NBC Attempts to Modernize a Classic Tale with Emerald City

When a tornado transports Dorothy Gale from Lucas, Kan., to the faraway land of Oz, her arrival sets in motion a prophecy about a disastrous event known as The Beast Forever and strikes fear into the land's almighty ruler, the Wizard. On her quest to meet the Wizard in Emerald City, Dorothy encounters witches, an amnesiac soldier, a sheltered little boy and many more mysterious beings who will ultimately shape the future of Oz and Dorothy's place in it.

Say goodbye to Kansas.

Creators: Matthew Arnold, Josh Friedman

Starring: Adria Arjona, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ana Ularu 

The premiere episode of Emerald City was Jan 6^th 2017 and was two episodes together, The Beast Forever and Prison of the Abject giving us a theatrical length pilot. The creators Matthew Arnold and Josh Friedman are relative unknowns and NBC seems to have taken a note from other networks in giving new creators a shot. 

Anchoring the cast is Vincent D'Onofrio, who has been recently hailed for his great performance in the Netflix original series, Marvel’s Daredevil, and Joely Richardson who has a slew of b-List credits to her name. The remaining ensemble are all relatively unknown actors and actresses and this was, I think a good move on NBC’s part. 

Let’s talk about the show. This is an updated version of the original Wizard of Oz complete with a gun and medical knowledge (as Dorothy in this version is a nurse). The fantasy, bright dream like quality of the original is erased and replaced with rich tones, dark shadows and even darker intent. There is no skipping in Emerald city. No singing, joking or even humor. It is a straight-laced drama and very dark. 

With violent scenes including the beating of a woman beyond reason, to manipulation via ignorance, the tones of the entire show are dark and dire. Even Dorothy is lacking a gleam of hope. 

All of that being said, the acting is good, the chemistry between Lucas and Dorothy is evident and leveraged in every possible scene. While I am a fan of D’Onofiro, his portrayal of the Wizard is thick and a heavy, very reminiscent of Wilson Fisk in Daredevil without the layers.  While the Fisk character is also very heavy we are given layers to the swamp and why it exists and that is reflective of good writing. This is not the case thus far in Emerald City for any of the characters. 

If the pitch for this show is Once Upon A Time meets Dystopia it fits, but is in its current state unpalatable. 

While there have been several television and movie reincarnations / retellings / reinterpretations / spins offs of the famed classic movie The Wizard of Oz. I have watched a few and others I have refrained. I was actually going to refrain from this version until a Twitter friend said I should watch. All have been interesting but none compare to the original. 

The Tin Man (2007) Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough - Set in the spirit of L. Frank Baum's classic, the "Tin Man" follows the adventures of DG, a waitress and part-time student, as she travels through the mystical world of "The O. Z. (Outer Zone)", discovering her hidden past. This well-known story takes a twist in this SyFy adaptation as DG battles the sorceress Azkadellia along with the help of four friends; Glitch, a former adviser to the Queen whose brain has been removed; Raw, a psychic empath; and Wyatt Cain, a former police man (aka Tin-man) who has been imprisoned in an iron suit, forced to watch his family's destruction time and time again. Although parallels can be made to the original book this story takes its own path down the yellow brick road.

Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (2012) Starring: Paulie Redding, Eliza Swenson, Billy Boyd - Children's author Dorothy Gale makes a decent living continuing her grandfather's series of Oz books. When a new agent enters the scene, Dorothy moves to New York city. In the midst of a major business deal for her books, Dorothy discovers that her books are not based on her imagination, but on repressed memories. While Dorothy struggles with the revelation, she is forced to confront The Wicked Witch of the West, who has descended upon the Big Apple, determined to settle an old score.

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) Starring: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz  - A frustrated circus magician from Kansas is transported to a magical land called Oz, where he will have to fulfill a prophecy to become the king, and release the land from the Wicked Witches using his great (but fake) powers.

