Pilot Review "K-Ville" (FOX)
Premise: Two years after Katrina, parts of the city are still in chaos, but hope has emerged. Battling an upsurge of violence, understaffing of police forces and a lack of crime labs and other facilities, the cops who remain in the New Orleans Police Department have courage to burn and a passion to reclaim and rebuild their city. Marlin Boulet is a brash, wry, in-your-face veteran of the NOPD’s Felony Action Squad, the specialized unit that targets the most-wanted criminals. Even when his partner deserted him during the storm, Boulet held his post, spending days in the water saving lives and keeping order. Now, two years later, he’s unapologetic about bending the rules when it comes to collaring bad guys. The stakes are too high, and the city too fragile, for him to do things by the book. Boulet’s new partner, Trevor Cobb, was a soldier in Afghanistan before joining the NOPD. He’s tough and committed, but if he’s less than comfortable with Boulet’s methods, it’s because he’s harboring a dark secret. Cobb has come to New Orleans seeking redemption, but redemption can be dangerous. Source: Fox
Starring: Anthony Anderson as Marlin Boulet, Blake Shields as Jeff "Glue Boy" Gooden, Cole Hauser as Trevor Cobb, John Carroll Lynch as Captain James Embry, Maximiliano Hernández as Billy "K-9" Faust, Tawny Cypress as Ginger "Love Tap" LeBeau
Review: This series is tackling a sensitive issue: New Orleans after Katrina. It shows despair, people trying to rebuild the city while others are fleeing the scene, etc.
"K-Ville" should appeal to people looking for cop stories set in a chaotic city, for stories with people trying to make a difference, etc. FOX did well in putting this after "Prison Break" both series aim to get the same type of viewers. Personally, I will not watch "K-Ville" not only because of what I wrote before but also because I cannot take as much hate, crime, fighting, and trying to make things right, in the same evening... (I've been watching "Prison Break" since day 1 and won't stop in order to watch "K-Ville") plus "Heroes" airs at the same time.
"K-Ville" will air on Mondays at 9 pm EST on FOX. There premiere will air on September 17. Visit the official website of the show.
Starring: Anthony Anderson as Marlin Boulet, Blake Shields as Jeff "Glue Boy" Gooden, Cole Hauser as Trevor Cobb, John Carroll Lynch as Captain James Embry, Maximiliano Hernández as Billy "K-9" Faust, Tawny Cypress as Ginger "Love Tap" LeBeau
Review: This series is tackling a sensitive issue: New Orleans after Katrina. It shows despair, people trying to rebuild the city while others are fleeing the scene, etc.
I haven't seen much on TV of New Orleans being rebuilt (they mostly focused on the tragedy and the first efforts and it looks like the media forgot that people are still suffering and trying to rebuild everything there) but I did, like I'm sure many of you have, imagined how life can be down there right now. K-Ville offers a version of what that could be (I don't know how accurate it is since, as I've said, I haven't seen documentaries or news about it lately. However, since they are shooting on location, my guess is that some stuff must be pretty accurate).
Thanks to the series filming on location, they scenery is quite real and can only make us feel compassionate for those who lost their lives there and those who are trying to bring the city back to life.
The storylines in the pilot were intriguing enough to have me want to know what would happen next. However, I thought the character of Boulet was way too angry (although, maybe I would be in his situation (cop partner left him without saying a word just after Katrina hit, his girlfriend (with daughter in tow) is about to leave him because the city is not safe, his singer friend just got killed, etc.). No matter his reasons, I don't think I could endure watching him be that angry and pissed off week after week (especially since I watch "Prison Break," which will air just before "K-Ville" and is said to be much more darker and angrier this season).
The character of Cobb is quite difficult to grasp during most of the episode and it seemed intentional on the writers' part since he tells his complete story at the end of the episode. So I guess they wanted us to wonder about him. Personally, I think they should have just gave us a bit of his story at the end and not everything. It would have kept the fans wondering and looking forward to more clues about this cryptic character.
The actors are believable. Although, I had a hard time not seeing the character of Ethan from "Lost" when William Mapother was on screen! The soundtrack is fitting for such a show. You have a mixture of blues and rap, etc.
As for the camera work... if you liked the opening scene in "Saving Private Ryan" or the chase scenes in practically any of the "Bourne" movies, you'll like the camera work in "K-Ville." It was too much for my taste though. At times, I felt almost sea sick, other times, it felt almost like a documentary, etc. I must admit though that the use of such a technique was a good idea during the opening scene of the pilot because it made me feel sick which added to the fact that they were showing us the city in chaos right after Katrina.
Thanks to the series filming on location, they scenery is quite real and can only make us feel compassionate for those who lost their lives there and those who are trying to bring the city back to life.
The storylines in the pilot were intriguing enough to have me want to know what would happen next. However, I thought the character of Boulet was way too angry (although, maybe I would be in his situation (cop partner left him without saying a word just after Katrina hit, his girlfriend (with daughter in tow) is about to leave him because the city is not safe, his singer friend just got killed, etc.). No matter his reasons, I don't think I could endure watching him be that angry and pissed off week after week (especially since I watch "Prison Break," which will air just before "K-Ville" and is said to be much more darker and angrier this season).
The character of Cobb is quite difficult to grasp during most of the episode and it seemed intentional on the writers' part since he tells his complete story at the end of the episode. So I guess they wanted us to wonder about him. Personally, I think they should have just gave us a bit of his story at the end and not everything. It would have kept the fans wondering and looking forward to more clues about this cryptic character.
The actors are believable. Although, I had a hard time not seeing the character of Ethan from "Lost" when William Mapother was on screen! The soundtrack is fitting for such a show. You have a mixture of blues and rap, etc.
As for the camera work... if you liked the opening scene in "Saving Private Ryan" or the chase scenes in practically any of the "Bourne" movies, you'll like the camera work in "K-Ville." It was too much for my taste though. At times, I felt almost sea sick, other times, it felt almost like a documentary, etc. I must admit though that the use of such a technique was a good idea during the opening scene of the pilot because it made me feel sick which added to the fact that they were showing us the city in chaos right after Katrina.
"K-Ville" should appeal to people looking for cop stories set in a chaotic city, for stories with people trying to make a difference, etc. FOX did well in putting this after "Prison Break" both series aim to get the same type of viewers. Personally, I will not watch "K-Ville" not only because of what I wrote before but also because I cannot take as much hate, crime, fighting, and trying to make things right, in the same evening... (I've been watching "Prison Break" since day 1 and won't stop in order to watch "K-Ville") plus "Heroes" airs at the same time.
"K-Ville" will air on Mondays at 9 pm EST on FOX. There premiere will air on September 17. Visit the official website of the show.