New TV season proves there is life after O.J.
New TV season proves there is life after O.J.
'Murder One' is the best of the best, but 'Central Park West' is bottom of barrel
By Jennifer Richmond
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Just in case you've been so caught up with the O.J. Simpson trial and
its verdict that you have missed all the new shows on TV, here's a quick
review of what's hot and what's not.
What's hot...
UPN's "Nowhere Man." Another "Fugitive"-type show, the dramatic "Nowhere
Man" follows Thomas Veil (Bruce Greenwood) as he tries to rediscover the
life he once had after he loses it because of a photograph he took.
With such unique storylines, you can't help but be sucked in from the
get-go. Everything is going great for Veil. His wife loves him, his newest
photo show is a big hit and everything seems perfect - until he comes out
of the bathroom of his favorite restaurant to find his wife missing and the
owner, who's known him for years, staring at him blankly. No one knows him
and now he's running for his life. "Nowhere Man" is a great show with a new
and interesting twist every week.
ABC's "The Naked Truth" comes in a close second. When photojournalist
Laura Wilde (Tea Leoni) can't make it working for a regular paper, she is
forced demean herself as an employee of "The Comet," a tabloid
newspaper.
Most of the portrayal of Wilde's job is pretty realistic, especially
when it comes to what she has to go through to photograph celebrities.
Whenever there's a huge opening, "Extra" and "Entertainment Tonight" are
always around, snapping pictures and asking questions about rumors they've
heard.
But "Truth" gets its slant from Leoni's character. She is playing a
Pulitzer Prize-nominated photo-journalist competing with the scum of the
earth devoted to getting any naughty picture they can of the celebrity of
the moment. And creator Chris Thompson thrives on this idea, beginning with
Wilde's nick-name - "Ethics" - bestowed on her by the old pros. Thompson
continues to put Leoni in the position of succumbing to the evil that
surrounds her and the end results are always priceless.
NBC's "Caroline in the City," another plus this season, will probably do
well just because it's squeezed in between "Seinfeld" and "ER." But it's
not the touted Lea Thompson that makes the show the fun it is; it's her
assistant, Richard (Malcolm Gets).
Gets is the thorn in Thomson's side. Although Thompson is the star, he,
like Chandler from NBC's other hit "Friends," has all the best lines and
always steals the spotlight. It's his sarcasm and affinity to come up with
the perfect line to any situation that makes him the gem he is.
The other star would have to be Thompson's next-door neighbor, Annie
(Amy Pietz). She, without a doubt, is the modern Rhoda from the '70s hit,
"Maude." She's another sarcastic pain, but her stinging remarks and
constant interruptions make for a great treat.
But while these three shows are great in their attempts, the No. 1 show
goes to Stephen Bochco's "Murder One."
Like classic Bochco, his newest production has a captivating aspect that
you can't find anywhere else. Whether it be the script, the storyline or
the incredible actors he seems to find, Bochco has a way of melding
together a show that ends up being an award winner every time.
This time the award goes to Bochco's leading man, Daniel Benzali, who
plays the ernest role of Ted Hoffman in another trial of the century.
Coming from a stage background, Benzali understands when to give it his all
and when to back off and simply let the lines flow. Even some of the
corniest lines come off brilliantly because of his quiet understated
tones.
Although Benzali makes "Murder One" the masterpiece it is, the show
wouldn't be the brilliant piece of art Bochco has created if it weren't for
the supporting cast, all of whom have qualities that stand out on their
own.
There's one small problem with "Murder One - ABC decided to put it up
against NBC's mega-hit "ER." Unfortunately this could mean a quick death.
But because the drama began on Tuesday nights, it may have drummed up a big
enough audience to give "ER" a tough fight. But we'll have to await the
verdict on that one.
What's not hot ...
Coming in at the top of the list is CBS's new answer to FOX's "X Files"
- "American Gothic." The drama follows "X Files'" footsteps with the fact
that it maintains a spine tingling weirdness. But unlike "X Files,"
"Gothic" seriously lacks when it comes to plot.
The weirdness creates suspense and fear with tactics like sentences
written in blood, a child's voice constantly repeating the phrase
"Someone's at the door," and Sheriff Lucas Buck (Gary Cole), who might as
well be Satan. Unfortunately, that's as far as the fright show goes, and
that's not enough to keep a series running.
The story has the town sheriff chasing Caleb Temple (Lucas Black) after
the sheriff killed the boy's sister and the boy's father died mysteriously.
The show becomes a chase similar to the old favorite "The Fugitive," but
rather than a desperate search for justice, "Gothic" is a war between good
and evil to see how long good can stay ahead. An interesting topic, but not
interesting enough to maintain an audience for an entire season.
Next we have NBC's "Brotherly Love" starring the Lawrence brothers. It's
your typical family sitcom. Three brothers who are trying to get along
under one roof and their supervisor of a mother, who has just come back
into their lives. What makes this one different? The fact that the show's
brothers are real life brothers. By George I think we have a winner here -
NOT!
The comedy is dull, boring and predictable, and that's the best thing to
be said about it. Joey Lawrence's time has come and gone. Now it's time for
him to focus on his failing music career.
The young UPN Network was lucky enough to get on this list because
they're starting the season similarly to how they ended it - with nothing.
Granted their top show, "Star Trek Voyager," is still going strong, but
their new shows are seriously lagging, especially "Deadly Games."
With the computer being the hot topic of the moment, UPN figured a
computer game gone awry would be a great action-adventure show. And while
it is an interesting concept, the result bytes.
Dr. Gus Lloyd (James Calbert) creates a video game using all the people
he can't stand as models for his bad guys. But when the system breaks down,
his lead bad guy, the jackal (Christopher Lloyd), comes to life and brings
the other villains with him. Another case of good versus evil.
Each show is a different level of the game. And with each new level
comes a new villain. Lloyd and his ex-wife, Lauren Ashburn (Cynthia Gibb),
find themselves battling each new enemy for survival. Their survival means
killing their opponent and making it to the next level and the next show.
Give me a break. This game was over long before it started.
Last and definitely least worth anybody's time is CBS's newest in the
line of Darren Starr trashy prime-time soap operas, "Central Park West." I
don't know why their last attempt with "Models Inc." didn't clue them in
that their time has come and gone. We want new story lines!
Who cares that this time it's set in New York. It's still the bitchy
girl trying to lay her new boss' husband, while the fresh lawyer battles to
keep his name out of the paper, but falls in love with an investigative
reporter. Typical, boring and predictable. Even "Melrose" is better than
this tripe, and that's not saying much.
Daniel Benzali(right) and Michael Hayden star in "Murder One," which will follow one murder case for the entire season
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