Tag: NBC

Shades of Blues: Routine cop drama elevated by Ray Liotta

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Seeing Ray Liotta slumber through a graveyard drinking whiskey in a police officer’s uniform can be crossed off my need to see list. NBC’s Shades of Blues is your normal run of the mill cop show with a great assist from Liotta but occasionally it can produce a moment that makes you wonder if it belonged in another show. The past few weeks of this series have produced more of those moments.

The effect of Detective Saperstein’s demise is sitting like a heavy stone on the hearts of the entire crew as episode 109 opened up at his funeral. Detective Harlee Santos(Jennifer Lopez, getting better every week) knowing that Liotta’s Wozniak was the one who not only killed Sap once but finished the job after faking a bomb threat in the hospital.

The show produced one of those moments at the end of episode 8, where Drea de Matteo’s Tess Nazario read the departed detective’s letter, which talked about “things happening because things happen and not for any particular reason”. Seeing Santos look over his casket and promise Sap that she would “make this right” pointed the show in a whole other direction.

It’s clearly Santos against Wozniak with the FBI(led by pervy Warren Nole’s Agent Stahl) watching over every move. The juice of Shades of Blues has hung on the live wire act that Santos has to pull off every week. She has to obey the Feds so she stays out of prison and doesn’t abandon her daughter. She has to turn her back on a group that she thinks of as family the past decade of her life. Lopez also has the rock PERFECT MAKEUP every single second of the way. Nobody on network television ever looks bad. Even Matteo’s skin doesn’t look too bad. I can’t handle the perfection.

Don’t look around these parts for Emmy Award coatings. All network cop shows have some good and lots of bad. The days where David Mamet and Michael Mann patrolled these streets are long gone and showrunners like Adi Hasak(screenwriter of 3 Days to Kill and From Paris with Love) try to do their best imitation of true grit for a season or two before it starts to stink.

The best path to enjoying a show like Shades of Blue is to embrace the imperfections and soak up the tiny moments of greatness. It’s a fast food restaurant with an occasional great order. It has its moments.  One where true pathos mixes with a well written scene and a great acting talent like Liotta. He is the reason to watch this show.

From the very start, Liotta(a true authentic face of cinema) has been the plug. Without him, the show dies faster than a romantic subplot.  Liotta automatically commands your attention with his intensity, approach to a character, and complete buy in. When you look at J. Lo and wonder if she went from the set straight to her concert show in Las Vegas, just look back at Ray and smile with satisfaction. He’s a real old school actor. He elevates this show. Hasik knows this and puts him in nearly as many scenes as Lopez.

The actress isn’t bad. She’s always been a better actress than singer but a better performer than both. She is great at emoting, holding a weapon with authority(remember Out of Sight!), and doing a good enough job in a role to avoid embarrassment.

Shades of Blues has gotten better each week, keeping fans on their heels and ratcheting up the tension. Will Harlee bring down her boss and father figure in Wozniak, a guy who helped put her abuser in jail many years ago? Will she try to work both sides until her soul is completely empty? Her actions cost Saperstein his life and wrecked the crew while leaving trust sliding around the room like a drunk foam cup.

There’s four episodes left and a second season arrives this fall. NBC knows it can leverage a corruption story mixed between NYC cops and the FBI for at least one more season. With star power like Lopez and a talent like Liotta, this show can run for a while. Law and Order: SVU may run until I am in a nursing home, so Shades of Blue has a little pasture to gallop across and the writing doesn’t have to improve much. This is network people. They killed Jack Bauer twice, gave LL Cool J a starring role and gave Chicago a fire, police and hospital series. Anything can happen.

When it took over for The Player in January, I didn’t know what to think of this series. Why did NBC hold onto a Lopez show for a summer release and not run that out of the gauntlet ahead of a poorly conceived Wesley Snipes series? Whatever confusion and misfortune hung with the beginning, the end may be better.

Just don’t expect too much out of Shades of Blues. It’s a guilty pleasure “been there seen that” cop show with enough “moments” and Liotta four wheel drive to run for a little while. It doesn’t ask you to think, beg for your attention or deny you the occasional thrill. It’s satisfying in the same way that Five Guys double cheeseburger with extra onion was.

