CODE BLACK – My rating: 8.5

Code Black is another hospital series with trauma and drama that takes you beyond the norm.  In it’s 2nd season, Code Black continues to hold it’s own in the ratings.  Grant you, there’s nothing earth shattering happening that doesn’t happen in other medical series, save maybe one, but like the other medical series, it’s exciting, insightful and quite informative.  Over the last two seasons, Code Black has featured many actors. Currently, three main doctors that were featured in season one have been replaced.

Each week after showing short excerpts from last week’s show and a quick lead in to the current show, Code Black displays the following statements to your screen: 

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When there are more patients than resources [in the emergency room]. 
An influx of patients so great, there aren’t enough resources to treat them.
The average ER is in Code Black five times per year.
Angels Memorial hospital in Los Angeles is in Code Black 300 times per year.

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After displaying their customized definition of Code Black, the action begins.  Like ER and Grays Anatomy, Code Black features mini stories about the patients that have been brought into the ER, with running stories about the staff of their permanent doctors: Residency Director, Dr. Leanne Rorish (Marcia Gay Harden),  Attending ER Physician, Dr. Rollie Guthrie (William Allen Young), Chief of Surgery, Dr. Will Campbell (Boris Kodjoe) four resident interns: Dr. Malaya Pineda (Melanie Chandra),  Dr. Mario Savetti (Benjamin Hollingsworth), Dr. Angus Leighton  (Harry Ford), Dr. Mike Leighton (Tommy Dewey) and senior head nurse of Angels Memorial:  Jesse “Momma” Salander (Luis Guzmán).

SEASON TWO:
Angels Memorial welcomes Dr. Ethan Willis (Rob Lowe), a U.S. Army colonel attached to the U.S. military’s prestigious Combat Casualty Care research program. He joins the ER staff at Angels Memorial after the Army pulls him from the battlefield in Afghanistan.

Dr. Will Campbell (Boris Kodjoe), this highly regarded surgeon from season one, has become the new Chief of the ER as well, in order to save money.

Elliot Dixon (Noah Gray-Cabey), a new intern.

Dr. Amanda Nolan (Kathleen Rose Perkins), a new psychiatrist.

Noa Kean (Emily Tyra), a new first year resident in the ER.

Code Black is exciting and entertaining.  I enjoy watching it and I think anyone else who watches it will like it as well.  Code Black currently airs on CBS.

 

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DESIGNATED SURVIVOR – My rating: 9.3/10

They’ve done it again.  The producers of 24 have come up with another hit series, Designated Survivor.  It’s every bit as exciting as 24 was.  I am having a real blast watching this new drama with a more mellow character.  No fighting, torture, jumping and running from building to building, just plain old fashion deceit, devious plots, murder, terror attacks and plenty of cover ups.  Oh, and lets not leave out brains, meaning cleverness, logic and street smarts.

Imagine all the heads of state, thrown in with some VIPs from other places meeting somewhere in Washington D.C.  Let’s say a bomb were to hit that meeting place and kill every single person there, including the President of the United State of America.  Well, that is just what happens in Designated Survivor.  That is why there is always one man left behind in case such a catastrophe should happen, thus eliminating an argument as to whom would run the country.  In this case, Tom Kirkman, (Keiter Sutherland) U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, was also appointed as the “designated survivor”.  He ended up becoming the new President after the explosion claimed the lives of the President and all of his Cabinet at a State of the Union address. Needless to say, Tom was not welcomed with open arms, as no one felt he was really qualified to fill the shoes of the former President, so Tom was met with lots of resistance.  As the series moves on, we find there is something a lot more sinister going on than an explosion.  President Kirkman is under pressure to prove himself worthy, as well as resolve the ongoing problems of the country and punish the rightful terrorist of the attack on the US.  Following another unprecedented attack, the suspense is heart thumping, as we wait for the series to resume,  after the Winter break on Wednesday, March 8th.

