Forever (Amazon)
Premiered September 14
I didn’t know anything about this show, and after watching it for nearly five minutes without any dialogue, I thought that it might be a whole series crafted in the mold of the opening scene of “Up.” It turns out that wasn’t the case, but it still proved to be a startlingly effective way to introduce the monotony and low-key nature of this couple and their marriage. Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph are both talented multiple Emmy nominees with a background on “Saturday Night Live,” and though Armisen is inarguably odder than Rudolph, they both know how to play weird well. That’s the nature of this show, which finds them proceeding along in their marriage and preparing for another expected trip to the same place they go every year. Rudolph’s June suggesting that they try skiing instead was a curveball that Armisen’s Oscar eagerly accepted, though of course June was the one who ended up being more miserable when she got sent to a time-out for pushing a kid who was rude to her. Ending the episode with Oscar presumably skiing into a tree demonstrates what’s in store for these two, which is uncertainty, misery, and maybe a happy ending somewhere far past all the obstacles in their way. Armisen and Rudolph are both great, and I’m glad to see them given this platform on Amazon. Finding out that this show comes from Alan Yang, co-creator of “Master of None,” and Matt Hubbard, a writer for “30 Rock,” helps to explain its melded strangeness, which works well to its advantage.
How will it work as a series? That’s hard to know. This first half-hour was fun and involving, but it’s hard to get a sense of what comes next. These two are so calm that it might be boring to watch them and then jarring to see one or both of them explode, but I have faith that Armisen and Rudolph are well-equipped to go exactly where they need to go as guided by the experienced Yang and Hubbard.
How long will it last? Amazon’s ratings data isn’t going to be released anytime soon, but this show is starting off with positive reviews and likely preparing itself for a future that will last exactly as long as its creators want. All eight episodes are already available, and I suspect this show might end up with a second season but then that will probably be it, exclusively for creative storytelling reasons.
Pilot grade: B+
Showing posts with label Forever Pilot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forever Pilot. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Pilot Review: Forever
Forever (ABC)
Premiered September 22 at 10pm
Over the past week or so of this pilot season, I’ve written frequently about how shows have tried to capture fresh concepts that are far from original. What I haven’t yet mentioned is the unintentional influence of watching two new shows back to back which happen to be somewhat similar. In this case, “Forever” and “Scorpion” don’t have all that much in common, except, of course, the protagonist’s tendency to deduce just about everything about a person by simply looking at them. While CBS’ new procedural was all about misfit geniuses, this show is about a man whose ability to discern so much from a person’s appearance comes from the fact that he’s been alive for two hundred years. This isn’t the first time immortality and policework have interacted, and the last time I can remember starred another non-American, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, now of “Game of Thrones,” as the title character in “New Amsterdam.” The secret of immortality here isn’t explained, and instead of Dr. Henry Morgan never dying, he does actually die and then comes back to life somewhere in the water. That gimmick already becomes tiresome in the pilot, and, as would be expected, someone has learned his secret and is going to try to exploit him and figure out how it’s possible. Ioan Gruffudd tried TV a few years ago with a dull role in “Ringer,” and at least this is a more interesting part for a charismatic actor whose energy just isn’t quite right for this kind of character. Alana de la Garza was a regular cast member in the later seasons of “Law and Order,” and her part here is rather bland. Judd Hirsch, Joel David Moore, Donnie Keshawarz, and Lorraine Toussaint all have plenty of TV experience but have seen better material. This show wants to be groundbreaking and epic, but it’s just not.
How will it work as a series? Henry now has a new friend in Detective Martinez, which will help him to feel like he’s doing something to help the world while surely tipping her off on many occasions to his secret. Balancing that and this mystery man who wants to get to know him will likely be stressful, but Henry seems to have it all under control in this mild and far too casual drama.
How long will it last? It’s too early to tell, but this show did manage to pull off the unusual feat of doing better in its regular timeslot premiere than in its special preview the night before. With ABC having renewed “Resurrection,” I think this may just be the type of show the network wants to put on its roster.
Pilot grade: C
Premiered September 22 at 10pm
Over the past week or so of this pilot season, I’ve written frequently about how shows have tried to capture fresh concepts that are far from original. What I haven’t yet mentioned is the unintentional influence of watching two new shows back to back which happen to be somewhat similar. In this case, “Forever” and “Scorpion” don’t have all that much in common, except, of course, the protagonist’s tendency to deduce just about everything about a person by simply looking at them. While CBS’ new procedural was all about misfit geniuses, this show is about a man whose ability to discern so much from a person’s appearance comes from the fact that he’s been alive for two hundred years. This isn’t the first time immortality and policework have interacted, and the last time I can remember starred another non-American, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, now of “Game of Thrones,” as the title character in “New Amsterdam.” The secret of immortality here isn’t explained, and instead of Dr. Henry Morgan never dying, he does actually die and then comes back to life somewhere in the water. That gimmick already becomes tiresome in the pilot, and, as would be expected, someone has learned his secret and is going to try to exploit him and figure out how it’s possible. Ioan Gruffudd tried TV a few years ago with a dull role in “Ringer,” and at least this is a more interesting part for a charismatic actor whose energy just isn’t quite right for this kind of character. Alana de la Garza was a regular cast member in the later seasons of “Law and Order,” and her part here is rather bland. Judd Hirsch, Joel David Moore, Donnie Keshawarz, and Lorraine Toussaint all have plenty of TV experience but have seen better material. This show wants to be groundbreaking and epic, but it’s just not.
How will it work as a series? Henry now has a new friend in Detective Martinez, which will help him to feel like he’s doing something to help the world while surely tipping her off on many occasions to his secret. Balancing that and this mystery man who wants to get to know him will likely be stressful, but Henry seems to have it all under control in this mild and far too casual drama.
How long will it last? It’s too early to tell, but this show did manage to pull off the unusual feat of doing better in its regular timeslot premiere than in its special preview the night before. With ABC having renewed “Resurrection,” I think this may just be the type of show the network wants to put on its roster.
Pilot grade: C
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