Return to Oz (1985) Starring: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh - Dorothy, saved from a psychiatric experiment by a mysterious girl, is somehow called back to Oz when a vain witch and the Nome King destroy everything that makes the magical land beautiful.

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NBC ReWrites a Classic with Emerald City - Trailer

 



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NBC Gives Us Midnight, Texas

  Did you love Bon Temps? Welcome to Midnight, Texas - a safe haven for those who are different, but with the presence of outsiders, the residents band together and form a strong and unlikely family.




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Coming Soon - Timeless on NBC!

An unlikely trio traveling through time to battle unknown criminals in order to protect history as we know it.

Timeless premieres Monday, Oct 3rd on NBC!

New Fall TV - NBC's This is Us Starts off Strong

This is Us is a group of people born on the same day, Rebecca, played by Mandy Moore and Jack, played by Milo Ventimiglia, are a married couple expecting triplets in Pittsburgh. Kevin, played by Justin Hartley, is a handsome television actor growing bored of his fly bachelor lifestyle, Kate, played by Chrissy Metz is a woman struggling with her life, and her weight, and Randall, played by 2016 Emmy Winner Sterling K Brown, is a successful business man looking to prove himself better than the father who abandoned him.

Writer / Producer - Dan Fogelman

First off This is Us is listed as a comedy. So NOT a comedy most definitely a drama with a small side of humor.  I was on the fence about this series, I am not a huge fan of NBC drama, also not a fan of Milo Ventimiglia. All of that being said I gave it a shot.

The pilot was interesting, a few more laughs than expected and some great writing. Without giving too much away the show is not what you think it is and I can say that with confidence to anyone reading this because there really isn’t anything like it out there.

This is Us has potential, it has the makings of a groundbreaking series if they stay the course. The ‘they’ I am referring to are the producers and NBC executives. There is a sliver of raw truth, a glimmer of true honesty rarely seen on network television being developed within this show and it will either spark greatness or be drowned by mediocrity.  

There are a few choice scenes in the This is Us Pilot that stood out for me, Kevin’s breakdown on the set of ‘The Manny’.  Kate’s episode in the bathroom and then at the garbage can, the dialog between Randall and his long lost father, and the story told by the OBGYN. All of these were very ‘real’ moments captured on the page and enacted on screen. If the level of writing and acting continues through the season you are looking at a potential Emmy favorite.

Writer / Producer Dan Fogelman is working double duty this year with the release of Pitch on FOX and This is Us for NBC. Fogelman’s background is rooted in a mix of television and film producing and writing films such as Tangled and Danny Collins. Before this year he received writing credits for The Neighbors, Galavant, and Grandfathered.

If you look at the producers of the show you have a few hits and a few misses so the curve could go either way, the most promising note is two producers; Dieter Ismagil and Steve Beers who both have solid production and producing backgrounds in television. Unfortunately, while I have enjoyed several of their credits, like Bones, Dead like Me, Revolution, and ER they are also associated with recent failures like Minority Report and Constantine.

The fate of the show could go either way there is no way to tell after only one episode, thus the three episode test.  Now we wait and see if This is Us will be become DVR staple or a ‘could have been great’.

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Fall Television is Here - This is Us

This is Us

Sometimes life will surprise you. Starring Mandy Moore ("A Walk to Remember"), Milo Ventimiglia ("Heroes," "Gilmore Girls") and Sterling K. Brown ("The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story"), this refreshingly honest and provocative series follows a unique ensemble. As their paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways, we find that several of them share the same birthday and so much more than anyone would expect. From the writer and directors of "Crazy, Stupid, Love" comes a smart, modern dramedy that will challenge your everyday presumptions about the people you think you know.

Premieres Tuesday, September 20st on NBC - Check your local listings. Look for the scoop on the new NBC drama and my review of the first episode on Thursday, the 21st!

 

Game of Silence – Dark and Hopeless

A rising attorney finds his perfectly crafted life threatened when his long-lost childhood friends threaten to expose a dark secret from their past.

