Among comic book geeks,
Heroes (NBC, Mondays, 9 p.m.) is far and away the most anticipated new show of the season, what with comics creators Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale working behind the scenes, and the superhero premise, and the structure indebted to comic book pacing. And I think, if nothing else, comic book fans will be pleased with this show. It takes the idea of superheroes very seriously (perhaps even, one could argue, a little too seriously), and has a suitably grandiose and intricate serialized story in mind (when the first episode begins with screen titles proclaiming it volume one, chapter one, you know they're shooting for epic). Some of the characters are a little broad, and the tone is sometimes overly somber without earning it, but overall I think this show has a lot of potential and, as I've said elsewhere, resembles in its best moments M. Night Shyamalan's
Unbreakable, which is one of my favorite movies.
And then there's
Runaway (The CW, Mondays, 9 p.m.), a completely unnecessary drama from the CW that must have fans of
Everwood up in arms -
this is what they had to cancel something in order to air? It's an awkward hybrid of WB-style family drama and
Prison Break-style serialized drama, and it doesn't really succeed at either. The family is on the run from the requisite wide-ranging conspiracy, but they settle down in a small town to start a new life, and the teens go to school and deal with typical teen angst TV stuff. I don't know how they're going to balance the two elements in the future, but I imagine the conspiracy will recede and it'll turn into just another mediocre melodrama, with the authorities closing in only during sweeps or the season finale. That is, of course, if it even lasts that long.
Among comic book geeks, Heroes (NBC, Mondays, 9 p.m.) is far and away the most anticipated new show of the season, what with comics creators Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale working behind the scenes, and the superhero premise, and the structure indebted to comic book pacing. And I think, if nothing else, comic book fans will be pleased with this show. It takes the idea of superheroes very seriously (perhaps even, one could argue, a little too seriously), and has a suitably grandiose and intricate serialized story in mind (when the first episode begins with screen titles proclaiming it volume one, chapter one, you know they're shooting for epic). Some of the characters are a little broad, and the tone is sometimes overly somber without earning it, but overall I think this show has a lot of potential and, as I've said elsewhere, resembles in its best moments M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, which is one of my favorite movies.
And then there's Runaway (The CW, Mondays, 9 p.m.), a completely unnecessary drama from the CW that must have fans of Everwood up in arms - this is what they had to cancel something in order to air? It's an awkward hybrid of WB-style family drama and Prison Break-style serialized drama, and it doesn't really succeed at either. The family is on the run from the requisite wide-ranging conspiracy, but they settle down in a small town to start a new life, and the teens go to school and deal with typical teen angst TV stuff. I don't know how they're going to balance the two elements in the future, but I imagine the conspiracy will recede and it'll turn into just another mediocre melodrama, with the authorities closing in only during sweeps or the season finale. That is, of course, if it even lasts that long.
4 comments:
i agree with you about heroes, which at its best is compelling and at its worst is slightly overwrought. the point about how they're "shooting for epic" is valid, and it's what i found to be great about the show; it is precisely because the show takes such a serious tone (within the story and about itself) that it is appealing and suitably different. i think that as long as the show doesn't delve into ridiculous caricatures and overused cliches, it will be one of the best dramas on television. looks like nbc has got the market cornered on fresh, dope shows...
The serious tone is positive, I just think it comes dangerously close to self-important at times. We'll have to see how things play out over the course of the season.
NBC does have the best crop of new shows, although they don't quite have the market cornered. I still hope people will check out Smith on CBS, and The Nine on ABC is pretty good, too.
bro, come on! smith may have elements to it that are sorely lacking in other shows of the same ilk, but we don't need another show about heisting crooks! maybe i sound crazy, but even though smith is "well-made, clever, and entertaining," it does not change the fact that it's yet another entry about criminals and heists. hollywood really needs to move away from its fascination with street criminals, even if they sometimes get it right that they're not lovable goodguys.
Um, "we don't need another show about heisting crooks"? Because there were two little-watched shows like that last season, one of which wasn't any good? How many shows about lawyers or cops do we have? How many shows this season are serialized dramas that follow one event over the course of the whole season? And you admit that it's a good show but dismiss it because there were a couple of similar shows that aren't even on anymore? Compared to what else is on right now, it's completely unique, and even if the concept has been done in movies or older shows, it's so well-executed that it doesn't matter. Talk about an unfair dismissal.
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