Wednesday, April 25, 2012

AWAKE


As so often seems to be the case , a network show that initially appeared to be more creative than the usual fare has turned out to be the same old stuff. We rarely watch network TV nowadays, but I like Jason Issac from BROTHERHOOD, so I gave this one a whirl.


A brief synopsis: a cop wakes up from a car crash to find his son is dead; when he goes to sleep again, he wakes up in another reality where it is his wife who died. Each reality gives him a different shrink to wade his way through this morass and a different partner. There are also intimations of a deeper conspiracy.

Except...the show spends almost no time on this premise. Instead we get to watch him solve two cases each week And the cases are no more interesting than the ones on a dozen cop shows. Less even. We can spot the villain a mile away. Twice each show.

Now why create an interesting arc and give it almost no attention. Five minute out of each forty explore the arc. Cops have become the dullest people on earth.

6 comments:

Ron Scheer said...

Recently found and just finished watching the first and only season of CHICAGO CODE. Thought it was terrific and full of surprises...As for the premise of AWAKE, the potential of living in parallel universes is apparently a viable theory in quantum physics. Too bad the producers of this show went for the routine rather than the speculative...An excellent film that plays with the idea is ANOTHER EARTH. It's at netflix.

Anonymous said...

I agree. AWAKE was a huge disappointment. I am, however, constantly being impressed by all the British/Irish/Aussie/New Zealand actors on American television doing flawless American accents, which was certainly not the case in years past, when Olivier seemed to be the only one would could do it right.

THE CHICAGO CODE, with Isaacs' BROTHERHOOD co-star Jason Clarke (an Aussie), was much better.

Jeff M.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I am always reluctant to watch a show that I know is only on one season. Has to be loose ends.
That accent thing is amazing. I think they have so much more access to American accents and treat learning them seriously coming up.

Ron Scheer said...

I had that worry about CHICAGO CODE, too, but the writers did a good job of pulling off a solid sense of an ending...Speaking of accents, Kristin Scott Thomas plays an American in the French film SARAH'S KEY, and I became convinced she was speaking her French with an American accent.

George said...

I'm not watching cop shows. Although AWAKE had an interesting premise, the execution of the idea was lacking. Most of what's on TV now is a rehash of HILL STREET BLUES which did it much better.

Anonymous said...

Patti - Sorry to hear this one was a disappointment. I'd heard of it but hadn't watched. I think maybe I'll just pass on it.