Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: Star

STAR









Starring: Jude DeMorest, Ryan Destiny, Brittany O'Grady, Amiyah Scott, Quincy Brown, with Benjamin Bratt, and Queen Latifah

Created by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy
Written by Lee Daniels & Tom Donaghy, Directed by Lee Daniels

Star is a new drama from the people who created the phenom Empire and it's certainly easy to see some parallels though this is quite a different show and one that I think will have a hard time keeping the Empire crowd around. Star is centered on three girls: sisters Star and Simone (Jude DeMorest and Brittany O'Grady) who team up with a rich daughter of a star looking to make it on her own, Alex (Ryan Destiny). The three girls move to Atlanta and try to get a big break while living with Carlotta (Queen Latifah), the owner of a salon. Rounding out the main cast is Carlotta's daughter, Cotton (Amiyah Scott), neighbor Derek (Quincy Brown), and talent manager Jahil Rivera (Benjamin Bratt).

I got the feeling throughout the pilot that this show was just trying way too hard to be as buzzy as Empire with its high drama, trash talking characters, and elaborate fantasy sequences. But if Empire seems to be losing steam, this didn't have it in the first place. One of the things that made Empire's first season such a success was that it was not self aware. The producers and writers didn't know it would become a huge hit and they wrote it the way they wanted to. Since then, Empire and now Star all seem a little too self aware and the quality is diminished as a result.

The performances in Star were solid though I have to say I'm getting a little tired of Queen Latifah playing these types of roles. She was fine as she always is, but she seems to have gotten very pigeon-holed at this point. Benjamin Bratt seemed promising but didn't have a lot to do in the pilot. As for the three lead girls, they were solid but the writing didn't do any favors to Star, who could be a really interesting character, but so far seems to be every cliche in the book for a girl in her type of situation.

The filming was intentionally gritty (I'm assuming) but it actually gave it a little bit of a cheap look. I'm not a fan of that type of filming style so it could be a personal preference thing. The plot was also so convoluted in the pilot with a ton of exposition being packed in with performances, some fighting, and some twists. It felt like a show that just tried to take all the things that made a show like Empire a success and throw it all together so we ended up with a pilot that honestly felt like a mess. It's going to take a lot of work for Star to become the next big thing. Oh and by the way, an Empire crossover is inevitable, right?

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Ehh. I might but if I'm being honest with myself, this is not a show that's going to become part of my regular lineup so why even bother with an episode two?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

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

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