Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Journeyman, dead or alive

Am I the kiss of ratings death? Is my championing a show mean it won't last? You know how it feels when you pay attention to a sports team, they start losing? That's what I'm talking about. Last winter I got really interested in Raines, the short-lived detective series starring Jeff Goldblum. While it didn't knock me flat, it was good. It was different, interesting, and starred a fantastic actor. Did it last? No. Half a season, that's it.

Now comes Journeyman. I was immediately interested because it stars Kevin McKidd, who was fantastic in HBO's Rome. I also liked the time-traveling premise. I awaited the previews eagerly but failed in downloading Amazon Unbox on my home computer. Then I saw that most of the critics were not complimentary. Sigh.

I actually got to watch Journeyman in real time for its premiere. Having heard about an episode over-packed with information and other bad things, I guess my expectations were lowered. Therefore, I really enjoyed it. (Low expectations + good product = perception of greatness.) I found the premise interesting. Yes, it was a little mystifying for the first half of the show, but that mimics the experience of Kevin McKidd's character, Dan Vassar. I was caught when Livia, the long-thought-dead love of his life, turns up traveling through time as well. Now that's interesting! No wonder there can be a love triangle that includes a dead woman.

One overview of the show called Monday night at 10 p.m., the show's current slot, a "death spot." I have to agree, it's far from ideal. I believe Gray's Anatomy started out in a 10-11 p.m. slot, so it could work. But then again, I'm interested in it. Maybe not.

Update, October 3

I see that there are some positive voices out there for Journeyman (like this one), yay! I couldn't stay up for it this week and have it TiVoed. Plan to watch it tonight.

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