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Like most people, I was intrigued to discover that Oscar nominee Glenn Close was going to be doing a TV series. She's a big movie star ( but that seems to be the trend over the past few years). Plus, it's new, original programming, not reruns or a reality program. So I was willing to give it a shot and tuned into Damages on FX Tuesday night, trying not to get my hopes too high. After all, what could really be different about another lawyer show? What happened next blew me away!



First off, I loved that it had no commercials (thanks to the sponsorship of Cadillac). Whether that continues for future episodes, I don't know.

Secondly, I always appreciate when a show that is set in a non-fictional location is actually shot in that place. Even better when the locale in question is, in my opinion, the best city in the world, New York City. It immediately set a tone of credibility. From the first frame, this show announced it would be fast-paced, anything could, and would, happen in the city that never sleeps (a point which was illustrated shortly into the program).

Thirdly, Ms. Close, as protagonist Patty Hewes, a lethal litigator with a fuzzy concept of ethical conduct, was simply brilliant. Plus, any vehicle, whether it's film, television or theater, that has veteran actor Philip Bosco in it is worth watching. I can only hope he's around for the entire run of the series. The rest of the cast was great as well. Ted Danson, Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan were every bit equal to Close and Bosco.

My only reservation about the show was the style in which the story was executed. It dealt with two timelines: the present and six months prior to the opening shot. That's all fine and good and it's easy to differentiate between the two periods. Also, several plot twists unfolded in the pilot, and the following episodes are sure to follow that pace. However, as seen in other quality, challenging programs, a 10PM time slot might be too difficult an obstacle for the audience to overcome. Luckily, since it's on basic cable, it reruns several times within the week.

All in all, Damages was definitely worth the time and effort.

Video clip courtesy of FX.com

Righting the Wrongs?

Two days after the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, on July 21 the Television Critics Association bestowed their own honors at the 232rd Annual TCA Awards. It comes as no surprise that after the outcry due to the omission of some nominees that the TCA recipients reflected quite a different picture.

2007 TCA Award recipients are as follows:

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: Heroes (NBC)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: Friday Night Lights (NBC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: The Sopranos (HBO)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: The Office (NBC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: Planet Earth (Discovery)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: Kyle XY (ABC Family)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: Planet Earth (Discovery)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Michael C. Hall, Dexter (SHO)
HERITAGE AWARD: The Sopranos (HBO)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Mary Tyler Moore

But how do past TCA recipients fare in Emmy competition? Steve Carell (The Office) won the TCA last year for Individual Achievement in Comedy, but Tony Shalhoub (Monk) took home the Emmy. Hugh Laurie (House) repeated as the winner for Individual Achievement in Drama, but it was Kiefer Sutherland (24) who got the golden statuette last year. Lost found recognition at the TCA's, but 24 was in the spotlight at the Emmys. However, The Office took home top prize in both contests. So how will this year's TCA winners fare with the television academy? Well, there will be at least two differences since the recipients of the Outstanding New Program (Friday Night Lights) and Individual Achievement in Drama (Michael C. Hall, Dexter) weren't even nominated in the respective Emmy categories. However, Alec Baldwin and The Office could be winners at both ceremonies. Will it become a showdown between the TCA's Program of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Drama as both Heroes and The Sopranos are up for the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy? Tune into FOX on Sept. 16 to find out if the critics and the academy agree on anything.