BONES (FOX)
(Tuesdays at 8:00/7:00c this fall)
The network's description: "From executive producers Barry Josephson ("Hide and Seek," "Like Mike") and Hart Hanson ("Joan of Arcadia," "Judging Amy") comes the darkly amusing drama BONES, inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs. Forensic anthropologist DR. TEMPERANCE BRENNAN (Emily Deschanel, "Boogeyman"), who works at the Jeffersonian Institution and writes novels as a sideline, has an uncanny ability to read clues left behind in a victim's bones. Consequently, law enforcement calls her in to assist with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless. Brennan's equally brilliant colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab include earthy and bawdy ANGELA MONTENEGRO (Michaela Conlin, "The D.A."), who's created a unique way to render an original crime scene in a three-dimensional computer image; Brennan's assistant, ZACK ADDY (Eric Millegan), a young prodigy whose genius IQ actually gets in the way of his finishing the several doctorates he has begun; "the bug guy," DR. JACK HODGINS (TJ Thyne, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"), who's an expert on insects, spores and minerals, but conspiracy is his hobby; and Brennan's boss, imposing lab director DR. DANIEL GOODMAN (Jonathan Adams, "American Dreams"). Brennan often finds herself teamed with Special Agent SEELEY BOOTH (David Boreanaz, "Angel"), a former Army sniper who mistrusts science and scientists when it comes to solving crimes. Brennan and Booth clash both professionally and personally, but so far the chemistry between them has only played out in a fictionalized account in Brennan's latest mystery novel."
What did they leave out: It's basically "C.S.I." done "Mulder and Scully"-style with Brennan being the "anti-social, follow the evidence" one and Booth being the "outgoing, go-with-your-gut" one.
The plot in a nutshell: When a skeleton is found and the F.B.I. can't identify it, Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) seeks help from famed forensic anthropologist (and novelist) Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel). Trouble is Brennan (or "Bones" as Booth likes to call her, much to her chagrin) got burned the last time she helped Booth and wants nothing of it. But thanks to pressure by her boss (Jonathan Adams) and the promise of equal partnership by Booth, Brennan caves and goes on to assist. From here - thanks to some holographic technology (no, I'm not kidding) and the power of montage sequences - we quickly learn the skeleton belongs to a senator's aide and the quest begins to find her killer.
What works: Both Deschanel and Boreanaz definitely have the charm and chemistry to carry a series however they're hampered by some very leaden character development/dialogue: from an intimate scene at a shooting range that comes across as more comical than sexual, to characters not once but twice telling the anti-social Brennan "next time you talk to someone, give up a piece of yourself" with a straight face, to hokey jokes about Brennan's lack of pop culture knowledge (are we really supposed to believe a lab geek/novelist doesn't know who Mulder and Scully are?). In any case, despite all this you get the feeling somewhere in there are two interesting characters. Also worthy of praise: unlike "C.S.I.," the show gives a legit reason why the lab gets to question witnesses, sit in on interviews, etc. and there's a very brief (but very cool) moment that will remind Boreanaz fans of his ass-kicking days on "Angel."
What doesn't: Aside from the new holographic bells and whistles mentioned above (which come across as more hokey than cool), the show does little to deviate itself from your standard procedural crime drama. It's basically find body, collect evidence in a music-driven montage (Howie Day's "Collide" in this case was used on the temp track), go after the obvious lead, find out said lead is a dead end, go back to evidence in new montage (welcome back Howie Day), have typical "a-ha!" moment based on some innocuous piece of information mentioned earlier and catch the real killer. Everything else (Brennan's social foibles, the Brennan/Booth banter, etc.) doesn't come across as strong enough to mask those shortcomings. That's not to say it's impossible: "House" manages to eclipse its imperfections as a procedural - every week it's somebody is sick with mystery illness, House berates some people at the clinic, they try everything until he/she almost dies, House berates some more people at the clinic, House remembers a tiny detail from earlier that happens to lead to a last-minute cure - with some amazing work by Hugh Laurie.
