From today’s edition of Cynthia’s Cynopsis:

NBC has given the official “Go” to a drama for next season called Kidnapped from Sony Pictures Television and 25C Productions. The show stars Dana Delany and Timothy Hutton, and the season begins with the kidnapping of a wealthy couple’s son, and subsequent investigation where everybody is a suspect and nothing is a perfect as it seems. Kidnapped is added to the short list of new series for the fall which also includes The Black Donnellys, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip with Matthew Perry.

It sounds like a television version of the movie “Ransom” (which starred Mel Gibson, Renee Russo and Gary Sinise), and you know what? I’m okay with that. That was a fabulous movie that only worked because of who they cast. I think this TV version could be just as potentially fantastic by virtue of its two leads alone, but the premise is a good one. The only question would be — how can you drag that storyline out for more than a season or two? Hmmmmm…

Ha! I’m not the only one talking about The Unit!
CNN’s review of the show is entitled“G.I. Joe meets Desperate Housewives”. Not entirely accurate, but it’s catchy.

Well, I guess because it has been the first new show since I started this blog that has not only GOTTEN my attention, but managed to KEEP IT for two episodes straight. This does not happen very often — At. All. Go figure. I will say that if I had had this blog started last Fall, you wouldn’t have been able to get me to shut up about Prison Break (expect those posts to start appearing when it returns NEXT WEEK!!).

Okay, so was the second time around worth it? Yeah. I definitely think so. I don’t expect this show to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is cribbing Alias in a big way, which would piss me off if I weren’t missing my SpyFam so badly. Mrs. Brown? She was more tolerable this week. Her finally coming to an understanding of some sort with Molly makes me hopeful, because it has been her interactions with Molly and the trampy wife that has been rubbing me the wrong way. I will say that her and Scott Foley CLICK — like with a loud SNAP. I attribute that greatly to the awesomeness that is Foley, who is pretty much incapable of not oozing chemistry with whomever he is in a scene with.

The ending? LOVED IT. Loved it even more because of Haysbert’s NON-reaction. A final note — Foley is hotter than Hades. The buzz cut and tat is totally working, yo.

Oh, and the pacing of the show was very impressive this time around. It flowed and played between the different storylines seemlessly. Mad props to the editors.

A complaint for CBS — Get the episode pics up SOONER. Also, get some forums, like pronto. Just make sure you have some Mods, so they don’t turn into the abomination that is the ABC boards.

The verdict? I liked it.

I typically hate the first episode of any new hour-long show. There is usually a whole lotta set-up that makes me feel like I’m in first grade. The only writer that has every roped me in and not treated me (the viewer) stupid in the pilot is JJ Abrams — the Alias pilot and the Lost pilot are true exceptions to this rule.

Anyway, I still like the premise, but there was a little too much hand-holding for my liking. I like to hear Dennis talk…but that almost pushed my limit. Otherwise, it was a good story, kept me interested, surprised me a few times and I came away only hating one character so far — Mrs. Brown. And I hate to say it, especially this early on, but I think it is the actress more so than the character. The character makes sense to me — she has come into this with a set of perceptions about The Unit, all of which are proving to be false and she is making mistakes left and right. The problem is, I feel no sympathy for her. At. All. She is the weakest link, in an otherwise strong casting.

The high point for me was probably the shoot out inside the plane. An interesting combination of slo-mo and speed-up — I liked it. It allowed us to see the “important” tells, as well as let us be duly impressed by the precision with which the bad guys were taken out.

So, am I watching next week?

Yep. I’m just hoping for a little less hand-holding, and that the wifey-poo will find a way to make me care about her.

Tonight on CBS at 9 p.m. (ET), another mid-season (or really, mid-mid-season) replacement show is debuting — The Unit.

From the website:

From Executive Producers David Mamet and Shawn Ryan, THE UNIT is an action drama that follows a covert team of Special Forces operatives as they risk their lives on undercover missions around the globe, while their families maintain the home front, protecting their husbands’ secrets. Jonas Blane (Dennis Haysbert) leads the Unit on missions out in the field and is responsible for taking new recruit Bob Brown (Scott Foley) under his wing. The Unit includes Jonas, Colonel Tom Ryan (Robert Patrick), Mack Gerhardt (Max Martini), Charles Grey (Michael Irby), Hector Williams (Demore Barnes) and Bob Brown, all highly skilled, trustworthy, brave and dependable soldiers whose ability to rely on each other is what creates their brotherhood. Jonas’ wife, Molly (Regina Taylor), is the base matriarch who comforts and counsels the other wives as they cope with the fear and uncertainty they experience when their husbands leave home. Molly and Tiffy Gerhardt (Abby Brammell), a wife hiding her own dark secrets, help Bob’s pregnant wife, Kim (Audrey Marie Anderson), acclimate to the stress of her new secret life.

