The Closer
Having been nominated for a slew of awards since it came on the air (and scoring lead actress Kyra Sedgwick a Golden Globe in early 2007), The Closer has been popular with critics and fans alike.
There are no exploding buildings, but the drama produced here is every bit as thrilling as the usual big displays of action. Kyra Sedgwick is brilliant as the soft-spoken Brenda. The deputy chief knows her strengths and, more importantly, she knows people. What unnerves criminals - and audiences - is the calculated game she plays. Brenda’s all smiles and polite chit-chat, but there’s never a doubt she’s working some angle.
There are no exploding buildings, but the drama produced here is every bit as thrilling as the usual big displays of action. A tight police drama the way it should be made.
Minh Nguyen
Bones
The delightfully naive Dr Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) continues to delight with her quirkiness. There’s no doubting Brennan is a character straight out of Tinseltown’s imagination. The talented forensic anthropologist, whose ability to decipher bone fragments borders on the supernatural, also moonlights as a crime novelist on the side. Of course.
Brennan’s partner in crime solving comes in the form of Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz). You read that right, Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth. Because we all live in some kind of Mills & Boons hyper-reality where parents names their kids whatever the heck they like.
Dubious character names aside, this entry into the ever-popular crime genre is actually good viewing. Let’s not kid ourselves though, Bones isn’t this generation’s critical masterpiece. No one’s asserting that here. It’s just fun. The pace is quick, and the writers manage to strike the right balance between humour and drama. Booth and Brennan’s personalities bounce off each other nicely and the supporting characters are equally quirky and likeable.
In Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, the creators have struck casting gold. It’s rare when a show not only manages to entertain in moments of drama, but also in the moments between.
Not high-art by any means, but still a good ride.
Minh Nguyen
Following a car accident, modern-day cop Sam Tyler (John Simm) wakes to find himself in 1973. Has Sam actually been transported into the past, or is it all in his mind? The first season of Life on Mars explored Sam’s sanity, but no real conclusion emerged. One thing is clear: whether it’s insanity or the laws of time keeping him in the ’70s, Sam wants to get back to the 21st century.
The sci-fi premise of Life on Mars may not make a lot of sense to new viewers who missed season one. But the plot becomes clearer as you watch the series yourself, so don’t fret too much about the time travel thing.
Themes of space and time aside, Life on Mars is essentially a police drama. Sam’s position as a modern man forced to navigate the past make for interesting conflicts, but ultimately we’re in it to see him catch the bad guys.
{The US version with Jason O’Mara in the lead strikes a slightly different tone than the Bafta-winning British original. Not finding the same success across the pond, the remake has been axed after one season.}
Minh Nguyen
