New Fox drama is a "Touch" manipulative, but entertaining

Does Kiefer Sutherland have a lot of anger issues? I only ask because the former "Young Gun" rocketed back to stardom playing rage-spewing terrorist fighter Jack Bauer on "24" and, in the first few scenes of his new Fox drama "Touch," he also yells, says "Dammit" and generally act pissed.
But, ultimately, the new series, which has a sneak preview Wednesday at 9 p.m. (it will start its regular run in March) offers a kinder, gentler Kiefer.

A brief review of "The Chicago Code"

Some months back, I wrote a "Not For Review" piece on a mid-season series called "Ride-Along." It was a cop drama from Shawn Ryan, mastermind of the great FX series "The Shield," and I really loved the pilot. Well, they say don't fix what ain't broken, but, since then the show has been re-named "The Chicago Code," and the pilot episode has been revised. The series premieres tonight at 9 on Fox and, though I didn't feel it needed changing, none of the changes destroy what I loved about the show in the first place.
It tells the story of prickly, but decent, Chicago cop Jarek Wysocki (Jason Clarke), who regularly alienates his partners, engages in quasi-reckless behavior, but fiercely loves the city he has sworn to protect. One of the few ex-partners who doesn't bear a grudge against him is Teresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals), who happens to be the city's new police superintendent. She's quietly raging a battle against a corrupt alderman, play by Delroy Lindo, and also trying to clean up her department. Into all this walks Wysocki's new partner, Caleb (played by "Friday Night Lights'" Matt Lauria), an ambitious sort who sees his partnership with the volatile Wysocki as a learning experience, not a burden.
As you might expect from Shawn Ryan, it's a muscular, somewhat dark drama with lots of strong performances. As much as I liked the original pilot, I actually prefer the one you'll see tonight, as it makes Lindo's character more of a complex anti-hero than the slightly cartoonish villain he was before. At any rate, it's a smart, entertaining drama, and I encourage you to check it out.

"Bob's Burgers" doesn't go down easy

Of all roughly nine zillion new shows premiering on Sunday (actually, it's four, but who's counting?), "Bob's Burgers" is the one about which I have the least to say. The series, debuting at 8:30 p.m. on Fox, is part of the network's "Animation Domination" cartoon block, and centers on a wacky family that runs a burger shop.

"Raising Hope" debuts tonight

In addition to "Glee" and "Running Wilde," Fox is also debuting its new comedy "Raising Hope" tonight at 9 p.m. Since the opinions I laid out in my original Not for Review piece on the show back in July pretty much still stand, I won't say much more on the show here. It's still a little too goofy for its own good, and I still don't think the Cloris Leachman character works. However, Lucas Neff is likable as the lead, and his dedication to raising his newfound baby comes off as sweet and endearing (it could have been really creepy, so kudos to Neff).
I also still love the work of Martha Plimpton and Garrett Dillahunt as Neff's parents. And, actually, I will probably continue to watch the show just for them. Plimpton in particular is hilarious as the sort of no-nonsense white trash matron who hasn't fixed the hole in the bottom of her car in the course of 20 years. There are also some fairly funny lines (Dillahunt and Plimpton's exchange about Charles Manson was revealed in the pilot, but it still made me laugh, even though I saw it coming).
So, overall, I still think the show needs work, but it's promising enough to warrant a look.

"Glee" second season off to promising, if slow, start

Along with all the new shows starting this week, a bunch of returning shows are also making their season premieres, including Fox's bright musical comedy "Glee." The new season debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m. and, while it's not quite as good as last season's best episodes,  it's a solid start.

Not for review: Fox's "Running Wilde"

"Not for review" is an occasional series of pieces in which I offer my thoughts on the pilots for this fall's new shows. These are not reviews, as many of the pilots sent to press aren't final versions. Roles can be recast; scenes can be re-edited and many other changes can be made. These are simply my first impressions based on watching early versions of the shows.