Game of Silence is a NBC mid-season release in the  Law and Order SVU time slot. This new dramatic suspense series comes from Writer / Producer David Hudgins. This is his second series, he is also known for Friday Night Lights and Parenthood. This is his first try at dramatic suspense.

Game of Silence stars, David Lyons as Jackson, a successful Houston Criminal Lawyer. Lyons, well known as Vincent Faraday aka The Cape from The Cape. Most recent from NBC’s Revolution, as the angst ridden Sebastian 'Bass' Monroe.

Also starring, Michael Raymond-James, as Gil, a temper driven construction worker, is recently known for his portrayal on Once Upon a Time as Neil Cassidy aka Rumplestiskin’s son Belfire. Also as the original Big Bad on True Blood, Rene Lenier

Larenz Tate, plays Shawn, best friend of Gil and a seemingly well-adjusted man with some commitment issues. Tate is known for his role as Malcolm Kaan on HBO’s House of Lies.

Last night I took the time to put Game of Silence to the three-episode test. 

**Spoiler Alert**

Jackson is a big time criminal lawyer in Houston, TX. Engaged to a beautiful lawyer, who happens to be his boss, and is up for partner at the law firm where they both work.  He’s worked hard to build his life. Jackson is focused on the future, not the past.

The past, however, always come back to haunt you. Specifically, Jackson’s past and one particular summer where he and his friends got themselves into some trouble. This trouble sent the four boys to a juvenile correctional facility call Quitman.

Now we meet Jackson’s childhood friends, present day. Then there is Boots, who is a blue collar worker, married with a baby on the way. Gil and Shawn, best friends and owners of a construction business that maybe a little shady. Shawn is well-adjusted with serious commitment issues while Gil is a hot-head with a very short fuse.

In the pilot, the story begins with Boots kissing his pregnant wife’s belly before leaving for work and bidding her good-bye until that evening. He is a mover and has a job in Houston for the day. When Boots arrives at the site, a man is standing outside smoking a cigarette and talking on the phone. Boots apparently recognizes him from flashbacks Quitman and snaps. Grabbing a golf club he beats the man to a pulp and is arrested.

Gil and Shawn arrive on Jackson’s law firm, pleading Boots case and asking for assistance. It is obvious none of them have seen each other in a while Jackson is hesitant, Gil convinces him by telling him the man Boots beat was Daryl, torturer from Quitman.

There the story rolls along pretty seamlessly. The men start to dig up old memories and experiences from Quitman. Jackson tries to play it off as the past, while Gil and Shawn are still both very raw. They want revenge for Quitman and Jackson wants no part of their plans.

Everything changes when Boots dies from being stabbed in prison, and Jackson discovers the warden who ran Quitman when they were young is running for Congress.

Jackson decides that yes, they should get justice the right way. They collect evidence, build a case and bring them offenders to justice. This plan quickly goes awry when Gil goes off the rails. It goes from bad to worse when Gil kills an ex-guard just after the group gets him to confess on video.

We also have the Warden/Congressman’s men thinking there is a group forging an attack against them.

As a reviewer, Games of Silence has all the elements of a hit. The formula is there. the show is well written, well cast and has several very lean subplots to keep things interesting.

As a viewer, I found Game of Silence to be very dark and heavy due to the content, and numerous violent flashbacks. As this can be a good thing in a television show, if there is nothing to offset the darkness it does become too much to handle. There is no lightness to the show, no hope. The characters, while well written and very complex, are not very likable. I want to root for them to succeed, however I don’t like any of them enough to care either way.

If Game of Silence were a two-hour movie I would say bravo, great, a riveting and thoughtful piece. But, it’s not a movie it is a serial drama, and I don’t believe anyone will be able to stomach the raw emotional turmoil the show projects for very long.

Nice try, NBC, but I can’t do it, sorry.

Disagree? Please let me know your thoughts on Game of Silence or any of my other posts. Love to hear from you!!

