Thursday night is one of my favorite TV nights. There's the 2-hour NBC comedy block, CBS' Big Bang Theory, and then some soapy drama over on ABC with Grey's Anatomy. I don't know why, but networks always seem to stuff Thursday with televisual delights and don't bother with spreading the love throughout the week. And so, NBC has offered up their new drama, Awake, at 10 pm right after the comedies. And let me tell you, it is thoroughly deserving of this prestigious timeslot.
The show's premise is elaborate and phenomenal. It follows LAPD detective Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs, aka Lucius Malfoy, pulling off an uncanny American accent that will give Hugh Laurie a run for his money) who is returning to work after a horrible car accident in which his son died but his wife survived. Except that when he goes to sleep, he wakes up in an alternate reality where he's going back to work after a horrible car accident in which his wife died but his son survived. In each reality he has a different partner and is investigating a different crime, but they share subtle similarities that help him solve both cases in a way that perplexes his colleagues.
To further complicate matters, he has two very different therapists in each reality. B.D. Wong plays his psychiatrist, Dr. Lee, in the reality where his wife is alive, and Lee uses a very confrontational approach, trying to convince Michael that he needs to accept that his son is dead and move on. In the other reality, Cherry Jones plays the more empathetic psychologist, Dr. Evans, someone whose style meshes more with Michael, which leads him to wonder if she's a figment of his imagination. But of course, both doctors agree on one thing: theirs is the true reality, and Michael needs to stop dreaming himself into a parallel life.
It's bewildering, head-spinning, fantastic stuff, which leads me to gravely doubt its ability to last. High-concept shows like this tend to do better on cable and are notorious for drawing poor ratings on network TV. But once in while, a show manages to break through. I dearly hope that Awake will be the next Lost and manages to find an audience that will see it through a few seasons. When I reviewed Once Upon A Time, I wondered how long that show could last, since it seemed to have a clear endpoint and just needed filler episodes until it got there. However, the show has been developing spectacularly, rounding out characters, adding compelling storylines, and giving you just enough plot to last you through 44 minutes and leave you asking for more. I have no doubts that the people behind Awake are similarly talented and capable of crafting episodes that are just as clever as the pilot.
The show could become a rote procedural with the added twist of parallel realities, but it is clear from this first look that there is enough drama and tension going on in both versions of Michael's world to sustain several seasons of plot, heartbreak, mystery, and confusion. Each time Michael thinks he has figured out which reality is real, he is thrown for a loop, and as a viewer, I had a fun time trying to hedge my bets on which reality was the right one. Hopefully it will be years until I find out, because I don't want this show to get cancelled after just a few weeks. Awake may have an obvious series finale in sight, but never have I been more excited to find out just how we get there.
The show's premise is elaborate and phenomenal. It follows LAPD detective Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs, aka Lucius Malfoy, pulling off an uncanny American accent that will give Hugh Laurie a run for his money) who is returning to work after a horrible car accident in which his son died but his wife survived. Except that when he goes to sleep, he wakes up in an alternate reality where he's going back to work after a horrible car accident in which his wife died but his son survived. In each reality he has a different partner and is investigating a different crime, but they share subtle similarities that help him solve both cases in a way that perplexes his colleagues.
To further complicate matters, he has two very different therapists in each reality. B.D. Wong plays his psychiatrist, Dr. Lee, in the reality where his wife is alive, and Lee uses a very confrontational approach, trying to convince Michael that he needs to accept that his son is dead and move on. In the other reality, Cherry Jones plays the more empathetic psychologist, Dr. Evans, someone whose style meshes more with Michael, which leads him to wonder if she's a figment of his imagination. But of course, both doctors agree on one thing: theirs is the true reality, and Michael needs to stop dreaming himself into a parallel life.
It's bewildering, head-spinning, fantastic stuff, which leads me to gravely doubt its ability to last. High-concept shows like this tend to do better on cable and are notorious for drawing poor ratings on network TV. But once in while, a show manages to break through. I dearly hope that Awake will be the next Lost and manages to find an audience that will see it through a few seasons. When I reviewed Once Upon A Time, I wondered how long that show could last, since it seemed to have a clear endpoint and just needed filler episodes until it got there. However, the show has been developing spectacularly, rounding out characters, adding compelling storylines, and giving you just enough plot to last you through 44 minutes and leave you asking for more. I have no doubts that the people behind Awake are similarly talented and capable of crafting episodes that are just as clever as the pilot.
The show could become a rote procedural with the added twist of parallel realities, but it is clear from this first look that there is enough drama and tension going on in both versions of Michael's world to sustain several seasons of plot, heartbreak, mystery, and confusion. Each time Michael thinks he has figured out which reality is real, he is thrown for a loop, and as a viewer, I had a fun time trying to hedge my bets on which reality was the right one. Hopefully it will be years until I find out, because I don't want this show to get cancelled after just a few weeks. Awake may have an obvious series finale in sight, but never have I been more excited to find out just how we get there.
 |
| As evidenced by this poster, the two realities are even shot differently: in the wife reality, things are shot in warm red tones, while the son reality is cooler with green tones. This corresponds to the color of the wrist band Michael wears to remind him of which reality he's in. Now that's ingenious! |
No comments:
Post a Comment