What's it about?
From renowned, Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dick Wolf ("Law & Order" brand) and creators Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, the writing team behind "3:10 to Yuma," comes the high-octane drama "Chicago Fire," - an edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America's noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is more stressful or dangerous, yet so rewarding and exhilarating. These courageous men and women are among the elite who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death. The pressure to perform on such a high level has a way of taking a personal toll, sometimes putting team members from the Truck and the specially trained Rescue Squad at odds with each other. Despite any differences, this is an extended family, and when it's "go time," everyone inside Firehouse 51 knows no other way...
(from NBC.com)
You should watch if...
• ...you're desperate for a procedural that doesn't involve lawyers or doctors or cops.
• ...you've got a thing for excessively manly men staring broodingly at each other.
• ...you're a pyromaniac.
So, how was it?
It's hard to believe that this train wreck of a show made it to the air over other NBC pilots such as Bryan Fuller's MOCKINGBIRD LANE (which will now be burnt off as a Friday-before-Halloween one-night special -- watch the trailer for it here.) I was also surprised by how tired it already felt, one episode in, especially coming from the mind of the famous Dick Wolf -- and then I remembered how many different versions of LAW & ORDER there have been and realized that while crafting procedurals that draw huge audiences may be one of Wolf's strengths, originality definitely isn't.
While I'm not the biggest fan of procedurals, especially without a unique spin to catch my interest, LAW & ORDER is at least fun in that time-killing, watch-it-while-it's-on-at-the-laundromat way, I can't imagine myself ever paying attention to another hour of CHICAGO FIRE. And that's due mainly to the large cast filled with unappealing characters. Seriously, I did not sympathize with one person in this show. Jesse Spencer (HOUSE) is Matt, who's supposed to be our quiet hero, and instead comes across as a mopey block of wood. He might be the least annoying character, but that's easy to accomplish when you have zero personality. Taylor Kinney (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES; also Lady Gaga's boyfriend) is Kelly, the cliché overly-macho jerk who makes everyone's life a living hell but actually harbors a secret pain (I mean that literally - he has pain in his shoulder and it's a secret). Monica Raymund (THE GOOD WIFE) is Gabriela, the EMT who we're supposed to identify with because of her insecurities, but really she just shouldn't be an EMT if she can't handle the pressure that comes with the job. Lauren German (HAWAII FIVE-0) is Leslie, Gabriela's EMT partner, who's entire character can be summed up in one words: lesbian. I know we're supposed to be proud of how progressive the writers are, but her sole defining characteristic is that she's gay, as if that alone is enough to automatically make her interesting. And newcomer Charlie Barnett is newcomer Peter Mills, who longs to be taken seriously by his fellow firemen, but can't stop looking around with a dopey smile like a kid in a candy store.
Maybe with at least one or two interesting characters, I could have forgiven the hokey action scenes (how many deadly house fires are there in Chicago per day?), the cliché drama ("it's your fault he died!" "no it's your fault he died!"), and the insane fact that every firefighter and EMT working in Firehouse 51 is a chiseled, tan, perfectly-coiffed, tight-tanktop-wearing model who is actually terrible at their job. Oh wait. No I couldn't. Nothing could have saved this show from being a dead-on-arrival flop.
And the verdict is:
Atrocious. I will never watch this show again. Ever.
I have a difficult time believing that this garbage will find as big a following as L&O - hopefully it'll get cancelled soon and everyone can just pretend that this embarrassment never happened.
What do you think, Fellow Addicts? Am I being too hard on the show? Or did you find it as painfully bad as I did? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
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