Round Two: Luck

Luck: Season 1, Episode 2 (B-)

After airing its pilot nearly two months ago, this show returns with its second original episode. I’m still not terribly drawn in by its complicated web of characters, and I haven’t surpassed the point where, in my notes, I refer to all of the characters as other characters played by the same actor on previous shows. I realized that I’ve been thinking of Jason Gedrick for his role on “Boomtown,” but perhaps the short-lived NBC series “Windfall” is a better comparison, since he then also found himself suddenly in possession of a lot of money and unsure of what to do with it. His ultimate victory with three kings doesn’t excuse his reckless playing before that, and Kevin Dunn’s Marcus is going to blow a gasket if he sees or hears of one more instance of unsubtlety. Ian Hart’s Lonnie got quite the beating from those prostitutes, and I have a feeling he won’t be walking straight anytime soon. I was pleased to see Ted Levine from “Monk” and the “Hell on Wheels” pilot as a potential investor, and it would be great to see him again. Dustin Hoffman’s Ace is definitely a compelling character, as is Dennis Farina’s Gus. I’m willing to give this show a few more episodes, though it would be nice if the pace was picked up and its strengths didn’t lie only in its horse racing scenes. Perhaps not unsurprisingly, HBO has already put faith in this show by renewing it for second season last week.