I’m interested. At least, I’m interested enough to watch the premiere ep tonight. I like Dennis Haysbert. The man has a way of talking that makes you want to listen. I even listen when he is doing a commercial. He played President Palmer on 24, and I bought it. He is commanding, and it looks like he is doing just that in this show — commanding. Good call on that.

Of course, I should just admit that the MAIN reason that I want to give this show a chance (besides the fact that it is something different — which is nice after the beginning of this season when every friggin’ show was a Lost rip off) is because Scott Foley is in it. VERY underappreciated actor, who I adored in Felicity and have been DYING to see get another series that is worthy of his talents (unlike, say, that weird “A.U.S.A” show).

I’ll give it a try tonight and let y’all know if it is worthy of your own precious TV time.

According to today’s edition of Cynthia’s Cynopsis:

Brothers and Sisters (Touchstone TV) has added brother Jonathan LaPaglia and sister Patricia Wettig

As much as I adore Patricia Wettig and think she deserves a bigger role somewhere, does this mean she is not going to be on Prison Break next season? Or is she doing both?

Cuz DUDE — she RAWKS as the VP on PB.

For the most part, I avoid discussing or reviewing any of the reality shows that are on television. The main reason is simply that I don’t watch any of them on a regular basis. I’m not obsessed with them, so why should I blog about them? And I guess there is some deep-seeded mentality within me that sees shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race, and even The Bachelor, as being just glorified gameshows that are taking prime TV spots from gifted and talented actors/writers/directors. I have yet to allow myself to equate “Reality TV” into something that is “primetime” worthy. I am a scripted television snob and I admit it.

But for this to be a rule, there must be an exception. That exception will be coming to a TV set near you this week. On Wednesday, March 8th, FX will premiere “Black. White.” at 10 pm (ET). I’ve been fascinated by this concept since I saw the first promo, and I am pleased to say that everything else I have seen so far has done nothing to diminish that fascination.

Official Site: Black. White.

According to the site, it will be a “six-part documentary” — which makes it even more appealing. Instead of the demeaning and insulting nature of promos for shows such as “Wife Swap” or “Nanny 911″ — this show WANTS to be taken seriously. And well it should be. The involvement of Ice Cube gives the project even more legitimacy. Here is the breakdown:

Two families - one white and one black - come together under one roof in Los Angeles as they prepare to go out in the world as the other race. The Wurgels (Bruno, Carmen, and daughter Rose) are a white liberal family from Santa Monica, CA, and the Sparks (Brian, Renee, and son Nick) are a middle class black family from Atlanta, GA.

What’s it like to live in someone else’s skin? That question will be answered in March with “Black. White.”, a six-part documentary from Emmy® Award winning producer R.J. Cutler and actor/producer/writer Ice Cube.

Black. White. examines race with an extraordinary approach by putting new faces on an African-American family, the Sparks, and Caucasian family, the Wurgels. Through the transformative power of make-up by Academy Award® nominated make-up effects artist Keith VanderLaan (The Passion of the Christ), the Wurgels become black and the Sparks become white, which challenges their beliefs and core values in ways they could have never imagined. The make-up process for each family member took 3 to 5 hours for every day of transformation.

In addition to the pressure of their newly assumed race, the Sparks of Atlanta (Brian, Renee and their son Nick) and Wurgel family of Santa Monica (Bruno, Carmen and their daughter Rose) shared a home in Tarzana, California for the duration of the six-week production, which wrapped last summer.

Synopsis taken from Yahoo! TV

For me, this show is particularly fascinating. I am a white female, who was born and raised in Metro Atlanta. Even though I was brought up “in the South,” I actually encountered very little racism growing up. Atlanta does not follow the “redneck” or “Southern” stereotype, and I feel like I am a better person for that. For the past 10 years, I have lived in the Midwest, and I encountered more racists in my first year of living here than I did in my entire upbringing in Atlanta. I should clarify that this racism stems more from ignorance than true hate.

The concept of this show is groundbreaking, even more so because it is not just looking to change a white family’s perception of what it is like to be black, but because it also is looking to show a black family what it is like to be white.

I’ll post my review later this week, to let y’all know if it lived up to my expectations.