Frank, so he should be careful around her. And, of course, there’s the comic relief, Frank’s pal, Dieter Hausmann (Charly Hübner, Ladykracher).

Our pilot is called “Trojan Horsepower,” which aired as episode two in France and episode seven in Germany. The broadcast order of all of the episodes have varied quite a bit (check Wikipedia for details), but it really doesn’t matter because TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES does not seem like the type of show to introduce long-ranging mythology or a serial story. If you like procedurals and this type of thing speaks to you, you’ll probably enjoy it.

Similarly, there have also been different cuts of the installments for each country. Had TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES aired on Cinemax, as originally intended, each week would probably have differed in running time and we’d get to see some boobs, as that’s the type of story this is. Moved to TNT, it will be trimmed into matching parts, and any nudity or cursing is danced around, with nothing to offend the basic cable audience, which is a bit disappointing, given the format, but it is what it is.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES is not for me, but I was still at least mildly entertained. If you enjoyed the films, check it out, and my guess is you’ll be satisfied.

TRANSPORTER: THE SERIES airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.

TV Review: ‘Franklin & Bash’ – “The Curse of Hor-Aha”

Article first published as TV Review: ‘Franklin & Bash’ – “The Curse of Hor-Aha” on Blogcritics.


As much as TNT’s Franklin & Bash changes, it also stays the same. It has undergone cast shifts before, but in the fourth season, which returned last night, we may see the most dramatic rotation yet. Which is why it’s extra remarkable that the premiere, “The Curse of Hor-Aha,” seems pretty much the same as any other episode of the series.

Time Jump

Right off the bat, we get a four month time jump where our titular characters are now running the law firm (although they remain living in Infeld’s beach house). Infeld (Malcolm McDowell) himself is working as an auto mechanic, having taken a blow for the Rachel King (Heather Locklear) fiasco. Rachel is locked up, so we don’t see her, and likely won’t again, at least not for a long while. Other employees are jumping ship, unhappy with the new management style, and that includes F&B’s loyal compatriots, Carmen (Dana Davis) and Pindar (Kumail Nanjiani).

What this means for Franklin & Bash is that Franklin (Breckin Meyer) and Bash (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) either need to grow up or get Infeld back. They prefer the latter, of course. In their current case, which involves “The Case of Hor-Aha,” they are as goofy as ever. In the office, they can’t stay out of trouble, which is probably why they haven’t managed to garner any respect. The new investigator they’ve hired, Dan Mundy (Anthony Ordonez, Job for Gino), is an enabler and a weirdo. Needless to say, they’re not doing well, and the firm is losing money and personnel rapidly.

Departures

It’s disappointing that Carmen and Pindar have left. We get brief explanations for both absences, and it doesn’t seem like they fled for the same reasons the others did. But they are valuable characters for the show, even if they’ve been marginalized for most of it, who will be missed. Let’s hope they at least pop back up as guest stars sometime this year.

Since it seems like getting Infeld back into his office will be an arc, rather than a quick fix, there has to be some balancing force on the show to keep the guys in line in the meantime. In the past, this has mostly fallen to Damien Karp (Reed Diamond) and a couple of different women, who are no longer around. Damien has also quit (and it’s worth noting that he is no longer listed on the cast page of the official website) and is purposely seeking cases where he can fight the guys in the courtroom, petty as ever. So obviously, the show needs a permanent presence at Infeld Daniels (now renamed Infeld, Daniels, Franklin, & Bash) to stabilize things.

Anita Joins Franklin & Bash

Enter Anita Haskins (Toni Trucks, Hostages), a well-educated, no-nonsense woman who is willing to work for them if they actually let her go to court, which they are desperate enough to do, and other reputable law firms won’t. She seems, at first glance, to be a pretty standard straight (wo-)man, there to hamper them, but not too harshly, like her predecessors. But it’s hard to tell for sure because she doesn’t show up until near the close of the hour.

Before Anita is introduced to Franklin & Bash, we see Ellen Swatello (Rhea Seehorn), previously an assistant district attorney, is now on staff at the firm. Ellen is a recurring part, and unfortunately, her new position has not come with a corresponding upgrade for the delightful Seehorn. One assumes the office isn’t going to keep both Anita and Ellen around, but how cool would it be if they did? After all, two tough females teaming up on Franklin & Bash might finally be able to rein them in.

