What's it about?
Everyone deserves a second chance -- even a thief, a street racer, and a cop who got in a little too deep. After all, the three women who solve cases for their elusive boss, Charlie Townsend, are no saints. They're angels... Charlie's Angels.
So, how was it?
The brief summary above, pulled directly from ABC's website, should give you a clue. The tone of this reboot of the popular 70s women-fighting-crime series is campy to the max. It's fast, frothy fun as three beautiful women (Rachael Taylor of GREY'S ANATOMY, Minka Kelly of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and Annie Ilonzeh of GENERAL HOSPITAL) kick ass and take names.
The one big departure from the original that this version takes is that all three Angels are former (and reformed) criminals. One is a cat burglar, one is a car thief, and one is a dirty cop. The enigmatic Charlie (who I'm 99% sure was voiced by Victor Garber, though I'm not sure we're supposed to know that...) scooped them up off the streets and gave them a second chance. The three main ladies are all undeniably beautiful and very adept at looking good while beating up bad guys. However, it's hard to tell if they're actually good actors when they're trying to say lines like "I never thought my heart could hurt this much" -- I'm not sure anyone could make that sound convincing.
The writing is definitely the weakest point so far. The lines are cheesy to the max (see the above, also: "She puts the 'cat' in 'cat burglar!'"), and the mystery of the week was nothing we haven't seen before. Fortunately, the show already walks a very campy line, so it is easier to forgive the writers for such atrocious dialogue than it would be if they were writing for, say, MAD MEN.
Fortunately, everything else is surprisingly good. The production quality is top-notch, the Miami setting is vibrant, the colors pop, the cinematography is generally good, the pace is fast, the action is decent for a first-time outing, and the actors are all easy on the eyes. I can imagine this becoming a decent-sized hit for those who enjoy some campy action release on their Thursday nights.
Rating:
** Okay. I may give it another episode or two to see if it gets better.
I was actually a bit pleasantly surprised by this pilot. I expected it to be a lot worse than it was, as it had all the potential to be a disaster of epic proportions. While not perfect by any means, the show is nowhere near atrocious. However, I can't give it three stars and say I'll definitely keep watching, but that's due to my personal preference. With all the shows in my Hulu queue, I'm not sure I'll be devoted enough to watch this every week. On the other hand, if it happened to come on the TV and I had time, I wouldn't turn it off. So a very respectable two stars for the show. I'll be interested to see if it finds a steady audience.
Your turn, Fellow Addicts! Did you like the campy feel of the pilot? Or did you wish it had been more serious? Do you see yourself tuning in again? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)
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