PILOT REVIEW: The Player

THE PLAYER

Starring: Philip Winchester, Charity Wakefield, Damon Gupton, and Wesley Snipes

Created by John Rogers and John Fox
Written by John Rogers & John Fox, Directed by Bharat Nalluri

THE SYNOPSIS
Set in the high stakes world of Las Vegas, The Player takes crime and turns it into a Vegas game. Alex Kane (Philip Winchester) is a security expert who is suspected of murdering his ex-wife. While the cops including former friend, Detective Cal Brown (Damon Gupton) are on his trail, we know he didn't do it. The other people who know he didn't do it are the mysterious Mr. Johnson (Wesley Snipes) and Cassandra King (Charity Wakefield). They use a state of the art intelligence system to bet on crimes where Mr. Johnson is the pit boss and Cassandra is the dealer. They enlist Kane to be their new "player," hence the title.

THE REVIEW
I'll start by saying that I really like this concept. I think it's a pretty interesting idea even though there's definitely shades of Person of Interest (the second new show that has echoes of the CBS drama). The problem is the execution. It's not all bad, I actually liked it more than I thought I would but I felt like the show takes an outlandish concept and somehow makes it even more preposterous. This show tries to deliver ridiculous lines with a serious tone and it comes off silly. I mean, the show is about gambling on crime in Vegas... it can be intense but it really can't be too serious.

The actors are solid. It's clear that the writers and producers think Wesley Snipes is quite the cool guy. How else do you explain the close-ups as he removes or puts on his glasses or the spinning camera that circles around him during his first appearance (aside from the brief moment in the opening seconds). Yet, Snipes seems like he's having fun with the role. Charity Wakefield is interesting too although she and Philip Winchester both had to deal with some ridiculous dialogue. A nice thing about less series regulars in a show like this is the pilot didn't feel too cramped. With a somewhat complicated exposition to do, we didn't have to meet a zillion characters and that was nice.

This show probably won't last too long but it does seem like it might be a bit of a thrill ride while it does last. There are a lot of things to make fun of with this show and I can understand why it has been panned critically. Yet, I didn't hate it. In fact, there was something about it I found fun. The Vegas setting is essential to a show like this and the show did a good job of setting that tone. If it can find some of the comedy that Person of Interest has been able to do at times, it would go a long way because this is a show that definitely should not take itself too seriously.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Actually, I might. I don't think it's great TV but I'm curious to see what episode two will look like.