Academic

"In Plain Sight" -- out of sight for me

By Tung Yin

In recent years, summer has been a good time for television shows.  CBS's "Survivor" and Fox's "American Idol" actually started as summer offerings and did so well they got moved into the "regular" schedule.  My favorite reality TV show these days is probably "So You Think You Can Dance," which starts in late May and runs through the summer.

USA Network in particular used the summer effectively, with "The 4400" (think "Heroes" before NBC got there) and "Burn Notice," among others.  USA's tagline is "characters welcome," and that well describes the appeal of many of USA's top shows.  They're just quirky enough to be draw you in like a cozy sofa.

So it was with some anticipation that I set my TiVo to record the premeire of "In Plain Sight," about a U.S. Marshal played by Mary McCormack who's part of the federal witness relocation program.  I remember McCormack from the 1990s show "Murder One," thought she did a good job there, and expected that she could do well in a Karen Sisco-like role -- i.e., an engaging, tough woman in a typically male-dominated job.

Apparently, I wasn't alone in giving the show a try, as it delivered very good (by cable standards) viewer numbers.

However, it was so flat, so lifeless, and ultimately, so obviously QUIRKY, that after half an hour, my wife and I gave up on it.  Sad to say, McCormack does not grace the character with any depth, just a series of out-of-place sexual innuendos directed at bad guys.  And worst of all, it was plain boring.

With that, season pass deleted.

Full post as published by The Yin Blog on June 03, 2008 (boomark / email).