The challenges ahead: Will the show be able to evolve beyond its "Procedural Crime Drama 101" shortcomings? Will the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab share its "Star Trek"-level of holographic technology with the rest of the world? Will Booth actually call "Bones" her real name in a clichéd moment meant to reinforce their growing bond? We'll get the answer to at least two of these questions this fall on FOX.
THE UNIT (CBS)
(TBA at midseason)
The network's description: "THE UNIT stars Dennis Haysbert ("24"), Scott Foley ("Felicity"), Robert Patrick ("The X-Files") and Golden Globe Award winner Regina Taylor ("I'll Fly Away") in 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 homefront, protecting their husbands' secrets. Max Martini ("Saving Private Ryan"), Michael Irby ("Piñero"), Demore Barnes ("The Associates"), Abby Brammell ("Revenge of The Middle-Aged Woman") and Amy Acker ("Catch Me If You Can") also star. Pulitzer Prize-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated writer David Mamet ("Glengarry Glen Ross") and Emmy Award-nominated writer Shawn Ryan ("The Shield") are executive producers for Twentieth Century Fox Television."
What did they leave out: The show is full-blown David Mamet complete with his unique dialogue and sense of drama. If anything it feels like an extension of his little-seen (but well worth catching) 2004 feature "Spartan."
The plot in a nutshell: We follow husband and wife Bob (Scott Foley) and Kim Brown (Amy Acker) on their first day as part of the vaguely-named "The Unit," a secret Special Forces unit of the Army that answers only to the President. Bob is thrown to the wolves by his C.O. Jonas Blaine (Dennis Haysbert) during a hostage standoff on an airplane runway and Acker is shown the ropes on "The Unit's" base by Molly (Regina Taylor), the wife of Haysbert's character. In each case they learn the rules of their situation: in Bob's case it's if they succeed someone else takes the credit and if they fail they get court marshalled; in Kim's case it's that they must hide all knowledge of their husbands' actions, at any cost.
What works: Creepy, unique and exhilarating all at the same time, "The Unit" is filled to the brim with all of Mamet's mainstays: from the almost machine-like efficiency to how his characters operate to his panache for stage-like dialogue. Added to that are Shawn Ryan's gritty realism he cultivated on "The Shield" and the gravitas of such actors as Haysbert and Taylor. Haysbert particularly owns his role - a grizzled, but unwaveringly confident solider - just gobbles it up and makes it his. Even cooler is that all the expected drama clichés are deftly avoided: instead of newbie Bob being distrusted by the rest of the team, they feel sorry for him as they know the world he's about to enter; instead of having the typical "you don't have the authority to tell us what to do" scene involving the F.B.I., Haysbert simply looks around for a moment and says: "You, you and you... panic. The rest of you come with me." There's so much to look forward to with this show - I can't wait.
What doesn't: It's not so much that it doesn't work, it's that you can feel the "homefront" aspect of the show painting itself into a corner. Like Bob, his wife (whom he has one child with another on the way), gets the "this is how things work" tour by Taylor's character (giving "24's" Penny Johnson Jerald a run for her money in the badass TV wives of Dennis Haysbert category). The problem is after seeing what the other wives have to deal with (some of whom don't see their husbands for months at a time), she wants out and Taylor must calm her down. Not exactly taking on hostage holding terrorists is it? Even with a twist at the end the opens the door for other homefront stories (and some slightly sinister allusions to what happens if their secret gets out), one can't help but be underwhelmed by the respite from the military action. That being said, once the boys return home at the end things perk up significantly as we get to see some of their relationships as well.
The challenges ahead: Will TV audiences accept such an unorthodox military drama? And more importantly, will there be a good place on CBS's schedule to launch it? Is there a cooler voice than Dennis Haysbert's? We'll find out at some point next year on CBS.
TheFutonCritic.com
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