A few brief words about "Glee"

It would be easy to bust on "Glee," the new, hour-long Fox comedy that officially debuts on Wednesday. I mean, the pilot for the series -- about a bunch of misfits in a high school glee club -- premiered in May. May! How's that for a lead on the competition? You'd think a show that debuted that early would get lost in the shuffle by fall, but our friends at Fox would never let that happen, would they? All summer long, my e-mail inbox has been bombarded with messages about "Glee" promotions, including an upcoming cast album and a contest. There are posters for the series everywhere, and Fox seems intent on shoving "Glee"-mania down our throats. With all that, you'd think I'd be really resentful toward "Glee" and hate it out of spite. But I don't, for two reasons. 1) I'm a professional, and I try not to let external factors affect my judgment of a series and 2) It's just damn good.
Really. I mean, I loved the pilot, with its plucky characters, terrific song and dance numbers and hilarious dialogue ("You think this is hard? Try being waterboarded. THAT'S hard."). I loved the way it used the great comedic actress Jane Lynch, who plays an evil cheer-leading coach. I loved it soo much! But I did wonder -- could the show carry this spirit into subsequent episodes?
Well, I've seen two more episodes of "Glee," and the answer is a resounding "yes." "Glee" continues to stand out as the best new show I've seen so far (admittedly, I haven't seen them all yet, but it's definitely the show to beat). Watching it is such a pleasure.
Few shows can mix music with storytelling in a way that's both seamless and entertaining. But "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy pulls it off. That's kind of a surprise, as Murphy is also the man behind FX's garish, over-the-top plastic surgery drama "Nip/Tuck," which is as messy as "Glee" is well-structured.
"Glee" is also just so much nicer than "Nip/Tuck." The characters are so likable, particularly the strident yet vulnerable ingenue Rachel (Lea Michele) and the sweet yet obsessive choir instructor Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison). And Lynch continues to be hilarious as the horrible Sue Sylvester, who fears the glee club will start sucking money away from her cheer-leading program. With her searing eyes and devastatingly dry delivery, Lynch is a perfect comic villain, and meshes nicely with Morrison's sheepish good guy.
The only character on the show that doesn't work is that of Will's wife, Terri, played by "Nip/Tuck" regular Jessalyn Gilsig. She's mean-spirited and crazy, and not in a fun way, like Lynch's character. In an irritating way. It's just hard to believe Will married her.
But why carp about that when the show gets so much else right? It's funny and it has such an inspired mix of music, from showtunes and Celine Dion to Kayne West and Salt 'n' Pepa (wait until you see the glee kids take on "Push It." No, I'm not kidding.).
Watching it is, at its best, like being front and center at a top-notch Broadway show. And I hope it's the hit of the season.
"Glee" airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Fox.

"Prison Break" series finale recap: "Rate of Exchange/Killing Your Number"

