All of the hype leading up to tonight's debut of "The River" (ABC, 9 p.m.) has been hailing it as the new "Lost."
I watched "Lost." "Lost" was one of my favorite shows.
"The River" is no "Lost."
Created by Oren Peli, director of the "Paranormal" movies, "The River" uses the same style of cinema verite to tell the story of famed explorer Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) who disappeared during a trip into the Amazon.
His former producer (Paul Blackthorne) promises to fund an expedition to find him, but only if Cole's wife Tess (Leslie Hope) and son Lincoln (Joe Anderson) come along. As they head further into an uncharted part of the Amazon, the crew finds Cole's boat, the Magus, abandoned and damaged. Viewing some of Cole's final footage, he shows them an area where the rules of science give way to magic.
For me, the show's biggest problem is its central conceit: the cinema verite style that makes it look like a weekly "documentary" as the crew heads into more danger. At some point, it becomes distracting and stunts the character growth. The dialogue is pretty trite and unintentionally comical, and given the way it's shot, it's hard to see some of what is going on (though that may be blamed on watching it on my computer rather than a TV set.)
Frankly, I just don't see how the style, which is OK for a movie or even a miniseries, will play out over a longer timespan.
Perhaps the hype was too much for "The River," and maybe it will get better, but so far, it left me underwhelmed. Still, try it for yourself and see.
TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: Tonight marks the 200th episode of "NCIS" (CBS, 8 p.m.), which sees Gibbs (Mark Harmon) reflect on his life as he faces a life-and-death standoff. Who thought this spinoff of "JAG" would become TV's top-rated drama? 200 is a rare milestone these days, indeed. Its own spinoff, "NCIS: LA" follows, as does "Unforgettable," which adds Jane Curtin to its cast.
NBC has two hours of "The Biggest Loser," followed by "Parenthood" at 10 p.m., while Fox has "Glee" at 8 p.m. with guest star Ricky Martin, followed by "New Girl" and "Raising Hope."
The CW has a new "90210" at 8 p.m., followed by "Ringer," which I gave up on last week.
On cable, it's a busy 10 p.m. with USA's "White Collar," FX's "Justified," and TNT's "Southland."
