On the Tube
Tonight, debut of ‘Harper’s Island,’ ‘Southland,’ ‘Parks and Recreation’
Published: April 09, 2009, 7:21 am
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They’ve been promoted to death for weeks. Now CBS’ “Harper’s Island” and NBC’s “Southland” and “Parks and Recreation” don’t have very long to impress.
In the case of “Harper’s Island,” the CBS mystery series that premieres at 10 tonight on Channel 4, that isn’t quite as important.
The 13-week series about a murderer on the loose at a wedding on an island near Seattle will end July 2 whether it becomes a ratings hit or not.
Tonight’s pilot introduces all of the young, beautiful characters and their older loved ones as Henry Dunn (Christopher Gorham) and Trish Wellington (Katie Cassidy) prepare to marry at a beautiful island resort.
She’s rich, he’s not (their nickname is the Princess and the Pauper). Before they even get to the island via a boat, there is one murder victim, and that’s not the end of it tonight.
One last-minute arrival is an old friend of Henry’s, Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy), who returned to the island for the first time since her mother was murdered seven years ago. She is there to support her best friend, drink beer, play pool and deal with her demons.
Besides all of the young, pretty characters, there are a couple of old pros along for the ride in Richard Burgi (“Desperate Housewives”) and Harry Hamlin (“L. A. Law”) with conflicting, cliched agendas that are established in a campy scene between them.
The music-filled opener chugs along at the start before the pace picks up, secrets are revealed and the mystery kicks in. The characters and suspects are stereotypes –the townie, the biker chick, the black sheep, the old flame, the hustler, the creepy little girl with an imaginary friend.
There are a few decent scares before bedtime, but the plot twists aren’t anything to write home about at the start. Style-wise, we’re not talking “Twin Peaks” here.
However, the knowledge that “Harper’s Island” will end after the mystery wraps up the weekly deaths in 13 weeks makes it easier to consider investing the time to go along for the scary and fun ride despite its over-the-top soapy elements and characters.
•••
“Harper’s” certainly is the lighter and safer choice opposite “Southland,” a cop series from “ER” producer John Wells that plays a little like a replay of the failed 1996 ABC series, “High Incident,” created by Steven Spielberg. It premieres at 10 tonight on Channel 2.
It’s a gritty, fast-paced, dark series that reminds us that police officers are heroes who give up their home lives to do an impossible job securing the peace in Southern California, particularly the mean streets of East Los Angeles.
NBC’s promotional materials note that the series will explore the city “from the beaches of Malibu to the streets of East L. A.” The opener concentrates on a gang shooting and a child kidnapping.
The difficulties of the job are seen through the eyes and experiences of a young rookie, Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie, the Russell Crowe look-alike from “The O. C.”), an apparent rich kid (one of his nicknames is Tori Spelling) who is a stand-in for the audience and is occasionally repulsed by what he witnesses.
Ben’s being trained by a seasoned, cynical cop, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), whose initial advice to Ben is to ignore the rule book if you want to survive. He later tells him that he should know what to expect on a domestic call by the time he’s at the driveway of a house.
The impressive, diverse cast also includes Regina King as a detective who is the caregiver of her mother and Tom Everett Scott as an unhappily married father of three.
With Wells at the helm, “Southland” is filmed in a similar fast-paced camera style of “ER.” Essentially, the criminals and victims in “Southland” include many of the types of patients who were treated in the “ER.”
But one key ingredient is missing. “Southland” is relentlessly depressing and isn’t initially as emotionally moving as “ER.” And that was the key balance to the hospital drama’s longevity. Like the advice about answering a domestic call, viewers should know what to expect before the first commercial.
•••
Now on to “Parks and Recreation,” the new Amy Poehler comedy from the producers of “The Office.” It premieres at 8:30 tonight on Channel 2, sandwiched between episodes of “The Office.”
Like “The Office,” “P&R” is a mockumentary that follows around Leslie Knope (Poehler of “Saturday Night Live” fame) as she deals with citizen concerns in Pawnee, Ind. During one citizens forum, she meets a local nurse, Amy (Rashida Jones of “The Office”), and a plan is launched to turn an unsafe, abandoned construction pit into a community park.
“She’s a little doofy, but she’s sweet,” Amy correctly says of Leslie.
Leslie has to deal with a laughably unethical colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), and an obstructionist boss, Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman). Her lone supporter, city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider), is a cynic.
Poehler essentially is playing a female version of “The Office’s” Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Leslie exaggerates her importance. She is willing to survey 6-year-olds to improve the parks and has to deal with disinterested colleagues in dull jobs. She says silly things and even delivers her lines in a cadence similar to Carell’s. Leslie smiles a lot when there is nothing to smile about and is willing to literally fall head over heels to get to the bottom of a problem.
Leslie’s first task tonight is removing a drunk from a slide. No task or problem is too small for her, not even disinfecting sand box sand.
It will take awhile to determine if the characters she is surrounded with are as dryly interesting as the Scranton crew from “The Office” and if Poehler’s name and the producers’ track record will allow “P&R” to get the time to find out.
Undoubtedly, it’s a good time to skewer local politics and politicians. Come to think of it. It’s always a good time to do that and heaven knows the material should be pouring in from Buffalo to Juneau, Alaska.
That said, it is hard to fall head over heels over the pilot of “P&R” because it doesn’t tickle the funny bone that often and seems so much like an “Office” rerun. It also is hard to imagine it will attract anyone who doesn’t love the sensibility and dryness of Carell’s show.
TV Review
“Harper’s Island”
★★★
(Out of four)
10 p. m. Tonight Channel 4
“Southland”
★★
(Out of four)
10 p. m. Tonight Channel 2
“Parks and Recreation”
★★½
(Out of four)
8:30 p. m. Tonight Channel 2
apergament@buffnews.com
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