The Fox action drama "Prison Break" came to a close last night after four seasons and, I must say, the ending was a fitting one for this often-overlooked series.
Unlike other recently concluded shows, such as "The Shield," "The Wire," or "ER," "Prison Break" has never been called iconic or groundbreaking. In fact, most critics eschew the series as fast-paced, brain-dead trash. Point well-taken.
But I've always had a soft spot for the show, and not just because of the stunning good looks of series star Wentworth Miller. "Prison Break," which focused on a gang of lovable criminals on the run from both the law and a nefarious agency called "The Company," was just plain entertaining.
With its crazy plots, pulpy dialogue, and ridiculously macho characters the show was often hilarious. Unintentionally, perhaps, but entertainment is entertainment. Besides, I can't believe the series' creators didn't have their tongues just a little in cheek. I mean, come on -- the show had a character named T-Bag! Clearly, no show with a character named T-Bag is meant to be taken with complete seriousness.
However, the show also had moments of genuine quality, mainly centering around the character of disgraced ex-FBI agent Alex Mahone (William Fichtner). Fichtner was by far the best actor on the show, and is one of the best character actors around, able to convey the huge reserves of pain under Mahone's often-stoic exterior. Miller also brought a lot of grace to the character of the highly intelligent and overly empathetic Michael Scofield, the ultimate crook with a heart of gold. And a lot of the action sequences on the show were well-shot, quick-moving and thrilling (in many ways, I think it's actually a better action series than "24," but I might be alone in that).
Anyway, the show came to a poignant, and appropriate, end last night. Escaped con Michael Scofield and his friends finally were exonerated, and escaped the grasp of The Company (and of Michael's evil ex-Company agent mom, Christina). It looked like everyone (with the exception of my beloved T-Bag) would get to stop running and live a life of freedom. Even T-Bag, who went back to prison, got a sort of happy ending, finally finding the respectability that had escaped him in the outside world.
It also looked like Michael and his lady love Sarah would finally get to settle down and be parents to their unborn child. But, just as they're gushing over that fact, Michael's nose bleeds. Yes, in spite of the surgery he had earlier this season to fix his rare brain ailment, Michael was still sick. Yet he and Sarah decide not to focus on that. They embrace (though Sarah is noticeably upset) and vow to start their new life together. We skip ahead four years and see T-Bag in prison, the General on death row and our beloved ex-cons off to some mysterious engagement. Turns out they're -- gasp! -- visiting Michael's grave.
Sigh. Poor Michael. He died not long after freeing his brother, lover and friends (I'm hoping he at least got to see his son, also named Michael, before he died). It was sad, but it made sense. Michael was so concerned about others, it's no shock that he would drive himself to an early grave. After all, the whole show started with Michael purposely getting arrested so he could break his lunkhead brother Lincoln out of jail.
But it was sad nonetheless, and it's a testament to the show that I actually cried a little when I saw Michael's headstone. I hadn't realized that I'd gotten that attached to him.
Anyway, here are some more of my thought on the two-hour series finale of "Prison Break," titled "Rate of Exchange/Killing Your Number."
* Though he said good-bye to his buddies in the middle of the season, I was pretty sure we'd see Fernando Sucre again before the show ended. However, though I dreamed we might get to see C-Note again, I didn't think it would actually happen. But it did! I almost squealed when it was revealed that the big C was the mysterious person following Sucre through the streets of Chicago.
All right. I did squeal. Loudly. I'm only human!
* Refresh my memory -- was C-Note always such a badass? I remember him being tough in the first two seasons, but not necessarily kill-happy. Yet here he was, dispatching company men left and right. Maybe he was always that way, but I remember him being a bit more sensitive. After all, the whole reason he went into witness protection was to help his sick little girl. It's hard to believe he all of a sudden became a cold-blooded killer. Oh well. I guess someone had to be the heavy, and with T-Bag working for the general and Lincoln bleeding to death, C-Note was the toughest of the remaining Prison Break-ers.
* So, not only did we get to see C-Note and Sucre again, but Kellerman popped up. Woo-hoo! I loved Kellerman, and the show hasn't been the same since he was killed off. Wait. That's right. He was killed. Soooo....how did he come back to life? Michael does ask that, but doesn't get much of an explanation. Oh well. I loved that he came back, and that he was the one to give the gang their walking papers. After all, he was turning on The Company right before he "died."
* Though C-Note, Kellerman and Sucre all returned, there was no sign of Gretchen. Not that I'm complaining, really. I was never a big fan of Jodi Lynn O'Keefe's character. But I was pretty sure we never saw her die after she got shot in that parking lot. It would have been nice to have some closure on that story.
* Aside from the return of some beloved characters, there were few other nice callbacks to the show's early seasons. For instance, T-Bag asks a captive Sarah to take his pocket, just as he did with the boys he dominated at Fox River (and just as he would do again upon his return to prison). Also, it was nice touch that the widow of Kellerman's old partner -- the one Kellerman killed -- showed up to spit on him at the end. Nice reminder that, though Kellerman has changed, he still did some pretty terrible things once upon a time, including trying to kill Sarah.
* Quick note to Christina: when starting a day that you know could possibly end in bloodshed and explosions, maybe a white suit isn't the best wardrobe choice.
*Glad that Mahone hooked up with his ex-partner, Lainie. She always had his back and my Mahone deserves to be taken care of.
* So, are Michael and Lincoln really brothers or was Christina telling the truth about Linc's adoption? I think it's the latter, but Michael doesn't seem to care. He's devoted to his brother no matter what, which gave a nice weight to this sometimes silly show.
* Loved Sucre asking Kellerman if he could keep the pen after signing his exoneration deal.
* Also loved that our first glimpse of Michael Jr. is of him getting a fake tattoo. Like father, like son.