Pilot Review: Dynasty

Dynasty (CW)
Premiered October 11 at 9pm

I’ll start this review by noting that I’ve never seen the long-running original series on which this show is based, and that’s mainly because I was less than a year old when it finished its ninth and final year. I do, believe, however, that a very small percentage of this show’s audience will have seen that show, though maybe the CW can appeal to an older crowd by attracting those who want to see how their former beloved soap has been resurrected. I think that they’ll likely be pleased, since, as far as primetime soap operas go, this one’s not that bad. Every viewer tuning in should know exactly what they’re in for, which is a whole lot of sex, betrayal, scheming, and hair-pulling. I’m extremely saddened by the fact that Elizabeth Gillies was available to do this show since it serves as a miserable reminder that her breakout role on “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll” has come to an untimely end, but, I’ll be honest – she’s perfect for this part. Many performers make the move from a great cable show to a lackluster series or film that wastes their talent, and that’s not the case at all here. Gillies is superb, and easily the best in show, facing off against an also well-cast Nathalie Kelley as Cristal. I’m realizing that I’ve been watching TV for a while, since I never would have imagined that Grant Show, who I watched on “Burn Notice” and “Swingtown,” was old enough to play the patriarch of adult children (he’s actually a good deal older than Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker, whose casting as parents on “The Gifted” had me reacting the same way). It’s also the first time in a while that I’ve seen Alan Dale, who used to run the world on shows like “24” and “Lost,” and he’s also in a part that’s good for him. The bottom line is – I wouldn’t ever really watch a show like this, but it’s actually decent fun for what it is.

How will it work as a series? Everyone is sleeping with everyone else, and now Fallon is starting a rival company to go head-to-head with her father and his new bride. There’s the potential for so many bombshells to be revealed, and on this show they won’t even seem like huge twists, just another secret to be squashed or an enemy to be crushed. This format works well for this kind of show.
How long will it last? My review is probably a bit more positive than most, which seem to be averaging out to not so great. While I can guess that people might want to watch this show, that doesn’t appear to have been the case, with this debut losing half of the audience of its “Riverdale” lead-in. I think that suggests that one season is all we’ll get for the latest revival of a popular 80s show.

Pilot grade: B-