PILOT REVIEW: Unforgettable

UNFORGETTABLE

Starring: Poppy Montgomery, Dylan Walsh, Michael Gaston, Kevin Rankin, Daya Vaidya
Created by Ed Redlich and John Bellucci
Based on the Book The Rememberer by J. Robert Lennon
Written by Ed Redlich, Directed by Niels Arden Opley

Unforgettable is a new CBS procedural about a former cop who has hyperthymesia (made famous by a 60 Minutes story and Marilu Henner). While the affliction is fascinating on a newsmagazine segment or an article in the paper, I'm not sure if I want to watch an entire show about it. It centers on Queens resident Carrie Wells (Poppy Montgomery) who remembers every day of her life but can't remember the one thing she wants to remember the most - how her sister was murdered. Rounding out the cast is her former boyfriend and NYPD cop Al Burns (Dylan Walsh) who convinces her to come back to the force. As it goes with a procedural, the "team" fills out the rest of the cast but there wasn't much from Michael Gaston, Kevin Rankin, and Daya Vaidya in the pilot.

THE GOOD: This looks and feels like a familiar CBS procedural with a twist. The twist is nice most of the time and the procedural aspect is comforting to many viewers. One reason they're successful is they don't leave viewers hanging week after week after week. The case of the week in the pilot was decent though viewers always have to suspend disbelief about the process when watching this shows. Poppy Montgomery is likable in the lead role and her chemistry with Dylan Walsh got better as the episode went on. The episode had a nice ending too between Walsh and Montgomery. Like so many shows of this nature, the quality of the episode may depend on the quality of the case. And hyperthymesia is a fascinating disorder.

THE BAD: Yes the disorder is fascinating but do I really want to watch a show about someone who has it every week? Probably not. Also I'm curious to see how they'll do each case because Montgomery's character can't possibly be directly involved in each case like she was in the pilot. When she isn't, how will her affliction come in handy? The reenactment scenes are already tiring. The first one at the scene of the murder but unnecessarily long. It could have been half as long and made its point. As with many CBS procedurals, the cinematic quality is an afterthought and I think this show could have benefited from a more thoughtful approach on that front. Also, what will they do with the rest of the cast? They'll need to find some storylines there.

BOTTOM LINE: CBS loves their procedurals and Unforgettable fits in nicely with its slight twist on the format. The upside to shows like this is they are a nice thing to watch when you get a chance and don't want to get sucked in. The downside is that you don't get invested in the show or the characters. It might be a nice background show but the characters and the stories are very, well... forgettable.