CLEVELAND, Ohio – Fox fields two new action dramas this week, taking advantage of the enormous promotional platform provided by its coverage of Super Bowl LI. Both rookie series are derivative collections of shopworn elements. Both feature extremely likable leads.
REVIEW 24: Legacy
What: The new “24” stars Corey Hawkins as an agent racing to stop a terrorist attack on United States soil.
When: 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5 (approximate, after Super Bowl LI, then moves into is regular time slot at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6).
Where: Fox (WJW Channel 8).
But the results are surprisingly different. The more high-profile of the two, the relentlessly ballyhooed “24: Legacy,” proves to be the low-caliber effort, while the other, “APB,” musters just enough firepower in the energy and style departments to keep the viewer engaged.
“24: Legacy” gets the coveted post-Super Bowl spot, premiering about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, on WJW Channel 8. It then moves into its regular time slot at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, where it will be followed by the 9 p.m. debut of “APB.”
It has been the season of revamps and remakes, with CBS trying reboots of a series (“MacGyver”) and a hit film (“Training Day).” Indeed, Fox already has garnered its share of favorable reviews for new prime-time versions of “Lethal Weapon” and “The Exorcist.”
REVIEW APB
What: The new crime drama stars Justin Kirk as billionaire engineer Gideon Reeves.
When: 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6.
Where: Fox (WJW Channel 8).
But “24: Legacy” is by far the weakest of Fox’s attempts to recapture the glories of Hollywood yesteryear. This sometimes talky and often preposterous “Legacy” effort has all of the annoying flaws of Kiefer Sutherland’s long-running “24” and none of its considerable strengths.
In fact, “24: Legacy” not only has those flaws, it stumbles over them more quickly and more frequently. A “24” season with Sutherland’s ace Counter Terrorism Unit agent, Jack Bauer, took more than a few leaps off the logic cliff, particularly in the middle episodes, when plot lines tended to wander a bit.
The beauty of the original “24” was that it started and ended in such high-adrenaline fashion, you were willing to forgive the wayward middle stretches. This new variation on the familiar formula begins by subjecting us to implausible plot twists that are two-ton credibility busters.
Why wait for the fifth or sixth episode to get all illogical on the viewer? So “24: Legacy” wastes no time in fully embracing the absurd and the ridiculous. And while the Bauer-era “24” served up more than its share of caricatures, this incarnation occasionally turns into an exercise of stereotypes on parade.
Bauer isn’t the only thing missing from the new “24” (although Sutherland is on board as an executive producer). The lackluster “Legacy” also suffers from a lack of pacing and storytelling vigor. It is, at times, shockingly dull, and, for all its faults, that’s something you never could say about the original.
The iconic clock is ticking, but there are moments when time seems to stand still.
Corey Hawkins (“Straight Outta Compton”) stars in “24: Legacy” as Eric Carter, a former U.S. Army Rangers sergeant. He has been living an isolated existence ever since being part of a top-secret mission that killed a terrorist leader in Yemen.
Other members of his team are being killed. Their cover has been blown, and now, yes, Carter is in a (say it with me now) race against time to figure out how he and his comrades became targets.
Hawkins is the one dynamic element in this misguided mess. He is a terrific lead being ably supported by such capable players as Miranda Otto (“Homeland”) and Jimmy Smits (“NYPD Blue”).
The used-parts nature of “24: Legacy” is underscored by the realization that Smits’ character is running for president. Didn’t Smits already play a character running for president on a network drama? Yup, on NBC’s “The West Wing.”
Still, there’s nothing wrong with the cast. The writing and the direction are what ultimately make “24: Legacy” a pale shadow of its powerhouse predecessor.
What stuns us about “24: Legacy” isn’t that it’s mind-numbingly awful. That’s because it’s far from awful. What stuns us is how average and mediocre it is. And that’s not the legacy of “24.”
“APB” is equally derivative, yet it’s not without charm and vitality. It, too, boasts a winning lead performance. Justin Kirk stars as brilliant billionaire engineer Gideon Reeves, whose charmed life is touched by tragedy. His best friend is murdered, and the Chicago police have no leads or suspects.
Gideon makes a deal with the Windy City’s mayor. He’ll put a huge dent in the department’s financial problems with a personal check – if he’s allowed to be in charge of the city’s 13th District precinct house.
Despite the skepticism of such veteran officers as Sgt. Ned Conrad (Ernie Hudson), he outfits the 13th with cutting-edge technology and sets out after the bad guys. An early ally to his cause is young officer Theresa Murphy (Natalie Martinez).
The high-tech aspects of “APB” are fun (and they’d better be), as is Kirk’s smirking know-it-all performance. The concept is thin, but there’s potential here. Although there’s nothing groundbreaking on display, writer-executive producer Matt Nix (“Burn Notice”) can build on a solid enough foundation.
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