Pilot Review: Life On Mars (ABC), Do Not Disturb (FOX), Pretty Handsome (FX)
Life On Mars
Good pilot. One of the better ones this year. I have never seen the British version (and I don't think I ever will), so I only put it on my list, because of the oh so wonderful Jason O'Mara. I love his voice. It makes me feel calm. I'm just not so sure how I'm supposed to care about the characters and everything when we all know that he's in a coma in real life and all of this is a dream. At least we think it is.
Do Not Disturb
When you watch the first five minutes of this pilot you just think "Oh, what the hell? Leave me alone." But then something happens. The cute little guy from upstairs says "I can never tell how old black people are." Then the fun starts. Yes, the show dares to make racial jokes. And it works. You just know they're not serious. It's been a long time since a sitcom really made me laugh. And this one did. The scenery is absolutely terrible and the laugh track annoys you immediately, but I hope those are things that will get better as the show progresses. The characters are worth giving it a try.
Pretty Handsome
What a brilliant pilot. I think this is one of the best hours of television I have seen in a while. Ryan Murphy does an excellent job with portraying his characters and they're all wonderful. Joseph Fiennes and Carrie-Anne Moss deliver breathtaking performances and you just know that Pretty Handsome is a show that has something to say. Something meaningful. It has a message. That's pretty rare in television business these days. Let's just hope that Murphy will not screw this one up as much as Nip/Tuck.