The Player: 5 Things We Learned

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Don’t think. Just sit and be entertained by NBC’s The Player. It’s a guilty pleasure. An action adventure built to thrill and not boggle viewers down with complexity. There are some juice in these dice if you care to watch and be sucked in every Thursday night. Here are the five things we learned from Episode 2, “Ante Up”.

*Philip Winchester is a bona fide action star built for the 1980’s but doing fine here. Every time I see him swing into action as Alex Kane, the man of mystery thrust into a different “game” every week, I see a shade of Dolph Lundgren mixed with a young Kurt Russell. He’s got the goods, and he showed it on Cinemax’s Strikeback. Here is an actor who won’t win an Emmy award but will make action junkies like myself feel a wave of nostalgia for the old action heroes. The men who said little and punched harder. Winchester makes this show go. Built like a brick house and carrying more charm than needed and an edge, he does more than enough here.

*Point Break tributes are still legal, right? This week, Alex was matched against an old war buddy and opened up a chase that started on the strip and ended in the desert.  In particular, a scene where Winchester’s Kane jumps out of an airplane sans parachute after his guy. If that doesn’t get you feeling the firepower goosebumps, I am not sure what will.

*The lingering question of whether Kane’s wife Jenny is dead is a boiling pot, and something that Wesley Snipes’ Mr. Johnson will help Kane track down and solve. The minute she was shot in the pilot, I smelt something cooking that wasn’t ready to eat yet and could add a layer of intrigue to an otherwise procedural type series. Jenny is alive and Alex and his handler will solve it.

*You can’t trust anyone on the show and that will continue week to week. Something about Johnson’s assistant and tech savvy pretty lady Cassandra makes me think she has a few dirty skeletons in her closet. Her relationship with Jenny, her quick to trigger handle nudge in her home and her overall ability to control the game. Keep some eyes on her.

*Snipes offers a few coats of paint on Johnson and that’s fine. While his face and name are plastered all over the hype of this show, Snipes is a supporting character and it’s a good thing. He gets his one little quick fight exchange and that’s enough to propel Alex’s story. That doesn’t mean the audience doesn’t want to know how deep Johnson’s connections go and how his past steered him to Vegas.  Keep an eye on him as well.

Winchester muscle. Snipes flavor. Dangerous ladies. Easy to digest plots with above average network action. This NBC cheeseburger is tasting more well done with each hour. “Ante up” was better than the pilot. Let’s hope hour three just keeps getting better and better.

I’m in for more Player. Are you?

Blindspot Episode 2: 5 Things We Learned

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blindspotEpisode 2 of NBC’s Blindspot brought more clues, a few explosions and a gun battle, culminating in a possible connection between the two lead characters. Let’s recap with 5 things we learned Monday night.

*Kurt Weller and Jane Doe may have know each other as kids. When he was ten years old, Weller’s friend disappeared. Before she was taken, there was a tree accident that left the girl with a scar on the top of her back, a scar that Jane also has. Could this mystery woman be Taylor Shaw, Weller’s friend who vanished? Blood tests come back next week.

*Is Jane a Navy Seal or an assassin? Another memory shows her taking out a priest at a church for a flash drive, something that makes Jane question whether she will like the person she eventually remembers. The weapons training also brings back the mysterious ruggedly handsome man(IMDB with that description, not me) who may be connected to Jane. Maybe the person who sent her on this amnesia driven mission.

*Another clue brings the FBI agents and Jane to a former Army pilot suffering from PTSD and someone who could be operating as a drone pilot with ridiculous levels of government clearance. The team checks him out, spooks him, and his house explodes. After they question his commanding officer, her car explodes. Another explosion rocks the agents outside the fellow army officer who may have turned the pilot in when he went off the edge. This sets them on a chase for him and the girl he kidnapped.

*The tattoos may seem like dead ends at first, but there is a connection between the army officer, Musgrave, they question and the fact that Weller may know her from his childhood. Are they leading the agents away from something bigger or direct clues to something she may not even be able to fathom?

*The end finds Jane grabbed in her apartment by the rugged bearded guy who keeps following her around. Who is he and what did he do to her? More importantly, did she tell him to do it?

That’s the clue in the finale. The man telling Jane she had this all set up, leading me to question whether we can really trust her in the end. Weller and her will go down a romantic plot angle that may doom the show, but I think in the end, she will be as mysterious and deadly as any suspect they chase. I don’t trust the wickedly beautiful and deadly Jaimie Alexander. Do you? Are you tuning in next week for another dose of Blindspot? I am. This rabbit hole is getting more interesting every commercial break.

