Traveler - I'll Go Where They're Going

Pilot


ABC FINALLY "previews" Traveler, a show I've been excited about since I first heard about it last year before the Upfronts were announced (which is why I've avoided looking into the pilots this year, for fear of getting attached again to things that will never be seen).

It follows three buddies, Jay, Tyler and Will Traveler as they finish Yale graduate school and embark on a road trip before they start their careers. After being roommates for 2 years, they have the usual guys camaraderie, though there are hints of the usual imbalance in friendships (a nice touch that usually isn't explored in Hollywood). They reach New York and Will suggests a prank at the Drexler Museum (aka The Met), where he will videotape Tyler and Jay rollerblading through the museum in a race to the exit. The boys cause trouble, escape the museum, just as Will calls them and apologizes and the museum blows up.

Jay and Tyler find themselves on TV right away (already a clue), and the feds think it's an act of terrorism with the two as their main suspects. There is no trace of Will, and Tyler thinks it's a set up. Did Will just betray his friends?

Okay. I'm totally hooked. Despite a few flaws in some overdirection in camera angles. It's got me hooked, line and sinker. Add Viola Davis and Steven Culp (Desperate Housewives, Thirteen Days) as the feds, William Sadler (Roswell, Wonderfalls) as Jay's rich father, who knows something must be wrong and worries that it's a bigger conspiracy against them, and Matthew Bomer (Tru Calling) and Logan Marshall Green (The OC, Off-Broadway's Dog Sees God with Ugly Betty's America Ferrera, and the current King Lear with Kevin Kline) as Jay and Tyler, the boys on the run, and you've got a winning cast. Pyro Aaron Stanford (X-Men, Tadpole) plays Will Traveler, who Jay wants to hunt down for an alibi, while Tyler doubts his innocence and according to the feds, doesn't exist.

Now, ABC has only granted this show 8 episodes, and since it's only starting showing the episodes NOW, at the end of May Sweeps (it will continue on Wednesdays at 10pm starting May 30th), there really lies no hope in an extension to this show unless miracle ratings happen, but that might be okay. I'm not sure how long they would be able to sustain this level of (semi-logical) exciting twists and turns (well, 24 has had 6 seasons but again, I said semi-logical) with the whole show basically being a cat and mouse and mouse game, but it seems like a Smith only with protagonists that we might actually like and care about. I like that the boys actually react like how someone would normally react in their situation. Completely freaked and actually scared, with little heroics involved, and only reaction and panic. Maybe this show will arc away a short but satisfying run (think the British versions of The Office, Coupling, or pretty much anything else they do) or as a cable network series. Based on the pilot alone, I will give it 4 STARS though I usually reserve a 3.5 stars for the series as a whole until I see more (because, maybe there was a reason why ABC cut the show down from 13 to 8, or maybe they just got scared by the negative reaction to The Nine, Six Degrees and all the other network new serial shows).

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Best New Shows (So Far, While There's Still Some Time to Save Them)

Since I've missed the past few nights of television (gasp), I was going to post my picks for the best new shows, until I got home late last night to find that EW had just done their annual Best 5 New Shows, so DAMNIT, they beat me to it, but since I have nothing to write about since everything since Sunday and Monday is still waiting to be watched at home, I'm going to do it anyways. Plus since numbers for some of my faves are abysmal, NOW IS THE TIME TO START TELLING YOU TO WATCH. Why are you NOT WATCHING?

1. Friday Night Lights - I have to say it is my favorite, with each episode feeling like a mini-indie movie, and emotionally the most powerful and realistic despite the fact that I don't live in a small town or ever cared about football. Of course, since I love it, it's bound to fail (and so far it is, with some of the worst numbers by far... WHATS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? WHY ARE YOU WATCHING THIS SEASON'S HORRID Dancing with the Stars? At least in Canada, the ratings are horrid and CTV shoved it aside to the oblivion of Saturday nights, not put it at number 4 in the ratings? Of course, Canadians still aren't tuning into FNL but maybe it's the American Football thing?). (Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC/Global, though moving to Monday Oct 30th at 10pm for a trial run).

2. Ugly Betty - You all know my new love for Betty by now. It's funny, it's campy, it competes with Barney for the best one liners on television, it's heartwarming and despite the somewhat predictable storylines, I cannot wait to see the next episode everyweek (but not to find out what Senior Meade did with Fey). (Thursdays at 8pm on ABC/CITY)


3. Heroes - Clunky dialogue aside, the premise alone saves this show and with the added Masi Oka as the lovable Hiro, it makes for intriguing television. Good popcorn fun! (Mondays at 9pm on NBC/Global)


4. The Nine - The subsequent episodes following the pilot haven't felt as fresh as the pilot, but the first 10 minutes of each episode, that show 10 minutes more of the 52 hour hostage is gripping and emotional. The connections made between the Nine people from the bank hostage are interesting enough, though I can't help feel that they missed an opportunity by skipping so fast towards regular life following the horrific incident. Still, as more details leak out about the hostage, the more I'm invested. Again, which means this show will probably die since the numbers are not looking good for The Nine. (Wednesdays at 10pm on ABC, Tuesdays at 8pm on CTV)

5. Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip - Not the slam dunk we thought it would be since Aaron Sorkin seems to be living out his idealic life through his show. Still, the banter between Matthew Perry, a surprisingly likable Amanda Peet and Sarah Paulson are enough to keep me coming back. This could have been higher on the list, if they had some better sketches in the show within the show, and stopped being so smug (that's why I turned The West Wing off, don't make that mistake again). (Mondays at 10pm on NBC (for now), Sundays at 10pm on CTV)

6. Smith - Well, this one is gone already, but I was hooked despite the morally questionable characters. Anything to hear Shohreh Aghdashloo speak, anything to watch Virginia Madsen, and anything to watch Johnny Lee Miller and Simon Baker be bad boys.

