Close to Home

The pilot of this series wasn't bad. It wasn't extremely good either. The question is, do we even need yet another Jerry Bruckheimer crime solving series?



The show felt like yet another CSI spin off in a lot of ways. Only this time it was about the prosecutor rather than the crime techs. And there was supposed to be more of a subplot with the family, though it didn't really shine through. Not in any good ways at least.



It feels like we've seen this all to death. Someone young and pretty who has an established carreer even though they look like they graduated from college six months ago. This person has problems in the work place and gets overly passionated about his/her work at times, but in the end the co-workers give them credit for the hard work and their brilliance. At home awaits a loving family which will soon start to get fed up with the success of our main character and his/her long hours away from home.



One of the major problems with this pilot was that the family didn't seem believable. They were too perfect. A couple of young first time parents who look picture perfect and not the least bit worn by the load of taking care of a newborn, and the baby is ever so cooable. I didn't buy that things were just so rosy, neither parent was tired because of mid night feedings and the home looked like all they did was clean it. If they don't start showing a little less perfection I won't find them believable at all.



The case was interesting at least. The children were wonderful actors and the direction was really good. You knew there would be some form of twist to it but it worked rather well anyway. It kept my interest throughout the episode.



I feel this show has potential, but it needs to be a bit more realistic. And I am still thinking it's not original enough, it's the type of show that comes fifteen on the dozen.

Strong episode, i know it\'s just the first one and we have to wait for the other 21 episodes, but it caught my breath from the second they discovered the truth behind the fire. I like Finnigan\'s character, Annabeth, because as tha mayority of working moms she wants to have everything in life: carrer and family, and because her new experience in life, maternity, she empathises with all the victims.

The real heroe in this episode was the little boy, who tried so hard to pretect his family that started the fire. The reason he gave was one way or another, meaning the firefighters save them or not, their miseries will be over.

The episode starts out great (but really anything with huge flames and fireballs hooks me).



The rest of the episode wasn\'t bad and was potentially interesting. The central plot of the episode I found interesting, the mother being charge with burning the house down and the twists and turns that followed.



The personal side of the show however didn\'t sit right with me. There was something missing, it may be because we dont yet have a connection to the characters.



This is a crime/drama show, I feel however they pushed the drama just that bit too far. Theres a fine line between prime time drama and soap operas. While the storyline isn\'t farfetched like a soap the writing/directing at points seemed to overdramatize things.

The good news is this is not a CSI rip off. Granted it is going to be grouped in the ever increasing list of police procedurals. However, this is more of a law episode than a police episode. The interaction with the family was nice, but seemed unbalanced. Balancing a career and a family isn't any for anyone. But if you have the perfect job, the perfect husband, the perfect nanny, and the perfect home, then chances are good you are not in the Twilight Zone. Chances are you are a few blocks away from the Cleavers, the Nelsons, and the Griffiths.

I am hoping for more conflict with somebody other than the villian at this point. But it sure looks good coming out of the gate.

After watching Finnigan in the NBC comedy Committed, and then seeing her in this, it's amazing the extent of her acting ability. A wacky, eccentric fireball in Committed to a serious, caring lawyer and mother in Close to Home.



I thought the show itself was pretty good too. There was a nice twist towards the end.



If you like courtroom dramas, check this one out.

Jennifer Finnigan's character is someone it is impossible to root for. She's selfish, arrogant, and pissy. She better get over her hormone spells in a hurry if this show is going to have a chance. And dear gods, enough already with the cooing over the infant. That's not engrossing television. We get it, she's got a baby, let's move on.



The story wasn't original. It's the same thing we've seen in the news a hundred times. They didn't even seem to be able to write an intriguing twist for it.



The lone highlights were the actor playing the young boy and the directing. Kudos to Emilio Estevez for making this tired drama look good on the screen. He wasn't able to save it from being unoriginal, but at least there were some well-put-together scenes.



I'll try it at least one more time in the hopes that it was just a lazy pilot, but I don't have high hopes for this one.

I've been given almost all pilots a try this season and Close to Home is the surprise of all. The pilot was very well done and capturing. With way to much crime drama on TV, although my favorite category, I think it is good to jump around and watch different shows to get some variety. CSI is strong, and I think Close to Home can be promising.

So far, no new shows on NBC worth my time, but among others that win me over:

Prison Break

Reunion

Invasion

Supernatural

Ghost Whisperer

Three Wishes



Still deciding:

Just Legal

Kitchen Confidential

How I Met Your Mother

Night Stalker

Killer Instinct



Dump (never watch again):

E-ring

Out of Practice

My Name Is Earl

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