It's Friday night! Which means many of you are out getting your weekend on with friends, or home snuggling up with with your honey and/or tub of ice cream about to pop in a Netflix or Redbox. And that's why it's the worst possible night to have your prime time show on TV, except for Saturdays. But no one puts shows on Saturdays. (Guess someone forgot to tell Rules of Engagement.)
So for those of you staying in tonight, or who still have time to set the DVR, my must-watch vote goes to A Gifted Man, 8/7c on CBS. It stars Patrick Wilson (the sperm donor in The Switch with Jennifer Aniston), whom you may or may not know, and a bunch of other people whom you definitely don't know. Except for maybe Julie Benz (from No Ordinary Family - canceled) or Rachelle Lefevre (from Off the Map - canceled, and Twilight - replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard). Sound good so far? Hear me out.
Wilson stars as surgeon Michael Holt, whose dead wife visits him and tries to make him a better man. Medical drama? Been done. Characters who see dead people? Even Haley Joel Osment's sick of that concept. Wives who nag their husbands? Insert any sitcom name here. But all of those plot lines at the same time? Pretty sure this show is the first of its kind in that regard. Plus, Wilson isn't too hard on the eyes and may have the charm to make at least me stick around for more than one episode.
So give it a chance. A Gifted Man just might make Patrick Wilson more of a household name. Or, it could be canceled within weeks. It's up to boring, stay-at-home-on-a-Friday-night viewers like us.
I think it is a bad sign when the most recognizable thing about three cast members is some combination of "sperm donor in The Switch", "canceled", or "replaced". Couple that with the bad news that A Gifted Man is debuting on Friday night and you have a recipe for disaster.
ReplyDeleteSo what could save this show? Well, for starters it's on CBS, which means pretty much anything is possible. I mean honestly, how is The Mentalist a top 10 show? Maybe I'm missing something here.
Add to the CBS factor that the whole "wife coming back to change main character for the better and help him help people" angle, and you'll be tugging at the heart strings of people who are at home on a Friday night. Are they crying because of their love for the show, or is it because they're stuck at home watching A Gifted Man? Who knows?
His prediction? Finishes with best Friday night ratings, but should have been canceled after 3 episodes.