NBC
The summer broadcast season is less of a burn-off zone than it used to be; besides reality shows, networks are occasionally more willing to use it for scripted series (like The Good Guys) that they seem to believe have the potential to be authentic hits. But old habits die hard, and the networks still undercut their own efforts to prove they take the summer seriously by using it to retire failed shows (hello, Happy Town!).
But there is one advantage to the fact that summer is still a low-stakes season at the big networks: I’m more inclined to give a show like Persons Unknown a couple episodes’ chance than I would had it premiered in the busy fall or midseason.
From Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects), the low-budget production (shot in Mexico) employs the old thriller concept of a group of strangers abducted in a mysterious place for mysterious reasons. The pilot (which NBC didn’t send out in advance—another great way to send the message you don’t take your summer dramas seriously, NBC) was big on atmosphere and low on depth, with a lot of characters introduced in the broadest of strokes. But the show was paced well enough and written crisply enough that it could be a good diversion if—big if—any of the characters prove to be particularly interesting.
Did any Tuned Inlanders catch this low-key debut? And speaking of summer shows, who’s sticking with The Good Guys?