Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Zoo

ZOO











Starring: James Wolk, Kristen Connolly, Nonso Anozie, Nora Arnzeder, and Billy Burke

Based on the Book by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Developed by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg
Teleplay by Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, & Scott Rosenberg, Directed by Brad Anderson

Zoo is a new thriller drama based on the James Patterson/Michael Ledwidge novel of the same name. The show centers on twin attacks from lions who are beginning to coordinate together. The first is in Africa where zoologist Jackson Oz (James Wolk) gets a front row seat of lion attacks alongside his partner, Abraham Kenyatta (Nonso Anozie) and a woman he meets during the attack, Chloe Tousignant (Nora Arnzeder). Meanwhile in Los Angeles, two lions escape from the zoo, killing their zookeeper and two men in the city. A journalist, Jamie Campbell (Kristen Connolly) is suspicious of the new food the lions have been fed and is consulting with an animal pathologist, Mitch Morgan (Billy Burke).

This show started a little silly but had me intrigued by the end. I've never read the book so I don't really know where it was going but the initial narration along the lines of "what if animals ruled the world" made me laugh. But then the story got going and I was interested in both the African storyline and the Los Angeles storyline, which I'm sure will intersect sooner rather than later. I thought the performances ranged from serviceable to good. I've enjoyed James Wolk in everything he's been in including the failed Lone Star and The Crazy Ones. He seems destined for a hit show at some point though I'm not sure this is it. Kristen Connolly was good too and I was actually a bit more intrigued by the Los Angeles story than the African one.

In the summer of Jurassic World, this was another entry in the "terrifying animals taking over" category but it does it fairly well by TV show standards. Something about zoo attacks seems almost scarier to me than something more unrealistic like Jurassic. There have been several summer shows this year that have interested me enough during the pilot but I haven't been able to stick with (Wayward Pines, The Whispers, Aquarius). I feel the same about this one so episode two will go a long way to determine if I stick around to see what happens.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more