it's okay and trashy procedural. fun though.
actors are bland, which is good. drama is hokey. tech is depressingly perfect, the sidekicks often have more personality than the leads. So, everything's on track for at least 1 full season, with the highly possible outcome of 3 seasons, a conspiracy, a flashback, and a presidential tie-in, if CBS has absolutely nothing going on in 2018-2020.
The [premise] isn't creatively different from most procedurals, the story tries to jump on the idea that "throwing people at problems" makes them easier. Rather than just "throwing tech at problems" as seen in CSI, APB, Bones, and other forensic level shows.
The concept is withering. If it ever gets mishandled, or they cheap out once too often, the show will devolve into exposition moments explaining the crime or the motive, or the technology involved, i.e. What Ice T ends up doing in Law and Order SVU for that show. until one of the writers notices and puts the exposition ball in someone else's hands for a while.
The pseudo-narrative "computers make all things better" makes for compelling quick solves, but like APB, the idea of an app that links everyone via reporting of crimes, is super-cala-fragilistic-expialidocious levels of confabulation. I fully understand the reality of the show having to cut corners, but there's some pacing problems with the super-computer that can solve all problems. Namely, that it's able to solve all problems, that it makes no mistakes, and that it is kept as mary-sue invincible as possible.
The way the show solves this is to 'trickle' out "new" features and on-the-fly features with no testing, with what looks like a million dollar factory refit, 40" tv's as monitors, and ~5 chairs for 50+ staff. I don't hate the show, it's actually within the realms of possibility versus something like CSI:Cyber.
but it's still stupid.
The writing isn't too bad, the recent 1x04 will be as dated as is watching Tek War in a year or two, looking at antifa/alt-right groups for "user bias" will not age well, much like Pagers and Flip Phones.
Topical now, but it's absurd.
the cliche drama elements are going to be new and exciting to people who've never watched Drama on TV before, i.e. the foibles of IP law, serial killers that confess in the last 2 minutes of the show, the painful revelation of a red herring via exposition and a CGI'd render, or a photograph leading to a new clue, rather than heading to a new location because there needs to be more banter between the duo.
Reply by toliman
6 years ago
@y2jin99 ... why was i wrong... ?<br />
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it isn't a cliche procedural ? it isn't stupid ?<br />
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it isn't heavily reliant on exposition to the point where they solve the core dilemma of the second act, usually a problem with sophe, all without leaving the room to save money on the episode's CG budget ? and it all works out in the end of act 3 with a moderate cliffhanger for the next episode ?<br />
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Oh, you're referring to my "Season 3" speculations, and how accusations against Jeremy Piven's killed the show before it could get a second or third season,<br />
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I was being flippant. if it wasn't entirely obvious by the snark and sarcasm. But, i'll give you the benefit. <br />
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I will put "Highly Possible" in sarcasm quotes to make it very clear i was being sarcastic, and that it seemed like a story that could be binge watched. My impression at the time, was that there was a LOT of arc filler being used to waste time so that the "Mystery" could be used to compel people to return each week for the arc story, i.e. his daughter's murder, with the obligatory mention every episode. (FYI The "presidential conspiracy" refers to CBS's Madam Secretary's CIA story arc in Season 1, and presidential conspiracy that went nowhere, another "mystery" hook)<br />
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I generally don't mind that it's gone. It wasn't a strong, compelling or challenging show. Much like Big Bang Theory, CBS hosts some terrible, boring TV that fills in time. If you want to watch something ghoulish, watch an episode of Big Bang Theory without the Laugh Track or music. IMO, CBS stretches all of their shows decades past the point of being fun, compelling or interesting. If it hadn't been cancelled, CBS could have kept the show on life support, much like Big Bang Theory or 2 Broke Girls, etc. or, nearly every CBS show.<br />
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I'm not really sure that Piven harassed all of the women who accused him, but it's probable he did. Proof, eyewitnesses are generally required for misconduct and assault, not accusations, and, i'll wait for judgement, not hashtags. I generally don't care because it doesn't affect the show or the acting, and it's California/Hollywood. Once the pendulum swings against the women and the men equally who have transgressed over the decades, We'll all probably be watching virtual actors and faceless, nameless stand-ins for the cameras. <br />
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if you read it as written, i suppose CBS could always make 10 new procedurals each year, and keep them going despite the lack of an audience. i.e. Superior Donuts. Man with a Plan, Mom, Doubt, Ransom, Great Indoors, Odd Couple, etc. CBS already has way too many procedurals with mediocre ratings, with MacGyver, Scorpion, Bull, Blue Bloods, Hawaii fifty (five oh), NCIS, NCIS:LA, NO, Madam Secretary, Criminal Minds, Beyond Borders and there's a few new ones for 2017 and 2018 planned. If it had reached 3 seasons, it would have been a minor creative miracle.<br />
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It's not a good show, and there's very little story that keeps the season arc active, because it's based on a monster/crime of the week, rather than the arc or the characters, or the actors. The arc/season is predictable, because season story arcs end up looking just like other procedurals.<br />
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To put this in perspective, this show lasted one episode longer than APB did (having very, very similar stories) because people don't enjoy procedurals that much unless the group leader is supremely compelling enough to watch by him/herself, and, the team has to play second fiddle, but also be the anchor for the show. <br />
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Piven as the Lead, and the Anchor means that the show dies and lives by his humanity or empathy with the audience. Given that you can put APB and WOTC right next to each other on character development, i.e. mysterious murder sparks tech mogul to invest in crime fighting, there's not enough to keep the audience.<br />
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It's also not batman. Even if there's shallow similarities. <br />
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If they'd wanted it to be something original, it wouldn't be on CBS, it would also have to bring a much darker tone and emotions than a tepid procedural, crime of the week show. Even then, the writing is mediocre. Story is deeply predictable because there's so little there. STD, Discovery has similar problems with "dark themes, shallow characters". <br />
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i.e. It would be difficult to pull out a single character and make the episode about them. In other procedurals, this happens frequently enough because it is required for a connection to the audience. the "coders" in this show, have more personality and leadership than the lead. This is Not Good, because you end up wanting a different character to run the show.
