Soaps, Sleuths, Spies...and a Musical?

A roundup of some of fall TV's hits and misses

By Matt Lynch

Fall TV season is finally upon us, and after suffering through an exceptionally dull summer, I thought I’d tell you fine folks about some of the new shows I think you ought to be watching this year.

Cane – Tuesdays at 10pm on CBS

What it’s about: Jimmy Smits plays the adopted scion of a Miami sugar-cane family. Soapy and just a little bit ludicrous, it’s a lot like Dallas, but with Latinos.  

What’s good: It’s actually a lot better than I just made it sound. Smits is always good, and the terrific supporting cast includes Hector Elizondo, Nestor Carbonell (from Lost), Lee Tergesen (Beecher from Oz), and Polly Walker (Atia from Rome). There’s definitely a lot to go around here that could support multiple seasons.

What’s not so good: It’s pretty predictable. Most of the situations are recycled from other better and more groundbreaking dramas. Cane resembles a short lived NBC show from a few years back called Kingpin, but with sugar instead of cocaine, and crossed with Dynasty.  There are also a few quite admirable attempts to push the line content-wise, but that mostly comes off as a sort of “look how edgy we are” posturing. That said, though, it’s not as phonily “adult” as something that you might find on, say, FX.  

Will it be a hit? Probably not. Although I suspect things will heat up, the pilot isn’t terribly exciting, and it certainly doesn’t grab you the way that something like The Shield does (though I don’t really think it’s trying to). The slow burn might just be enough to turn viewers off. Last year’s similar Smith (also on CBS) suffered a similar fate; a quality show that didn’t really find an audience quickly enough. Expect this to either be swiftly canceled, or at least bounced around the schedule until the network pulls it just before November sweeps.

Life – Wednesdays at 10pm on NBC

What it’s about: Damian Lewis (from Band of Brothers) plays a cop who was framed for a triple-murder, spent 12 years in prison being tortured by the other inmates, then found himself exonerated by DNA evidence. Back on the force as a homicide detective, he also tries to get his life together after more than a decade in the hoosegow and find out who framed him for murder.

What’s good: Lewis turns in a really strong lead performance. There’s a lot of cute business about him not knowing about some modern technology, and his character has sort of become a zenned-out weirdo in prison. The central idea is an interesting one, albeit a bit far-fetched. I find it a little difficult to believe he’d be given his job back, much less want it, but it’s way better than him talking to ghosts or some crap.  

What’s not so good: I don’t think multiple 22-episode seasons can support the longer arc of this series. Unfortunately, there are so many detective shows on right now that this is really the only thing that can separate Life from the pack. I plan on watching more of this show, but if it spends too much time on the episodic casework, folks might lose interest.

Will it be a hit? Probably not. As much as I liked the show, I don’t think there’s enough different about it to really grab viewers. And while it’s better than just about every other show of its type, I think just about everyone’s getting worn out on the genre. Anyone remember Raines? Didn’t think so.

Chuck – Mondays at 8pm on NBC

What it’s about: From the creator of The O.C., Chuck is about a guy, Chuck, who works for one of those geek-squad fix-your-computer places. Unbeknownst to him, his best friend from college is a rogue superspy who has secretly implanted every US state secret in his nerdy little brain. Cue the bad guys.

What’s good: Honestly, it’s pretty funny. And the action is quite good, better in fact than most TV action. It’s not too cute, and despite being a fairly ridiculous fantasy, Chuck tries to stay as grounded as it can while still delivering the goods. Also, Adam Baldwin is in it playing a tough guy, and that’s always fun.

What’s not so good: Like I said, the premise is pretty corny. I remember seeing a few shows just like it in the ‘80s, like SPIES with George Hamilton. Also, there’s not much of a storyline to get behind. I personally prefer shows like this to have lengthier, more serialized plotlines, but that’s out of fashion these days, especially after last season’s disastrous attempts at copying Lost.

Will it be a hit? I hope so. A lot of folks have written this one off sight-unseen, as in fact I did. But it’s a solid piece of entertainment. Think Alias with more jokes and less crying.

Viva Laughlin – Sundays at 8pm on CBS (premieres Oct. 18)

What it’s about: Based on a BBC series called Blackpool, Viva Laughlin is about a guy who opens a brand new casino in a smaller city in Nevada. Did I mention that this sucker is a musical?!

What’s good: Oh sweet Lord, how I love this show. If you’d told me that CBS was going to put on an Americanized remake of an interesting but not great Brit-drama and that the characters would spontaneously start singing, I would’ve told you that sounded like certain disaster. To have it turn out to be the best network show of the season (or at least my personal favorite—by a very wide margin—is damn near miraculous. 

It’s important to note for the skeptical (though this might not allay any reservations) that the songs are not original compositions, but pop tunes spanning the last 40 or 50 years.  “Viva Las Vegas” and Blondie’s “One Way or Another” are some notable ones. The characters don’t lip synch or merely sing…they sing along with the original track, so you can hear both at once…an interesting and confident stylistic choice.

Cast is also great. Lloyd Owen, a British actor with a long career behind him plays the lead, and he’s got just the right amount of smarmy confidence and, when the story calls for it, abject fear. And, somehow, they got Hugh Jackman to play the bad guy! Melanie Griffith makes an appearance as well as a sort of washed-up femme fatale.

Viva Laughlin is totally ridiculous and extremely fun to watch. It reminded me a lot of the early seasons of Nip/Tuck, only without the mean-streak and pretentious aspirations. Oh, and with singing.

What’s not so good: Hell, I don’t know. I just really, really love this show.

Will it be a hit? Are you out of your mind? Nobody but serious TV junkies like me is going to be into this show, and some of them might not even admit it if they were. I’d be surprised if it aired all four produced episodes. Anybody remember Cop Rock?