Friday, September 21, 2012

Reviewlution



Only a couple of new shows premiered this week (along with the disappointing NBC sitcoms that debuted during the Olympics last month).  Let's take a look, shall we?

Although it wasn't on my initial list of new shows, I decided to check out the pilot 'sode of The Mob Doctor.  Jordana Spiro is very good as the titular character.  You may remember her from the TBS sitcom My Boys as well as last season of Dexter.  She had a memorable scene in which she tried to kill Deb and the Miami PD by gassing them, but our hero Dexter shrewdly realized her intentions at the last minute and pushed her into a room by herself, making her the only casualty.  Back to The Mob Doctor.  It's basically half House and half The Sopranos, but not as convincing as either.  (I never watched House, but heard only good things).  William Forsythe brings the "mob" portion of the show.  He's looking a lot puffier these days than he did in The Rock 16 years ago, but he certainly plays a convincing mobster, just as he did in Boardwark Empire and UC: Undercover.  I like Michael Rapaport, who appeared in the pilot as another mobster, but he only guest starred and won't be part of the main cast.  Overall, The Mob Doctor is not a bad show, but it didn't really captivate me enough to continue watching.  With Monday Night Football, How I Met Your Mother, Hawaii Five-O, and Revolution, my Mondays are full.

Which of course brings us to Revolution, J.J. Abrams' latest TV bid.  In his post-Lost TV career, Abrams is only 1-2 when it comes to his shows lasting longer than one season.  Person of Interest will be entering its second, while Undercovers didn't even make it through its entire first before getting yanked and Alcatraz was canceled upon completion of its first.  With Revolution, Abrams brings with him frequent collaborator Bryan Burk as well as Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director, Jon Favreau, who also directed the pilot episode of Revolution.

The premise is pretty simple:  The lights go out.  All of them.  The entire world's electricity and power go out; flash forward 15 years later to see what the world has become.  The United States has become "republics" ruled by militias and people fight to survive.  Billy Burke (24, the Twilight series) heads up the cast in a role being compared to the legendary Han Solo and newcomer Tracy Spiridakos plays his niece as a character who's been compared to The Hunger Games' heroine Katniss Everdeen.  Giancarlo Esposito of The Usual Suspect and Breaking Bad plays a member of the bad guy militia and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell and David Lyons, the star of the short-lived NBC show The Cape co-star as well.

I think Revolution has potential.  Dystopia is in right now, namely with the aforementioned Hunger Games and I think Revolution has a good premise and cast in place to garner and keep viewers interested.  While Undercovers, Alcatraz, and Person of Interest were all mostly stand-alone episodes, Revolution seems to have a more serialized feel to it, which I prefer.  I understand the network's desire for stand-alone episodes to attract casual viewers, but I think stories and even characters can be better developed in a serialized storyline.  Revolution certainly has a long way to go before being considered a hit, but I will keep watching for the moment.

Next week Brickleberry, Vegas, Last Resort, and 666 Park Avenue will all debut.  Stay tuned!