Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Body of Proof

BODY OF PROOF









Starring: Dana Delany, Jeri Ryan, John Carroll Lynch, Nicholas Bishop, Sonja Sohn, Geoffrey Arend, Windell D. Middlebrooks

Created by Christopher Murphey
Written by Christopher Murphey, Directed by Nelson McCormick

Body of Proof is a new medical/crime drama starring TV veteran Dana Delany as Megan Hunt. Hunt was a successful neurosurgeon who lost her job thanks to effects from a devastating car accident that led to an accident on the operating table. She now works as a medical examiner helping to solve murders because she "can't kill a dead person." The headstrong Hunt often goes against the wishes of detectives but gets results. On the personal front, she is very career focused with few friends and is estranged from her daughter who lives full time with her ex-husband.

Body of Proof plays like it is - a mix between medical and crime drama. All the fancy medical phrases are dropped with regularity yet it essentially is a murder case procedural. That makes it somewhat intriguing but the truth is that it is a generic procedural. In the pilot, they made a somewhat unlikely jump to the conclusion almost as if they ran out of time on the story. The difference is Dana Delany though. She elevates the material and the performances around her. Her character is written as a bit of a know-it-all but she gives the character a vulnerability and a depth that makes her an intriguing lead. The more exploration into her home life and her back story will aid the drama as well because, like any procedural, the quality of the cases will vary from week to week.

The supporting cast is solid but unspectacular. Jeri Ryan is the second biggest name in the show as Chief Medical Examiner Kate Murphy but her character was barely seen in the pilot. Nicholas Bishop was solid as Hunt's supportive partner Peter Dunlap. John Carroll Lynch plays the somewhat blowhard Detective Bud Morris but he had some humble pie dealt to him in the pilot and appears to have an interesting personal story to be explored. Both Geoffrey Arend and Windell Middlebrooks didn't have huge parts in the pilot but were humorous and could add to the lighter moments in the show.

Body of Proof isn't as strong as the drama it replaced - Detroit 1-8-7 - but the potential is there because of Delany. Right now it's trying to be a medical drama, crime drama, and drama in general with the back story. It will need to balance all three to be successful as the crime part of the story seemed to be rushed in the pilot. This seems like it would fit perfectly on CBS, it will be interesting to see if ABC's audience buys it and how the post-pilot episodes turn out. But it has a chance.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...