PILOT REVIEW: Take the Money and Run

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

ABC's new game show Take the Money and Run has one major thing going for it. There is nothing else like it on television - a blending of a game show and a crime procedural. In this very unique premise, two people are given one hour to stash $100,000 somewhere where they hope it can't be found. Then they are "arrested" by real cops and the detectives/interrogators are given 48 hours to find the money. If they are unsuccessful, the two contestants get to walk away with the cash.

I really did love this premise going in but I don't feel like it lived up to it. It actually got a bit dry. Knowing that the whole thing was a game show made the interrogation scenes much less interesting than in a crime procedural (and the female interrogator seemed very aware she was on television). I wish more time had been spent on the hiding and actual searching for the money. The best part was that it wasn't easy to tell if the money would be found or not. It's a show that with some tweaks could work because of its premise but it needs to come across less boring for starters.