The Player: Flawed yet entertaining

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The first frame of NBC’s new show, The Player, encases Wesley Snipes on the outskirts of Las Vegas standing over a dead body. Yeah, that Wesley. Formerly known as Blade among other action hero roles, Snipes has taken his talent to the smaller screen in hopes of kicking the dust off a once strong career that got rerouted by ego, taxes and bad decisions. Does it work? Is this Thursday cheeseburger undercooked or decent tasting?

Yes and no. The show co-stars Philip Winchester(who just finished off Cinemax’s Strikeback) and pairs the two man up as two parts of an elaborate “game” where Vegas billionaires place bets on “true crime”. As Snipes’ character says when first uttered, “Be ready to not believe me when I say it.” It’s not a bad idea. True crime, predicted by gamblers, and being held in check by Snipes’ mystery man in a suit and another woman Cassandra who may have ties to Winchester’s security analyst. Winchester’s Alex is their “player”, a man who must prevent crime and other than the lives at stake, there is also a wager hanging over his adventures.

This show suffers from a ton of coincidence(things happening right in time and characters predictability) and far fetched plot. It’s a show you have to buy into if you are going to like it. It also depends on the likability of Winchester, a man trained in the theater who folks may only know from the relatively underwatched Strikeback series which just concluded. He is new to network television and given a large chunk of this pie to eat. It may also depend if you like Snipes, who is the cover man for the show, the face you will see on posters and ads.

While flawed, The Player is entertaining in parts and sets up a riddle at the end of its pilot that may suck you in for a couple more hours. Is this show going to get picked up or last past 10 episodes? It’s so hard to tell. It doesn’t do anything particularly well or present a new premise but it’s got decent action and Vegas behind it.

Like it’s main face, Snipes, The Player is fun to look at but you question its longevity and ultimate goal. Is he enough? Can the thin plot hold our attention and will Winchester be anything more than a muscled hero to get behind? Lots of questions that 42 minutes can’t answer. I will tell you this. Next Thursday, I will be watching. Will you?

Blindspot is an intriguing blend of thriller and mystery

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blindspotNBC’s new show Blindspot gets right to the point in its pilot. The hour opens in Times Square where a police officer comes upon a bag lying in the street. It’s a large bag and seems to be moving. The bomb squad comes in and when the bag is opened, a beautiful scared woman(Jaimie Alexander) crawls out of it. She is covered in tattoos, doesn’t know who she is and has an FBI agent’s name(Sullivan Stapleton) on her back in black ink. This is the jumping off point of NBC’s Blindspot.

Immediately, the FBI wants to know why Kurt Weller’s name is on this Jane Doe’s back. Is he a clue or is there a connection to her past? It doesn’t help that her memory is shot and she can’t recall how she got there. The hour sets off a chase around the city as the agents locate and decipher addresses, names and clues on her body.

She can fight and handle a gun, as Weller finds out. Is she a Navy Seal? Is she a member of a secret militia? Are there plans in NYC for a terrorist attack? At first she seems harmless but as the minutes go by, her skill set is revealed and she becomes more interesting and dangerous. The show ends with a big clue as to what happened to her and how she got into that bag in Times Square and will likely be the crux of the show. That is what is her allegiance? Which side is she working for and will it be revealed too late?

ABC’s Quantico is trying something similar, putting a group of young agents in the aftermath of a bombed federal building and seeing which one is guilty? Blindspot is keeping it more simple and encasing Weller and this woman into the center of the story. If she knows what is going on, why is his name on her back? What’s the catch there?

The actors are perfectly cast, which doesn’t mean they will be up for Emmy’s. This is entertainment folks and nothing more. This won’t replace your Mad Men fix but it may give you a different shade of Showtime’s Homeland without the melodrama of Claire Danes’ bipolar CIA agent. Alexander is beautiful but has a sexy combo of Lena Headey and Angelina Jolie action to her forte and Stapleton is an easy hero to like and sympathize with.

How long can Blindspot go? My wife commented about the limited shelf life of a story about a woman covering in tattoos and she is on to something. What happens when all the connections are made and the bad guys are found? Does the show run out of bullets? I don’t think so and I will explain.