Jason Atwood, (Malik Yoba) is the Deputy Director of the FBI who works closely with Hannah Wells, (Maggie Q) his most dedicated agent and closest friend in the FBI.  Together they are trying to unravel, what Hannah expects is a sinister plot, that may involve the newly appointed Vice President, Peter MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman).  Chuck Russink, (Jake Epstein) is an FBI technician who aids Hannah in her investigation.  President Kirkman’s wife, First Lady Alex Kirkman, (Natascha McElhone) is also an attorney, employed at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  Their two children Leo Kirkman, (Tanner Buchanan) and Penny Kirkman, (Mckenna Grace) have suddenly been uprooted from their everyday routines to come and live in the White house while also dealing with personal issues.  After an awkward encounter with President Kirkman,  Seth Wright (Kal Penn), who was the former speechwriter for the late president, initially harbored strong doubts about Tom Kirkman’s abilities to lead the country but quickly becomes one of his closest advisors and the White House Press Secretary.   Aaron Shore, (Adan Canto) who was the former White House Deputy Chief of Staff  became the new White House Chief of Staff and a close friend to President Kirkman along with Emily Rhodes, (Italia Ricci)  who happened to be Tom’s former Chief of Staff but is now his Special Advisor following his ascension to the presidency.  Mike Ritter, (LaMonica Garrett)  is Tom’s personal Secret Service agent, tasked with ensuring the Kirkman family’s safety in the wake of the attack.  Kimble Hookstraten, (Virginia Madsen) is a Republican Congresswoman and the designated survivor for the GOP who supports Tom’s authority while secretly harboring her own agenda. She is later elected Speaker of the House by the new Congress.

In my opinion, Designated Survivor is well done and before the winter break, it left us panting, with our minds racing and our thoughts running rampart.  The suspense in unbearable.  Reminds me of Dallas in the old days when everyone wanted to know “Who Shot JR”?  This time we want to know “Who Got Shot”?  Well I advice everyone to check it out on FOX where Designated Survivor is currently airing.

 

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PURE GENIUS – My rating: 9/10

What a refreshing new series. While it’s not perfect, it is different enough in the category of  hospital series to consider Pure Genius a keeper. I’m willing to bet most people feel when one is faced with a fatal disease, the FDA’s bureaucratic rules only stand in the way when there’s a potential treatment out there they won’t allow you to participate in because they haven’t done the years of testing they feel is necessary for approval. When you only have a few weeks or months or even just year to live, does it matter?  If it does, say no, if it doesn’t, say yes.

Pure Genius is about the cutting edge of technology. Originally called Bunker Hill, it’s not about defying the FDA, it’s about thinking outside the box and saving lives. The staff is often at odds with the FDA, trying to get them to approve treatments using new techniques that shows promise toward a cure for a patient that has some awful, otherwise incurable disease. James Bell, (Augustus Prew) who just so happens to have a fatal, degenerate disease (GSS) only one doctor knows about, is dedicated to saving lives and has a heart bigger than anyone you’ll probably ever meet, is also a  Silicon Valley tech billionaire and the founder of Bunker Hill.  Dr. Walter Wallace (Dermot Mulroney) has come on board since getting fired for administering a non-FDA approved procedure on a dying 8 year old in order to save his life, except the child died anyway.  Dr. Talaikha Channarayapatra, (Reshma Shetty) is a brilliant Neurosurgeon and a former Miss Indiana.  Dr. Zoe Brockett, (Odette Annable) is a double board-certified doctor of pediatrics and critical care.   Dr. Malik Verlaine, (Aaron Jennings) is head of the Ehub, which does remote monitoring of patients.  Dr. Scott Strauss, (Ward Horton) is also a Catholic Priest.   Angie Cheng, (Brenda Song) can build almost anything, be it on a 3D printer or just a mechanical device made by hand.   This staff actually goes out scouting for rear cases — the harder, the better.

The ratings are not so high on this series, which means it may not be around for long.  I read somewhere, the personal stories surrounding the supporting characters was not strong enough to develop the concept and message being created.  Despite what critics say, I really like Pure Genius.  It often gives me warm fuzzes and new information about the latest technology.  Pure Genius is currently airing on CBS.  I urge folks to at least, check it out.

