PILOT REVIEW: Alcatraz

ALCATRAZ

Starring: Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Jonny Coyne, Parminder Nagra, Santiago Cabrera, Jason Butler Harner, with Robert Forster, and Sam Neill

Created by Elizabeth Sarnoff, Steven Lilien, and Bryan Wynbrandt
Written by Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt, and Elizabeth Sarnoff, Directed by Danny Cannon

Alcatraz is a new drama from JJ Abrams that puts a twist on the historical event of famed prison Alcatraz's closing. The show begins with the explanation from government agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) that all the prisoners were transferred when Alcatraz closed in 1963, though that is not what really happened. In actuality, they disappeared and are only now beginning to come back, as youthful as they were in 1963. Joining Hauser is a San Francisco police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), whose grandfather was an inmate that she came face to face with. She also enlists Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), an Alcatraz expert, to help her. The show flips back and forth in time between the early 1960s and present day.

THE GOOD: There's a lot to like about this mysterious show which is just starting to scratch the surface. The pilot was dark, chilling, and very compelling. The performances are good across the board but Sam Neill is a standout as the mysterious Emerson Hauser. It's hard to tell if he is trustworthy and I'm sure the writers have big plans for his character. The pilot did a masterful job of telling the story - beginning with an explanation that left the viewer with several questions and then unwrapping the story only to come back to the description at the end, which made a lot more sense by that point. The connection to Madsen's grandfather and the role that played in an otherwise out-of-place chase scene was really interesting because I was wondering all episode what the point was. It's a show that has set up a really good mythology and left it open enough to explore many different directions.

THE BAD: There really wasn't too much I didn't like here. I think it needs to be careful to not time jump too often and there were a few parts that felt like they dragged, but that is nitpicking. The bigger challenge will be where to go from here. The second episode that immediately followed the pilot was promising but how will this look over a season or many seasons? Shows like this need to be careful to not get too convoluted in their story. This show needs to make sure it stays focused and doesn't go down side roads that aren't necessary.

BOTTOM LINE: Every year since Lost there has been a couple shows per year that are high-concept, big time shows. Most of them flop (like The Event last year) because they get ridiculous and pale in comparison to Lost. This show has a real chance to be great if it can stay away from the common pratfalls. Let's hope an audience gives them a chance to do just that.