okay, somewhat rhetorical question. I will always prefer Fox Mulder to Jack Bauer, but it seems to me that everywhere I look there's another one. Whether it's philosophy and forensics or just friday night fodder, there's always a badge and a gun onscreen.
"Bones". "The Mentalist". "Castle". "burn notice". "Sherlock". "Leverage". "24". "Archer". "monk". "Psych". "Lie to Me". "White Collar". "The Good Guys". "Rubicon". "CSI: Miami", "CSI: Las Vegas", "CSI: NY", "CSI: Poughkeepsie"...wait, that one's still just at the development stages.
some of them, I love. Some of them, I watch. some of them, I can't stand anymore. thankfully, some have bowed out (but of course re-run weekly anyways).
Problem is, people are watching. and so, the networks are trying to crank them out of the conveyor belt faster than fresh ideas can hit the page.
somehow I've managed to stumble across two new ones in one week. must be that time of year--shows that didn't make it to mid-season are replaced with the casual speed of a car hitting a telephone pole. But you know what? These two are actually fairly amusing.
I'm talking about "Breaking In" and "Chaos".
The former is a show about a college hacker whose illegal self-promotion into a permanent college scholarship lifestyle inadvertently gets him in trouble but lands him a job with the coolest Security Company around; their sole purpose is (naturally) to find the flaws in a corporation's defenses and thusly assume the titular verb. So, the pilot introduces us to the whole gang from the perspective of the incoming protagonist (another Everyman hero played guilelessly by Bret Harrison, who at this point has the archetype in his back pocket). We've got the Offbeat Team Leader Who Teaches By Insane Example played by Christian Slater with a zeal we haven't seen in some of his recent parts, Smart Lockpick Chick who's clearly going to be a romantic foil but untouchable for romance-comedy purposes; the Kissass/Harmless Antagonist, and the Token Super Smart Tech Black Guy (taking a page straight out of "Leverage" so similar it hurts my soul.) The problem is they try to add two parts Donald Glover and fail to still make him as charming as DG is in "Community" or as genuinely enjoyable as Aldis Hodge in "Leverage". This is one show that almost takes Star Trek and such super-geek jokes into "uncomfortable" territory.
And yet, the show still has me curious to watch what comes next. it's not a particularly complex show but it IS a lot of fun. the pranks they pull on the new guy, the energy with which Bret Harrison is still bringing his earnest self to bear in roles such as this. Stealing cars was the pilot episode- i feel like this show will continue to bend its way through the cliches while giggling like a college prank in action. Bonus points for sneaking Michael Rosenbaum into a bit role. love that guy. I'm not sure how long this show will amuse me but I was surprised by the lighthearted way they've brought the procedural to bear. no longer are we suffering through prolonged stories and "last minute a-ha!'s" but rather just a wacky, nonstop chuckle.
"Breaking In" gets three out of five laugh tracks.
the other show that creeped up on me this week out of nowhere was "Chaos". A bit more linear and muddled, this show is about a fresh-faced CIA agent who gets saddled on the misfit team and has to try and work with the Office of Disruptive Services-basically, the Counterintelligence cowboys. these guys (for some unspecified reason) have the clout to do a mission however they want regardless of upper management, because they "operate the old-school spy way". In addition to Stereotype New Guy (Freddie Rodgriguez giving me a desire to be a field spy myself with his spirit), we've got Charming Accent (James Murray, a scot I'm not familiar with but I am enjoying here), Awkward Looking But Awesome (the team "human weapon" played deliciously by Tim Blake Nelson) and Chiseled Team Leader (Eric Close, who is exuding some serious Robert Redford charm here and I'd wager having a lot of fun doing it).
these four must undertake the missions the CIA doesn't like to handle to Do What's Right, sometimes with but usually standing up to Red Foreman (oh wait. Kurtwood Smith is not playing him anymore, but we all just think of him as Foreman's Dad) who is running the CIA with his usual embittered wit. They are all superb at their jobs but not in that unbelievable superhero way. no, these guys make you believe they trained to be this good and it's not unrealistic like so many of the other shows gracing your living room box.
I will admit, this one is a bit more up my alley- the first two episodes rely little on guns and flashy spy gadgets, more on the bullshitting-and-on-the-fly-diplomacy that makes for more entertaining characters/situations. This is not Jason Bourne. nor is it James Bond. This is more like "Spy Game" with a smirk (probably why Close reminds me of Redford so much in these first few episodes).
I can't say I am thrilled to see these shows, as their success will only prove a harbinger of Television Execs sucking the marrow out of a genre I still enjoy. That being said, I really did like these two and as tubed entertainment goes, you could be watching something far more damaging to your brain cells.
"Chaos" gets four out of five anarchic flames.
No comments:
Post a Comment