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GOOD BEHAVIOR – My rating: 8/10

Good Behavior is a sign of an excellent actress. The star role is a far cry from the famous “Lady Mary Josephine Crawley” role from Downton Abbey, the popular BBC series that ended in 2016. When I heard Good Behavior was going to air in 2017, featuring a British actress from the Downton Abbey series, I was thrilled. After watching the first couple of episodes, I was amazed. Good Behavior is about a drug dependent, alcoholic, thief, con artist and single mom, who will do what is necessary to get what she wants. Estranged from her son, Jacob Raines (Nyles Steele) because of her lifestyle and absence, due to bouts in jail and prison, Litty Raines (Michelle Dockery) is on a conquest to get her son back from her mother, Estelle (Lusia Strus) since she is fresh out of prison. In this series, Litty meets up with an assassin, Javier Pereira (Juan Diego Botto) who is both good and bad for her — so the journey begins.

There are various characters that support Good Behavior and it has the best rating out of all the new series introduced in 2016.  The story is different, adding humor, drama and OMG moments.  Litty has an unconventional parole officer Christian Woodhill, (Terry Kinny) who brings all kinds of smiles to your face.  There’s also an FBI agent, Rhonda Lashever (Ann Dowd) who needs a therapist as much as Litty.  Together, Christian and Rhonda are quite the  addition to the series.  The first 10 episodes have aired and were received with high ratings, which means Good Behavior will probably be around for a while.  I personally love the show and highly recommend it to all adults.  Good Behavior currently airs on TNT.

AMERICAN ODYSSEY – My rating: 9/10

American Odyssey has made its mark as an exhilarating, mind blowing thriller.  Compared to Homeland, it’s full of mystery, intrigue and is every bit as good.  This series is about the discovery of a major American corporation that is funding Islamist terror groups and how that company had a team of American soldiers attacked and killed by private military contractors as a cover up.  One female soldier (Sergeant Odelle Ballard) was overlooked when she went to relieve herself in the bushes.  All the rest of her team were bombed as she watched from afar.  She managed to get away undetected.  In the meanwhile, the army notified her family that she was killed by Jihadists, but her 12 year old daughter isn’t buying the story.  The conspiracy is so big and so involved that it makes for an excellent series.  There are many twist and turns and characters throughout the story that have you sitting on the edge of your seat.  Some of the major stand out characters are: Sergeant Odelle Ballard (Anna Friel), who speaks Arabic and is a translator for a Special Forces team sent to Mali to track and kill a top terrorist commander; Frank Majors (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), is an OSELA mercenary who relentlessly peruses Sergeant Odelle Ballard to correct having left her alive; Aslam (Omar Ghazaoui), a young Malian boy who befriends and helps Sgt. Ballard throughout her journey to stay safe and return home;  Shakir Khan (Yousef Sweid), is Aslam’s uncle and famous television “drag queen” personality who put everything on the line to help his nephew and Sgt. Ballard;  Suzanne Ballard (Sadie Sink), is the daughter of Odelle and Ron Ballard who doesn’t believe her mother is dead based on evidence she’s gathered and heard;  Peter Decker (Peter Facinelli), is a former US Attorney, now working for Simon-Wachtel in business intelligence, has also picked up on this conspiracy and is working on his own to investigate and prove his findings; Harrison Walters (Jake Robinson), is a political activist who becomes involved after he meets a hacker who claims to have unearthed a massive coverup involving the military;  Ruby Simms (Daniella Pineda), a Hitwoman/Assassin for SOC who is pretending to be a Freelance Reporter for the Times; Bob Offer (Nate Mooney), is an Activist and Hacker who also has email proof that shows Sgt. Ballard was not killed with her team as the military reported; Luc Girad (Gregory Fitoussi), is a French “facilitator” (drug dealer) who has involved himself in Sgt. Ballard’s and Aslam’s problems for his own survival;  Colonel Stephen Glen (Treat Williams), is a high-ranking officer of the United States Africa Command.  Heavily involved in the coverup and a deceitful old friend of Sergeant Ballard’s family; Julia (Allison Mack) is a military intelligence analyst who befriends Suzanne, Sgt. Ballard’s daughter; Michael Banks (Connor Trinneer), Ruby Simms’ boss and love interest who delegates assignments to her;  Ron Ballard (Jim True-Frost), is the husband of Odelle Ballard.

