3 Short Paragraphs: Fall 2011 (pt 3)

Prime Suspect was not on my expected-to-watch list despite a fondness for crime shows and not for the reason it was expected to be the terrible remake of the british series with Helen Mirren. In fact, it took a bit of googling to convince me it was a remake. From what I have seen, the only thing in common is the title and a smart dress suit that Maria Bello's  Det. Jane Timoney wears. I know I have seen that on a DVD box cover. But this one, with Timoney as the only female detective in a squad full of the best of the gravelly NY-accented actors we have on TV, looks like its going to be spectacular. She just has edge and carries the role as well as she wears that hat. Drinking on the job, sexism bordering on misogyny and little details you don't see anywhere else (the coffee truck at a funeral for a cop) makes me feel this show might be cut from the same cloth as The Wire but will skip the depressing reality.

Speaking of skipping reality, how about Charlie's Angels ?  The only saving grace from this series is the fact that they didn't make it from the same pattern as the spoofy movie remakes. This one tosses us full-fledged into the Townsend agency that uses pretty girls who have made mistakes. Really? Mistakes? Isn't a dirty cop, dirty for a reason? Can she really be reformed with some nice clothes and a yacht? I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie manufactured each of their downfalls just to net himself some skilled young things.  Anywayz, bleah, set in Miami so very pretty and glossy with production values just shy of canadian spy thrillers like Nikita but with plots expected to be easily digested and probably swiss cheesed with plot holes.  For example, why would a white-slaver guard the majority of his stock with only 2 or 3 thugs?  Seriously? And finally, do women actually relax while wearing evening outfits when there is no one around to impress but themselves? Sure, we all like dress-up but I am sure you don't need a dress on to drink champagne on a yacht.  I am surprised it wasn't superfluous bikinis.

Person of Interest is on my list of to-watch and not for the Lost connection but because I do like the client-of-the-week motif and because the idea of probability prediction in crime always fascinated me. Jim Caviezel is the skilled soldier with a dark past, living on the streets in order to forget something he let happen. It involves a girl. Mr. Finch, played slickly by Michael Emerson, is our hobbling genius with enough cash and cool toys to bank role Reese (Caviezel) in tracking down people in trouble, essentially stopping an event before it happens. Of course, there will have to be an underlying plot and constant flashbacks to Reese's past but handled well, this could be fun for a couple of seasons.