The case-of-the-week is standard and takes up most of the running time, as usual. I like Franklin & Bash because it isn’t just a procedural, but unfortunately, it is mainly that. If you were entertained the first three years, though, you’ll probably like this one, too, because even though there has been some musical chairs among the players and a new challenge introduced, it’s still very much the show you’ve become accustomed to.

Franklin & Bash airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

LEGENDS Anything But Legendary

Article first published as LEGENDS Review on Seat42F.

Morris Chesnut, Sean Bean and Ali Larter | LEGENDS

TNT’s newest drama is LEGENDS, premiering this week. Rather than some epic tale rooted in mythology, as one might guess from the title, LEGENDS refers to the secret identities that deep cover spies have. It is based on a book by Robert Littell. A premise like this should still lend itself well to a large, serial story, in my opinion, but LEGENDS goes in the opposite direction, basically making a case-of-the-week show, or so it seems from the pilot, squandering both an interesting setup and an excellent cast.

At the forefront of LEGENDS is Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) as Martin Odum. Martin is one of those people who gets super intense about his mission, supremely focused on his goals, ignoring rules that might get in his way and a family, including a son (Mason Cook, The Lone Ranger), that could humanize him. This is a very familiar type of protagonist to TV viewers, as it seems that any character that carries a show cannot be average in any way.

In the pilot, Martin is approached by a mysterious man who tells him that the Martin persona is yet another Legend, and the real man is buried deep within by a shady part of the government. This is intriguing, of course, making viewers question both the truth in what we’re seeing and Martin’s mental stability. I could easily see a show or season-long story being focused on this, but the pilot barely glances across it, seemingly destined to be developed in tiny pieces, rather than played up as it should be.

Besides Bean, many other talented people are wasted on this project. Martin’s co-workers are played by the likes of Tina Majorino (Grey’s Anatomy, Veronica Mars), Steve Harris (The Practice, Justified), Morris Chestnut (Nurse Jackie, V), and Ali Larter (Heroes, Resident Evil). None of the characters they play really stand out in episode one. They’re mostly there to alternately back Martin up and get in his way, making up a very standard ensemble for such a show.

What is really troubling is that Bean’s characters inevitably die in just about every project he’s involved in. Because the rest of the characters are so under-developed, LEGENDS as it currently is would not work without its star,

There really isn’t much about LEGENDS that is original or impressive. The acting is top notch, to be sure, but the writing is not. There are hokey situations such as when Larter’s character has to pose as a stripper at the last minute, ostensibly to slyly get to Martin past the bad guys, but in reality, probably just to show off some of Larter’s skin to the viewers, who tend to like a little sex with their action. But it seems designed to be the equivalent of a popcorn flick, sort of like a crime-genre Falling Skies, rather than make an impact on the television landscape or win any awards.

In comparison to other procedurals, LEGENDS holds up well enough. The production looks good and there are no obvious problems. As I said, it copies the structure of other projects quite copiously, but so does everyone else, which is how we end up with so many versions of what is basically the same show all on the air at the same time. It’s not that there’s anything glaringly wrong with LEGENDS or the peers it borrows from. They just aren’t anything special either.

One wonders if we’ve reached a tipping point for this kind of show. Many of the procedurals currently running have either started to skew more serial or incorporate serial elements into their format. However, as long as Bones, NCIS, and others like them rule the airwaves and get the biggest ratings, I don’t see simple escapism entertainment going anywhere any time soon. That is disappointing to the critics, who watch a lot of TV and quickly tire of this junk food-like product, but maybe not to the casual viewer, relaxing with a favorite they stumbled upon and like to check back in with.

LEGENDS premieres this Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.

FALLING SKIES a "Machine"

Article originally written for Seat42F.
 

One thing I’ve noticed about FALLING SKIES is that it has never quite figured out what it is. Every time it seems to settle into some sort of routine, the writers make sure to knock the characters out of their situation, sending them somewhere entirely new. This does keep the show interesting, even if it seems to lack depth. I do wish the pacing would slow down a bit and explore each scenario a little more before moving onto the next one, but for now, that doesn’t seem likely, so just buckle up and enjoy the ride.

