All eyes veer toward Fox this week as the network unleashes the
first of its fall premieres
–
”
Prison Break
”
(8pm Monday) and
”
Vanished
”
(9pm Monday). The latter is a new series headlined by former
”
Queer As Folk
”
hunk Gale Harold, who plays a befuddled FBI agent searching for
clues on the disappearance of the gorgeous wife of a prominent
senator.
All eyes veer toward Fox this week as the network unleashes the first of its fall premieres – “Prison Break” (8pm Monday) and “Vanished” (9pm Monday). The latter is a new series headlined by former “Queer As Folk” hunk Gale Harold, who plays a befuddled FBI agent searching for clues on the disappearance of the gorgeous wife of a prominent senator.
That’s the show’s premise. How the creative minds behind the scenes execute it – at least from reviewing the solid pilot episode – makes me believe that “Vanished” has all the makings to be a surefire hit a la “24.” (I give it three stars out of four.)
The season-long story arc has one single focus: finding the senator’s wife. A soap opera unravels from there, and each week we’re promised a slew of curious twists and turns as the Harold’s Agent Graham Kelton uncovers more than he bargained for. (Oh, the secrets people keep – the disappearance of the senator’s wife may be part of a big, nasty conspiracy.) Along for the ride: Rebecca Gayheart, who plays a no-nonsense reporter.
“Vanished” delivers on a number of counts. For starters, you couldn’t go wrong with this cast. John Allen Nelson is pitch-prefect as Sen. Jeffrey Collins, and Joanne Kelly shines playing his lovely, suddenly vanished wife.
It’s a treat to see Ming-Na here as FBI agent Lin Mei – thankfully, Na recovered after NBC’s ill-fated “Inconceivable” miscarried last fall. The spotlight is on Harold, though. He’s a good small-screen brooder and he extends the angst he infused in Folk’s popular Brian Kinney character here, playing an emotionally complicated guy who struggles to find balance in his home life – he’s a loving dad – and his job – he’s still recovering from internal battle scars from a previous case. Graham’s a likable character – torment and all – and while the pilot episode suffers only slightly for some over-dramatic surges in writing and delivery – Harold’s – there’s plenty here in the yarn’s beginning to hook enough viewers in for the long haul. (That it’s keeping “24”‘s Monday night timeslot warm before that series returns in January doesn’t hurt, either.)
It’s up to the writers now to make certain the show doesn’t wander into overly complicated waters. Then again, Fox didn’t stumble too far ratings-wise when that very thing happened with “Prison Break” last season.
Speaking of … the new season of Fox’s surprise gotta-get-my-brother-out-of-prison hit picks up a mere eight hours after Michael (Wentworth Miller continuing to impress) Lincoln, Sucre, Abruzzi and C-Note make a mad dash to stay under the radar as prison guards intensify their search for them.
Fans of the show may get a kick out of the FBI-related twist in this episode. But watch the fine acting from two of the series’ standouts: Sarah Wayne Callies – the woman is brilliantly cast in the role of Dr. Sara, whose condition turns critical after an overdose; and, of course, Miller, a young actor who knows to bring out Michael’s moral complexities.
True, there’s enough gritty testosterone in this series to make you wish you had some barbells handy during commercial breaks, but the show, even when it isn’t always good, is never really bad. Guilty pleasure? Sure. Dig in.
More Guilty Pleasures
n “Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty” (10pm Tuesday, Oxygen). There are those that might find a sick fascination with D-list celebs suddenly starring in their own reality shows. I can only go there for a few episodes before I slap myself back to sanity.
n Doherty, who was originally cast in last fall’s panned “Love, Inc.” only to have producers pull her off the show completely before it premiered, has never held much curiosity for me. But “90210” fans – oh, yes, she made through a season of “Charmed,” too – might be up for this ride.
n Comedy Central “Roast of William Shatner” (10pm Sunday, Comedy Central). You can’t walk away bored from a Comedy Central roast. The net’s nontribute to Pamela Anderson was sidesplitting funny. Expect more of the same in this 90-minute soiree that will certainly poke fun at everything in Shatner’s quirky career .
Next week: It’s all about the Emmys.
Greg Archer is an entertainment writer based on the Central Coast. He writes about the TV, film and being human. E-mail him at ga*****@**********rs.com. or visit www.greg-archer.com.