Each season, if picked up, will be around 26 episodes. One of the pros and cons of a network show is an extremely long season(premium cable’s 10-12 episode format is much better) so Blindspot will be a slow reveal but there are directions to go. What if in the end they find the baddies but Jane Doe has a secret plan? What if she gets away and becomes the antagonist? What if there is a mole in the FBI? Terrorism plots carry tons of juice and threads so stay tuned.

The show has shot 8 episodes and will probably not shoot more until NBC asks for more. Network shows don’t give a long leash to a fall prime time show so Blindspot has some lifting to do. I think it has potential but only time will tell.

After one hour, are you in or out?

Tweet me @buffa82.

Gearing up for NBC’s Blindspot

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A naked woman covered in tattoos is found in Times Square with your name across the middle of her back? If you are FBI agent Kurt Weller(Sullivan Stapleton), this is a problem, a clue, and a potential storm of confusion wrapped into one. It doesn’t help that the Jane Doe comes in the form of the beautiful Jaime Alexander(Thor). This is the basis of the new NBC series Blindspot, a show hoping to do big things for the network as the new shows start to unfold this fall.

The discovery of Alexander’s woman in the streets sets off a web of conspiracies and a hunt that will culminate in a connection back to Weller. Why is his name on her back? Who put it there? Who put her in New York? Is there a terrorist attack planned? The good thing about a new series with very little clues is that it remains unpredictable. This will extend the series past other more functional and safe shows. Creator Martin Gero has executive produced short run series like Dark Matter, The L.A. Complex, and Bored to Death. Blindspot is his baby and hopefully a chance to get a full season of episodes.

The show co-stars Audrey Esparza and Rob Brown, but appears to be a show centered around Alexander and Stapleton. You’ll know him from the Cinemax series Strikeback and the 300 sequel, Rise of An Empire. You’ll know Alexander from her role in the Thor films, The Last Stand and a number of TV series including Showtime’s Nurse Jackie and HBO’s The Brink. Here is a show that combines all the easy juicy elements of entertaining television. Thriller plotted storylines involving terrorism. Beautiful women. Men with just the right amount of facial hair and good action. Are you in?

If you want a serious thriller with some mystery and juice hanging off the end, give Blindspot a shot. Come back here for a weekly recap of each episode.

Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show

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First, let me state that I have never truly been a fan of Jimmy Fallon’s work until a few months ago.   He usually came off to me as childish and overaggressive with fallon-tonight-show-650celebrities.  This is a new love for me.  When he was given the reins to the Tonight Show(authorities are currently blocking Jay Leno from entering the building to retake the show) I didn’t give it much thought and figured it was all relative inside the NBC family.  However, after reading up on Fallon and how much he has worked for the position and how cool and down to earth of a guy he is, I took a chance and watched his show last night.

It was very seamless.  He hit the stage and immediately took off the shiny armor that hosts usually carry to their grave.   He talked about growing up in New York, filming the intro sequence with Spike Lee, pointed at his parents in the audience, and revealed that he was over the mountain in affection for his 6 month old girl.  Fallon stripped away everything before getting into the meat of the show.   It involved dancing with Will Smith, talking to him about skydiving and having U2 perform a song on the roof of the Rockefeller Center(where the show is hosted) and on the couch next to him to end the show.  For you Bono and U2 haters, the man and the band have still got it and he can sing effortlessly in any setting.   Great show.  Fallon talked about bringing the show back to New York and “hosting a show once hosted by Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O’ Brien and Jay Leno”.   Fallon doesn’t laugh at all his jokes and I thank him for that.

Here is the reason I am going to watch Fallon.   He is fresh and starting something new here.   He seems more confident and has grown up while hosting the Late Show after Conan’s departure 4 years ago.  Elsewhere, David Letterman has lost a lot of steam on his fastball and seems bored.   Leno was just bland so I am glad he is gone.  I’ll always have a soft spot for Conan but he doesn’t get the guest lists he used to due to his battle with Leno.  I like Conan and still watch on occasion but he has reduced himself to severe self-deprecation.  Craig Ferguson is a hoot but also doesn’t get the guest lists and has a ridiculously long monologue.  Jimmy Kimmel is decent as well and has wild segments and guests but for some reason he isn’t a guy I look forward to.  He needs to do more stand up comedy.  At this point in time, Fallon is fresh and I tying my boat to his cruise ship.

Here are a few other reasons I am going with Jimmy-

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