PILOT REVIEW: Missing

MISSING

Starring: Ashley Judd, Sean Bean, Cliff Curtis, Adriano Giannini, Nick Eversman

Created by Gregory Poirier
Written by Gregory Poirier, Directed by Stephen Shill

Missing is a new thriller from ABC that is in many ways the TV version of the hit 2008 Liam Neeson movie Taken. In this escapist action drama, retired CIA agent Becca Winstone (Ashley Judd) heads to Europe to find her son, Michael (Nick Eversman), who vanished while studying in an Architecture program. Other characters include CIA Agent Dax Miller (Cliff Curtis) and a confidante and former friend in Europe, Giancarlo (Adriano Giannini). Sean Bean is also listed in the main cast as Winstone's husband but his character presumably died 10 years ago in a car bomb that Michael witnessed as the opening few minutes showed us, but he apparently is still part of the story, whether in flashbacks or in real life.

THE GOOD: Missing is an interesting show that is trying to do more than Taken did (and it needs to since it's a weekly series). The dramatic opening was good and the back story that was introduced and will surely be revisited added a complex layer to the otherwise limited story. As is usually the case with spy thriller movies, the Europe setting always adds to the fun. Is there any show or movie of this type that doesn't have the European sirens in it? The pilot also ended nicely on a cliffhanger as the story was starting to unfold into a bigger mystery.

THE BAD: Though the plot is escapist and fun, the performances are nothing special. Ashley Judd is decent as the lead but it's not a thrilling performance from her. None of the other characters were fascinating either. A show like this doesn't need to have great character development but they can't be totally blah. It also felt like there were one too many fight scenes and they were always very predictable in terms of when they were coming and what the outcome would be. Though the show had some very intense moments, there were also parts where it dragged which leads me to question if the premise is too thin.

BOTTOM LINE: This reminds me in some ways of NBC's Undercovers last year. I want to like a show like this because I love the setting and the escapist feel of it. But I also left the pilot feeling mixed on what I thought of it. If they can keep the story interesting enough, I'll probably stick with it. But if the story can't keep up, the performances are not enough to keep me interested. So I guess it's a wait and see for me with Missing. It's hard to live up to Taken though.