I came a little late to the J. J. Abrams show Undercovers. But, thanks to there not being much else on in the time slot that interested me, I decided to give it a chance even though I had missed the first couple of episodes.It is interesting that it does what Abrams' other show Fringe was supposed to do, be a show that the casual viewer could watch. He realized that as Alias went on, the show became so continuity heavy that if viewers didn't watch it from the beginning or missed part of a season, it was too dense to get into. Fringe was supposed to address that, be a bit like The X-Files in that there was an over arcing back story and continuity but succeeded on the individual week to week individual menaces. However, more and more the back story and continuity of Fringe became important to the point that this season is completely impenetrable to anyone that wasn't already following from the previous week. It's a great show, but I am one of the people watching from the beginning.
Undercovers has an easy back story that is easy to pick up and there is an underlying subplot but one that so far has not highjacked the easy to follow self-contained missions each week. This week, we actually get to see the side-kick Hoyt show he has a little more secret-agent training than just being a tech geek. It's also a fun smart show that doesn't require you to check your mind at the door such as half of the story elements of Covert Affairs.
I think what's also important is that the characters of Samantha and Steven Bloom are an attractive, smart and charismatic couple who just so happen to be African-American. Nothing about the show dictates they have to be, the show isn't written to be about race or to attract just one racial demographic. Instead it crosses boundaries, it's written to appeal to anyone that likes the genre of the show. The actors have a great chemistry together on screen and come across as a likable couple who are trying to make a marriage work but happen to carry a lot of baggage from their past and previous relationships. Only in this case it's because they both were at one time spies and have pasts that they aren't always at liberty to divulge.
So, you have a smart and action packed show that crosses boundaries. Naturally, it's been canceled with no new episodes ordered. No attempt at trying the show in a different slot, maybe airing it at two different times to see if it would do better on a different night or different time. A shame, because we could use more shows like this one. But, good shows get canceled all the time. I still miss Life.
USA's fall season has started. Last night with Psych and tonight with Burn Notice. While Psych has become more of a farce and parody than the light-hearted mystery it started off as, it is still an immensely enjoyable show. Cary Elwes was excellent reprising his role as an extremely capable gentleman art thief and a delight to watch. "Skydiving Judy Denches" indeed. More importantly was the forward movement on the possible romance between Shawn and Juliet. In some shows, such a movement is the kiss of death. But, others with shows that have extremely strong supporting casts like Friends and the recent Big Bang Theory have proven that it need not be. In fact, it can be just as dangerous to continually skirt the issue, losing all momentum and become a caricature of itself as it constantly plays out the exact same beats week in and week out. Covering new ground can help keep the show fresh just as much as it can become a jump the shark moment. In fact Friends also showed that as well with the character of Ross as he ultimately became a parody of himself, with one doomed relationship after another, never getting past the influence of Rachel on his storylines. Characters sometimes need to be allowed to grow some, and we're getting that chance with Shawn in Psych. The relationship may not work out, but it's an aspect of the characters that need to be worked out so that the story lines can move on. Now, if we can get a little bit more back to the whole solving mysteries with the illusion that it's him being psychic with light touches, a mystery show with comedic touches vs a comedy with a mystery backdrop, I'd be a very happy camper. And, I've long given up on spotting the pineapple. I never see it. Won't be until January for the return of Royal Pains unfortunately.
Hawaii 5-O has been the surprise hit for me this season. The power and chemistry between the actors and characters has really worked so I don't mind it's a total re-imagining/retconning of the original series. I don't mind that Grace Park is yet again playing a character that was originally a guy. One of the big plusses is that it makes Hawaii a part of the character of the show. It's not just simply the backdrop, but an integral part of the show. It has its own culture, history and racial mixes and the show tries to get a bit of that across. The import and impact of Pearl Harbor is part of the character of Steve McGarrett as his grandfather was (and is) on the Arizona as is his growing up there, though still considered a bit of an outsider while Danny is still a fish out of water, the mainland cop newly arrived to the island. It's more of an action show than a cop show, but it is a good and fun action show. Wish we'd see a bit more for Daniel Dae Kim to do than to be given some information gathering task that takes him off screen for most of the show. And, there are some subplot elements from the first episode that haven't been touched on since, it would be nice to see some followup there before it's all completely forgotten.
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