Fall TV Picks - Blindspot Hits the Mark and Minority Report Lacks the Majority

Blindspot - Premiered on NBC, An unidentified woman with amnesia is found covered with tattoos, and the FBI soon realize that each mark on her body reveals a crime to be solved. This new NBC series premiered right after The Voice and I am gonna say off the bat WOW. The show begins in Time-square with a unmarked duffel bag. A tag attached to the bag says “For the FBI”. The street is cleared, and the bomb squad is called. A very nervous bomb technician approaches the bag and as he reaches out the bag moves, he jumps back and the zipper to the bag slides open…

From that moment the questions, intrigue, drama, and pace doesn’t stop. Jaimie Alexander, as Jane Doe, is brilliant in her portrayal, giving us a full range of emotion-confusion, anger fear and helplessness all shining back into the camera with every scene. Her plight and the mystery automatically pulls you in and does not let go. Her male opposite, FBI Agent Kurt Weller is played by Sullivan Stapleton, a virtual unknown from Australia, who does a fantastic job of keeping that cool cop exterior but also revealing the slow break down of his defenses when it comes to Jane.

All of this is playing as we move seamlessly from one scene to the next. There is no illogical coincidence in this show everything, and I mean everything happens for a reason. Even Jane Doe’s instinct to protect a beaten wife thus exposing her martial arts skills. Reminiscent of Jason Bourne in many ways, the characters are driven into the plot two fold, by their own need for answers and their desire to stop the bad guy.
First episode out I am hooked and looking forward to next week!

Minority Report - Premiered on FOX yes this show is based on the 2002 Tom Cruise/Stephen
Spielberg film. Per FOX television, The series is set in Washington, D.C., it is 10 years after the demise of Precrime, a law enforcement agency tasked with identifying and eliminating criminals… before their crimes were committed. To carry out this brand of justice, the agency used three precogs – “precognitives” Dash, Arthur and Agatha – who were able to see the future. Now, in 2065, crime-solving is different, and justice leans more on sophisticated and trusted technology than on the instincts of the precogs.

Despite the interesting premise and heavy-hitting producers I am less than impressed with Minority Report. Bombarded in the first scenes with technology overload, the dialog is sub par, characters are predictable and cardboard. All of that being said, I always give a show three chances. The pilot has set the stage, and the characters. I will wait to see how the chemistry plays out.
First episode out and I'm not holding my breath…

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Fall Picks 2015 - Blindspot on NBC

It is my favorite time of year, new TV! I do get excited, and sometimes scared about the new Fall television series. Television is such a versatile medium and every year there are marvels of greatness and oh-god-what-were-they-thinking? My DVR is already full of shows I LOVE to watch, how can I possible make room for more? Well I am hoping to at least off some guidance in the ‘what should I try’ category. 

Here is how it works, I have chosen shows I think are good bets, I put them to the three episode test and then decide whether to click ‘Series Record’ or Delete. There are A LOT of new shows his year so I am going to list them as they premiere. 

Blindspot - Premiere’s Sept 21st on NBC, An unidentified woman with amnesia is found covered with tattoos, and the FBI soon realize that each mark on her body reveals a crime to be solved. Talk about thinking outside the box or body in this case. This one looks to be intriguing in not only the decoding of the tattoos but the unraveling of who this woman is and how she became the ‘messenger’. Liking the intrigue and premise of this show.

Starring Jaimie Alexander, as Jane Doe. Jaimie is best known as Lady Sith (I know I knew her face from somewhere)from both Thor movies and Agent’s of S.H.I.E.L.D., she is an up and coming actress with HUGE potential in my humble opinion. Playing opposite her as Kurt Weller is Sullivan Stapleton, a virtual unknown from Australia, he has frustrated cop written all over him.

While Martin Gero doesn't’t have a huge resume of hits under his belt I am willing to overlook that for creativity alone. It will all depend on characterization and dialog, it always does in my book :)

As always here is a first look for you...see you on Wednesday when I will be reviewing the Blindspt pilot.

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