PILOT REVIEW: Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector

LINCOLN RHYME: HUNT FOR THE BONE COLLECTOR











Starring: Russell Hornsby, Arielle Kebbel , Roslyn Ruff, Ramses Jimenez, Brooke Lyons, Tate Ellington, Courtney Grosbeck, with Brian O'Byrne and Michael Imperioli

Developed by Mark Bianculli & VJ Boyd
Teleplay by Mark Bianculli & VJ Boyd, Directed by Seth Gordon

Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector was originally just called Lincoln. I understand the need to change from Lincoln (they didn't want audiences thinking it was about the president - although I would have preferred that). But why such a long and cumbersome name? Why not just call it The Bone Collector, the same title as the novel and film? It's not like shows have shied away from using the same name as their source material.

I start with that because that was the most interesting thing about the pilot, it's ridiculous title. It wasn't a bad show, there was nothing laughably terrible. But it brings absolutely nothing new to the genre. All the tropes are there and it feels pretty much like a standard crime procedural. I never read the book or saw the movie so I'm not sure if it brought something new to the genre to become a well known title.

The cast is serviceable although the dynamics between Russell Hornsby and Arielle Kebbel play pretty much like any male-female detective combination on TV. It doesn't matter than Hornsby is barking his orders while bedridden, it still had the exact same feel as nearly every show like this. When I first started reviews on this blog, I loved Michael Imperioli on Detroit 1-8-7. I want to go back and watch that show to see if it was actually as good as I thought back in 2010 or if my palette and appreciation for TV dramas just had a much lower threshold then. He's fine here, but seems a little bored.

There is an element of The Following here in the sense that we have already met the serial killer they are hunting. But that presents two problems. First of all, I don't think this show is even as ambitious as that show (which ended up being a complete mess) so I don't think they will be able to keep the story going in an exciting way. Secondly, the show is about hunting the Bone Collector. if this show were to run ten years (which it won't), what is their plan? They can't possibly plan to keep the pursuit going indefinitely.