I’ve tried to stir your curiosity by giving you a thorough look into the adventure of a series, I think, really tops them all.  American Odyssey is truly a “don’t miss” experience and currently airs on NBC.  Check it out!

UPDATE:
SADLY, AMERICAN ODYSSEY HAS BEEN CANCELLED! I’VE PASSED ON HOW GOOD THIS SERIES IS TOO MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY — ALL WHO WATCHED AGREED, SO WHAT HAPPENED? DID IT HIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME OR DID IT GIVE IDEAS TO THE PUBLIC? WHATEVER THE FACTS, IT’S GONE! A TRULY GOOD SERIES HAS, ONCE AGAIN, LEFT US WITHOUT EXPLANATION. THUMBS DOWN TO NBC FOR NOT GIVING THIS GREAT SERIES A SECOND CHANCE!

WAYWARD PINES – My rating 7/10

So far I’m not impressed with Wayward Pines. It’s not the acting I have a problem with, it’s the story.I guess there hasn’t been enough episodes to connect the dots. (I’M NOT SURE ABOUT THIS, AS I AM STILL PIECING THIS TOGETHER — It seems corporation(s), who are members of this secret conspiracy, are sending chosen people to a town called Wayward Pines to either be murdered or be banished from the rest of the world.) Wayward Pines has it’s own set of rules, and everyone there is watched and monitored. A couple of the rules, that will get you killed is, never speak about the past before you arrived there and never try to leave. Sheriff Arnold Pope (Terrence Howard) is the first and last word of the law. There has only been three episodes aired and things are very mysterious. Beverly (Juliette Lewis) a bartender, is the only person currently trying to escape along with the town’s newcomer, Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon), a US Secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two fellow agents.  Another mysterious thing is about time.  Even though a person may have only been in Wayward Pines a couple of weeks, they think think they have been there for many, many years.  I will revisit this critique again before the season ends and give my final verdict on Wayward Pines.  It may turn out to be very good, or not!

THE SLAP – My rating: 7/10

The Slap has an impressive cast but doesn’t appear to have the potential for a long story line.  In fact, it’s an American mini series, based on an Australian adaptation of the same name.  So far, only the pilot has aired so there’s not a whole lot to report on, regarding the quality of the series.  I found some parts of this story quite repulsive.  An unruly 5 year old brat at a family, birthday barbeque is pulling up the hostess’s garden, destroying classic vinyl records, refusing to acknowledge he’s been called out after the 3rd strike in a softball game and the worst of all, being breast fed by his mom Rosie (Melissa George) every time he gets out of order.  Hugo’s father, Gary (Thomas Sadoski) observes but does nothing.  The slap was caused when Hugo repeatedly kicked an adult, Harry (Zachary Quinto) in the shins because Harry was trying to discipline Hugo as he swung a bat at the other children.  I must say, the whole scene brought up plenty emotions.  It’s hard to sit there and not have any input however, it’s only a TV series.  In the meanwhile, the star couple, 39 year old Hector Apostolou (Peter Sarsgaard) and Aisha Apostolou (Thandie Newton) are having a 40th birthday for Hector and Hector is obsessing over his under aged children’s baby sitter, Connie (Makenzie Leigh).  In pops Anouk (Uma Thurman), with a very young date and observes Hector having a private moment with Connie.  There’s lots going on in this series, including the fact that Harry is a cocky hot head.  I have mixed feelings about The Slap — I hope it’s gets better because other than the slap, I found it a tad boring with a lot of the same old scenarios, like Hector’s mid life crisis.  Dylan Schombing brilliantly plays Hugo, the 5 year old, undisciplined child.  The Slap airs on NBC and is a tolerable mini series that will run for 8 episodes.