As season four starts this week with “Ghost in the Machine,” it all changes again. Our band of heroes is walking along, enjoying a rare, happy day in the sun as they approach Charleston, until they are suddenly attacked. The group is fragmented and sent in various directions, and as the action picks up months later, many have settled into a ‘new normal’ that they have no wish to perpetuate.

So it seems this season, more than the others, won’t be about bringing down the aliens. The characters will be fighting the invaders, yes, but with short-term goals of finding missing loved ones and achieving freedom from captivity, not the long-term mission of taking back the planet. This changes the scope, even while trying to elicit more emotional responses from the viewers tuned in. Will FALLING SKIES take full advantage of this, or gloss over it as it has done other set ups?

In the current season, there are definitely some new and interesting developments involving the conquerors. For one, we finally know what they are doing with the children. Matt (Maxim Knight) is placed in a re-education school where kids are being brainwashed to fit into a new world run by those who are not native to Earth. Apparently, this has worked in other places, and it is the next phase of the invasion, which makes sense, because perpetual war or outright extinction don’t seem like outcomes that gel with what we’ve seen before.

Of course, not all of the youngsters fall in line. Matt is smart enough to realize that he should at least pretend to, biding his time until he has the opportunity to stage a coup. It’s the boy’s first major arc that he’s central to, and Knight seems to be doing a pretty good when faced with this challenge. Matt is likely to cause as much trouble as his father ever has, learning from the best.

Speaking of Tom (Noah Wyle), he has become the Batman of the slums, sneaking around in a mask, spying on their captors, and doling out vigilante justice when needed against low-lifes like Pope (Colin Cunningham). I feel like this is a natural next step for the character of Tom, but also feels almost as ridiculous as some of the other leaps he makes. Tom is best when he is being a father or a negotiator or a professor, and whenever he takes on the super leader persona, it always feels just a bit false.

I think Tom seems even more out of place when put in a cell next to Weaver (Will Patton). Weaver is distraught that his daughter has been taken, understandably so, but goes a little bit too far off the rails when dealing with it, to the point of almost committing suicide-by-cop. While Weaver has been pathetic in the past, that is when his character seems least authentic, and by putting an uneven Weaver and Tom side by side, “Ghost in the Machine” highlights something FALLING SKIES has never gotten quite right.

Anne (Moon Bloodgood) has a cool arc, though. Off in the woods with Anthony (Mpho Koaho) and some other soldiers, she is staging a military operation to rescue her family. This is a tougher side of Anne, stepping up to be a leader in a desperate situation, and it’s welcome. As a mother, she has a reason to turn hard, tasked with protecting those she is responsible for. This other side of her isn’t nearly as false as the men’s.

I also believe the reverted Pope. He’s not fully back to his old ways. He may be acting selfish again, but other than hoarding some supplies, he’s not actively trying to hurt anyone. I think he just doesn’t want to risk showing he cares, having been burnt before, as he’s locked up now. He thinks if he acts the old way, he’ll be left alone or get back to surviving as he did previously. But in the manner Pope refuses to beat on Hal (Drew Roy) too much, we see that it will just take some motivating factor to bring back the mostly redeemed Pope viewers love.

Finally, in the strangest twist in the premiere, Ben (Connor Jessup) wakes up after months of sleep to a tranquil garden staffed with body-snatcher-esque versions of Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel) and Maggie (Sarah Carter), seemingly run by a grown up version of his sister, Lexi (Scarlett Byrne, Harry Potter). I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s weird and definitely not what it appears to be. Which just makes it all the more intriguing. Given what we know and don’t know about Lexi, it could very well be real, but as for what it means, that’s up for debate.

All in all, while I’m sad FALLING SKIES just jumps into yet another something new, barely checking in with the most recent abandoned (for now) plot involving Cochise (Doug Jones), it’s still a pretty cool season opener, with a lot to tantalize, and some fresh settings and new aliens to keep audiences engaged. It may move a bit too fast, but I guess that’s better than getting bogged down in slowness, and during the summer, when people want explosions and special effects, this program serves that purpose well enough.

FALLING SKIES airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.