Skip to main content

PILOT REVIEW: FBI: Most Wanted

FBI: MOST WANTED









Starring: Julian McMahon, Kellan Lutz, Roxy Sternberg, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Nathaniel Arcand

Created by Rene Balcer
Based on the Series "FBI" Created by Dick Wolf & Craig Turk
Written by Rene Balcer, Directed by Fred Berner

I watched a grand total of 1.5 episodes of FBI last year. Even though there are procedurals I really enjoy, this one just didn't click for me and there's plenty of other shows like it. I know there was a backdoor pilot that aired on FBI last year but I didn't see it, so this felt a little bit like dropping in on any procedural drama. In some ways, that was a little bit of a relief because exposition on these kinds of dramas can be extremely awkward and often result in the "case of the week" getting less attention than it should.

It was clear watching this episode that exposition is really not necessary for a show like this. Sometimes, there are character driven procedurals. The Chicago shows come to mind as they absolutely have cases of the week but are focused a lot on the ensemble too. Then there are case driven procedurals, and this is one of them. While the show is obviously led by Julian McMahon as Agent Jess LaCroix, this show could use the agents interchangeably or with any other actors. That's not saying that the actors are bad. It's just saying that they made no impact at all on the episode. There was a half-hearted attempt at the end of the episode to do something personal but it didn't really amount to anything.

Where FBI: Most Wanted succeeded was a pretty compelling case of the week led by a strong guest performance from Henry Thomas as the doctor at the center of the investigation. It was actually Thomas who made the biggest impact in the cast, but he's only a guest star. I thought the show did a very nice job with the opening scene in terms of making it suspenseful. If I was a casual viewer watching FBI and that scene came on immediately after, I would leave the TV on. That would have been especially great 20+ years ago, but it doesn't strike me as a show people will seek out to watch.

What I think FBI: Most Wanted has going for it is the stakes feel a little higher than I remember from the parent show. Maybe I'm just fooled by the "Most Wanted" moniker, but this felt pretty tense all the way through. This whole review basically means that FBI is going to rise and fall with each individual case. That's not a great thing because it means it'll be one of the first shows to drop off my list when things get busy. Why do I need to keep up with a show if I can watch them in any order at any time?

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
Yes, but I am pretty sure I won't be a weekly viewer of the show.
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

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...
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