ALLEGIANCE – My rating – 9/10

There are several series out that deal with national and international affairs but there are none that deal on the level of Allegiance.  A couple, Katya (Hope Davis) and Mark O’Connor (Scott Cohen) are retired Russian spies or as the pilot suggest, current sleeper cells.  The O’Connor’s have 3 children, Natalie (Margarita Levieva),  Alex (Gavin Stenhouse) and Sarah (Alexandra Peters).  Sarah is also a Russian Sleeper Cell but her brother, Alex is a gifted CIA analyst who is assigned to a joint FBI/CIA investigation into a SVR plot to destroy critical infrastructure within the United States.  Their younger sister, Sarah, has no clue as to the whole spy endeavor.  Alex also has no clue about his sister, Natalie, or his parents true lifestyle.  In fact Katya is the only family member originally from Russia.  She recruited her husband and daughter.  Katya and her husband have no desire to spy or carry out any Russian task but are being threatened by the SVR ( Sluzhba Vneshnei Razvedki (Russian Foreign Intelligence Service; post cold war intelligence service).  As an alternative to recruiting their son, Alex, who is “unrecruitable”, the O’Connors have agreed to spy on their son, giving the SVR access and information that will keep them several steps ahead of the FBI and CIA during their investigations regarding their (Russia’s) plot against the US.  Allegiance is very well written and very informative.  I find the series intelligent, entertaining and suspenseful.  I think it’s going to be around for a while.  Allegiance airs on NBC — check it out!

Obviously, I really liked this series, however, I just found out it’s been cancelled after 5 episodes.

FOREVER – My rating: 8/10

I really like this new series.  I’ve watched 2 episodes so far and I find myself quite intrigued.  The series opens with an explanation as to the condition of Dr. Henry Morgan played by Ioan Gruffudd.  200 years ago,  Dr. Morgan was employed on an African slave trade ship where he was asked to execute a black man for being sick.  Since the man was not really sick, he refused to execute him.  The captain of the ship raised his sword to execute Dr. Morgan but something unexplainable happened and Dr. Morgan woke up in a near by river with no clothes on, alive and well.  Unbeknownst to him, at that time, he would never die.  In the meanwhile he meets a beautiful woman named Abigail, played by Mackenzie Mauzy, whom he wedded and told his secret to.  It was during world war II when they found an orphaned baby in a German camp and raised him as their own.  At present Dr. Morgan is still 35 years old and his wife Abigail has passed.  It hasn’t been revealed how and why she died, but their child Abe, played by Judd Hirsch is now in his 60s and retrieves Dr. Morgan from the river every time he dies.  Currently, Dr. Morgan is a NY Chief Medical Examiner and is sharper than anyone he works with.  He has befriended a female detective named Jo Martinez, played by Alana De La Garza who he now helps with solving her police cases.  She doesn’t know his secret but is impressed by his keen observation skills.  Someone named Adam is claiming to be in the same dilemma as Dr. Morgan, but instead of 200 years, Adam is claiming 2,000 years and is calling Henry constantly with tidbits about his life.  There’s a lot to this plot — I hope Forever sticks around for a while, as I find it very entertaining and quite the thrill ride.  Forever airs on ABC.

[Despite fan and cast protest, FOREVER has been cancelled. I am truly sorry to see this series go.]

CROSSBONES – My rating: 6/10

As an adventure, Crossbones drags a little, making it somewhat hard to get into.  I decided to watch this period piece because of John Malkovitch.  He is such a brilliant actor, I couldn’t see myself missing out on a series that features him.  Having said that, Crossbones is not as exciting or as entertaining as I expected.  The story takes place in the 18th century (1712) in the Bahamian island of New Providence.  It is said that who ever owns a device called the Longitude Chronometer, which can tell a sailor exactly where he is in the world, controls the seas.  When this device is stolen, Tom Lowe, an undercover assassin played by Richard Coyle is commissioned by the British to seek out and kill the infamous pirate, Edward Teach better known as Blackbeard.  Obviously, Blackbeard and his band of  pirates are suspected of stealing the device.  Upon finding Blackbeard, played by John Malkovich, Tom ends up joining forces with him to save England.  This may sound a little confusing but believe me it’s well explained in the series.  Just when Tom thinks he has completed his mission, something happens to keep him and his faithful assistant, Tim Fletch (Chris Perfetti), in the magical grip of Blackbeard’s charismatic character and irrefutable logic.  As I said, Crossbones is a little slow captivating it’s audience, but it’s getting better as it is aging with time.  Crossbones is definitely not the best of the Blackbeard stories.   Crossbones is currently airing on the NBC network,  Fridays and is not for everyone. Unfortunately, Crossbones has been cancelled!