The launching of new series has trickled down. There are still
a few key players waiting to launch, including such anticipation-inspiring
entries as THE TICK, 24, and SMALLVILLE.
And yet, the destruction derby has already begun. If you were
waiting until DANNY got better to give it a try, you’re going
to wait a long time. This show has been dropped from the
schedule after all of 2 episodes.
There have been no new qualifying premieres since my last
posting. However, I had missed the premiere of CITIZEN BAINES,
but I managed to catch episode 2 this weekend. Oscar winner
James Cromwell (who I still picture as Stretch Cunningham,
Archie Bunker’s coworker from the loading dock) stars as a
Congressman who has just been voted out of office, and now
has to deal with his own lack of direction and with the
presence of his three grown daughters.
The daughters all have exagerated personality, making them
seem more like personal obstacles than like true characters.
Cromwell does an admirable job of showing that he is slowly
realizes that there are new possibilities and opportunities
that come along with this loss of direction and official power.
The problem with this episode is that in portraying his loss
of position and direction, the tale doesn’t go much of anywhere,
except for a nicely-done obvious symbolic moment at the end.
I’ll look in on this one again (hey, it’s Saturday night,
there’s nothing else on!) and the odds seem good that it
will get better or at least grow on me.
