The Forgotten - Pilot

Network: ABC
Time: 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Christian Slater, Heather Stephens, Michelle Borth, Anthony Carrigan, Bob Stephenson, Rochelle Aytes
Creator: Jerry Bruckheimer

Summary: When the police can no longer spend their resources trying to find the identity of a dead body, they turn it over to a group of volunteers called the Forgotten Network. The Network uses its manpower and--let's face it--sheer determination to see if they can do better than the overextended police department. They rely mostly on the belief that people are inherently good and willing to help out, so if you're a cynic, you're going to have to suspend your disbelief here.

Review: So I finally changed the channel from CBS to ABC's Cold Case-esque new show, The Forgotten. Out of everything I'm watching this season, this is the biggest uncertainty for me. Let's break it down.

First off, I love the premise. Unlike Cold Case or any of it's similar shows, we're not dealing with a branch of law enforcement. All the people in the Forgotten Network are volunteers, with real other jobs that they have to balance with this. Something a little different, it opens the door for some potentially interesting scenes where they try to balance their "real lives" with this incredibly important job. Also, I'm a sucker for those heartbreaking stories where they finally name the John or Jane Doe and their family can finally have closure.

Second, the voice over. Honestly, voice overs are usually cheesy, and I can only count a few shows that use them well (How I Met Your Mother, for example). This show uses it well. The Doe narrates the voice over, acting as both a storytelling mechanism and a lie detector. When the Forgotten Network gets a step closer to discovering who their Doe really is, the narrator steps in and gives the audience some more information about themselves. And then they end the episode by say their name, as if to say, "I've been found."

Third, I'm intrigued by the characters, though I'm not sold on them yet. Personally, I have many issues with Christian Slater. Mostly, he scares me. I don't care what role he's playing, he always looks like a scary elf to me. Joking aside, though, I don't feel very invested in his character Alex, despite finding out his personal crusade that led him initially to the Network. The only other character they really develop in the first episode is Tyler (Anthony Carrigan), the med school dropout who only joins the Network because he has to do community service. They turn him around quickly though, maybe a little too quickly. There's another guy Walter (Bob Stephenson) who is really enthusiastic about his volunteering. Don't know why he's so enthusiastic, but I guess that's never a bad thing. And then there are two women, Lindsey (Heather Stephens) and Candace (Michelle Borth), who I can't tell apart in looks or personality.

Fourth, it drags. Like The Good Wife, I feel like the actual story is shorter than the episode. They figured out who the Doe was pretty early in the episode. Then they found out they were wrong. OK, that's good. Gives us more time to investigate. Then they figured it out again. Then they spent time trying to find his killer. Up until that last bit, I was enjoying myself. But a network of volunteers shouldn't be investigating a murder, even if one is an ex-cop who's still buddies with the police chief. Not only is it unbelievable, but it's not interesting. They don't have any of the cool toys, they can't arrest people or legally kick their butts, and they sort of go into each interview with a, "I'm a good person volunteering to help a grieving family please tell me everything I need to know," attitude. And it works. At which point even I rolled my eyes and said, "Come on. No one's that helpful."

Like I said, I'm not sold yet. There's potential. And there's a strong opening and closing. I'll give it a few more weeks.

Rating (this episode):
[1] Run in the other direction
[2] Don't bother
[3] Worth a watch if you've got nothing better to do
[4] Definitely try it out
[5] A total keeper