7. Brothers and Sisters - Yes, I said it. Brothers and Sisters, and apparently I'm not the only one, since it seems to be doing quite well for ABC (in Canada it loses to Studio 60 which actually is a hit with similar ratings to Hereos). The show where we all came to see if Calista Flockhart still had any width to her, and left wanting to see more of the druggie brother (Dave Annable), the gay brother (Matthew Rhys), and Rachel Griffiths. Sally Field also seems to be having the time of her life with this role, and now add to it the Everwood crew (Greg Berlanti as showrunner, Treat Williams in guest spot), and I'm sticking by this show. (Sundays at 10pm on ABC/Global)


8. Men in Trees - Yes, I know. It probably moves feminism back 20 years. Who cares. It's cute. It's fluffy. It's the television version of cotton candy northern style. The flirting between Emily Bergl and Derek Richardson as Annie and Patrick is enough to warrant attention, and I like that they are exploring a new relationship slowly just as much as they are exploring Marin's (Anne Heche) new found singledom (and obvious spark with Jack (James Tupper)). (Fridays at 9pm on ABC/CITY)


9. Help Me Help You - I didn't want to watch it, I did by mistake, and I laughed out loud a LOT. It's up against Veronica Mars and House so I'm not sure how long this will last but this was a complete surprise to me at how much I quickly got into this show. Ted Danson got back his cred. (Tuesdays at 9:30pm on ABC)


10. Justice - Two words: Victor Garber. (Mondays at 9pm on FOX/CTV)

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Smith - Two & Three

For a show about the nefarious world of heists, using fast cars, fast technologies and extremely intricately planned robberies, the title of the show and the title of the episodes (Ep. 2 was called Two, Ep. 3 was called Three... you get the picture) sure are a little boring.

I'm still intrigued by what Hope (Virginia Madsen) knows and what her whole story is, even though little has still been revealed except that she's in therapy and parole for some drug usage charge, and that she suspects, or knows all? something about Bobby's (Ray Liotta) second career as leader of a bunch of bandits. I'm still confused to how much she actually knows and if she's in on it, helping the feds or just discovering it now.

Annie's (Amy Smart) mistake for tazering the passerby from the pilot is slowly coming to haunt her, as is the frighteningly psychopathic Jeff's (Simon Baker, above, was he REALLY the same nice guy we loved from The Guardian? Really?) slaying of the two Hawaiian surfers. The death of Sean in the pilot is slowly starting to unravel as Macy wonders where he disappeared to, and his gambling debts come back to track him down.

I'm still wondering why the hell I'm watching a show about horrible people committing horrible acts (and unlike Prison Break where at least most of the people seemed to be written with an excuse to their actions, so far on Smith, none have except for the pursuit of money). Only Jonny Lee Miller's Tom seems a little repentant, and Franky G's Joe is somewhat caring to Sean's family (though what was with that makeout session?). The feds are on their tails but so far I'm not really sure who I should be rooting for, other than Virginia Madsen, although I can listen to Shohreh Aghdashloo (below) anytime speak anything.

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Smith – Pilot Review

Here’s another pilot with what essentially is a top notch movie actor cast “slumming” it on TV in a new John Wells (ER) show. The pilot is filmed with film quality visuals and while it isn’t the home run the pilots for Lost or Alias were, by the end of the episode when they finally slowly revealed Michelle Hurd (Law and Order: SVU) and the dude from Third Watch (I think), it seemed to at least relieve the minute moralistic side of me that questioned what the point of this show was about.

Why did I say that? Because Smith follows a group of thieves that are not quite as nice and suave and bouncy and comedic as the Ocean Eleven’s bunch. This is a group that includes Simon Baker’s Jeff (obliterating the nice guy we love from The Guardian) who happily whistles as he shoots off some surfer dudes who gets in his way. This is a group that includes Amy Smart’s Annie (obliterating the nice girl we love from Felicity and Rat Race) who brutally knocks out and tazers a fellow pedestrian who thinks she recognizes her as an old friend. These are not nice people and here we are watching a show with this group as the leads. Why? I mean, it’s fascinating stuff and quite elegantly done, but what keeps me intrigued in Ray Liotta’s (Goodfellas) Bobby Stevens gang of thievery experts, who also includes Jonny Lee Miller’s (Trainspotting) Tom and Franky G’s (The Italian Job) Joe, is the fact that they are all still under the command of Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog, 24), and that soon there will be some cat and mouse game with Michelle Hurd and Third Watch dude (which could get boring fast though too as Prison Break has proven).

However, the best part is Virginia Madsen, as Bobby’s wife Hope Stevens. Living in the cushy suburbs of what looks like southern California or Arizona with their son and daughter, Hope seems to be the loving, if slightly suspicious wife who knows nothing of Bobby’s escapades and thinks he works at some boring office job selling paper cups. Or does she? Does he know about her former drug past that’s slightly alluded to? Or that she is on parole? What does she know of his life and what does he of hers?

Virginia Madsen, whom for me, came out of nowhere to give an astounding performance in Sideways, and breathed some much needed sensual mystery in A Prairie Home Companion this summer, is perfectly used with her breathy low voice as the unknowing (?) wife to Bobby’s handsome, though not perfectly honest husband (which uses Ray Liotta’s slightly handsome yet slightly plastic and creepy face to perfection).

While Smith the show may have the most boring title possible for a show (Smith is a word used to describe an unknown culprit in an investigation apparently, and the producers also noted allows for constantly changing thieves in case any of the movie stars decides to leave again for filmwork), Smith is quite fascinating, if not entirely likeable much like the characters it intends to follow.

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