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Murder Joins a Crowded Friday Club
Angie Harmon in Women's Murder Club by Danny Feld/ABC
My loyalties are so divided on Friday nights. I want ABC’s so-so new crime drama Women’s Murder Club to do well enough to bring some much-needed eyeballs to the charming romantic comedy Men in Trees, which finally returns from a cruel nearly eight-month hiatus. With James Patterson’s name as a selling point for Murder Club (though he’s not writing this series any more than he appears to be penning half of the books that go out with co-writers’ names on his ubiquitous book jackets), the show certainly has a shot at commercial success, even on a night that’s widely considered a graveyard. Remember: This same night, and this same time period (9 pm/ET), is where the original CSI launched to even less fanfare, and the rest is TV history.
But I also don’t want anything to take audience away from Murder Club’s competition, most notably NBC’s ever-fragile Friday Night Lights, which offers another superb episode this week. Even if like many observers you’re not crazy about the melodramatic dumping-a-dead-body subplot ensnaring Tyra and Landry, I defy you not to be moved by the final scene involving Adrienne Palicki and Jesse Plemons tonight as they confront with aching emotion the enormity of what they’ve done and what they now mean to each other. Meanwhile, Connie Britton is a mood-swinging marvel as Tami Taylor, overcome by the single-parent mess she finds herself in with her husband’s absence. Kyle Chandler, babysitting a spoiled college player, has a much-needed epiphany when the bratty athlete he’s escorting (and who benefits from Coach Taylor’s adult guidance) asks him flat out: “What you doing in the car with me when you’ve got a new baby?” There is no good answer for that one, gotta say. Also terrific moments involving Julie and the heartbroken Matt, the sad-sack Buddy Garrity (pushed away from the team by the “hillbilly mouth-breather” new Panthers coach) and Jason Street, embracing what seems to be an irrational hope of physical recovery from his paralysis. Hope for a better, brighter future links most of the characters of this peerlessly humane show.
Friday Night Lights remains one of the year’s best series, but there is genuine concern that its emotional content is too heavy for a night that leans toward escapism: CBS’s supernatural combo of Ghost Whisperer and Moonlight, NBC’s Las Vegas. In that light, and given how well CBS’s above-par procedural Numbers has done on Fridays through its entire run, Women’s Murder Club would seem to be a smart fit for a network desperate to launch a crime franchise. I just wish it were better.
Watching the completely overhauled pilot episode, which awkwardly tries to shoehorn Grey’s Anatomy-style girl talk about relationships and personal fulfillment into crime scene investigations, it struck me that ABC is too determined to drain actual drama out of most of its dramas, out of fear of being seen as too dark or disturbing. These fizzy hours all begin to blur together so that it’s getting harder to distinguish the good dramedies (Brothers & Sisters, Grey’s Anatomy, Dirty Sexy Money, parts of Desperate Housewives) from the bad (Big Shots, Private Practice).
Women’s Murder Club, with its strong female lead (Angie Harmon of the gorgeous looks and tough-girl husky voice), strikes me as a suitable replacement show for those bereft Crossing Jordan fans who still write me in despair. Harmon is by far the show’s best asset, even when they make her mope about being forced to work for her ex (Rob Estes, who is not worthy). Her sidekicks in crime-solving include a prosecutor (perky Laura Harris, who’s simply awful), a medical examiner (Paula Newsome, who brings some necessary mature gravity) and a cub reporter (blah Aubrey Dollar) who’s desperate to break into this “club.” It’s all very ordinary, but we’ve seen worse. And if that seems like damning with faint praise, there’s a lot of that going around this uninspiring fall season.
If the show were any darker, though, that would probably make it a less suitable lead-in for Men in Trees, which had just begun to develop its delightful ensemble when ABC yanked it into hiatus last February and chose to keep it in cold storage for the rest of the season. As the show’s focus expanded beyond the core couple of Marin and Jack to embrace all the oddball residents of Elmo, Alaska (Jerome the barfly, Buzz and his mail-order wife Mai, Patrick and his winsome intended Annie, to name just a few), I become an unintended fan of a show I had earlier written off as a pale imitation of Northern Exposure. It’s still far from perfect, and tonight’s opener once again finds Marin tiresomely stumbling into a natural disaster out in the wilderness until she’s rescued by you-know-who. But the show’s heart is in the right place, and that counts for a lot. It’s a guaranteed feel-good hour, and on Friday nights, I can think of few things that should be more welcome.
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Oct 12, 2007 1:47 PM
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though he’s not writing this series any more than he appears to be penning half of the books that go out with co-writers’ names on his ubiquitous book jackets
You are so right about that.
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Oct 12, 2007 2:07 PM
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I am very excited about WMC, but nothing and I mean NOTHING will take me away from Friday Night Lights (meaning keeping me from watching it "live"), so I'm guessing WMC will be recorded and I'll watch it @ 10 pm. While I do think NBC probably did the right thing for them in moving FNL from the 10 o'clock slot where it originally was after upfronts in May to the 9 o'clock slot, it would've been better for me if it had stayed @ 10 pm. However, all that said, as I said before, I'll watch FNL "live" @ 9 and follow it up with the recording of WMC @ 10 and hope that they both hold their own in the ratings.
Also, just an added thought, its funny how Friday night is now considered the graveyard for television. I remember when it used to be a big night for TV when I was growing up (thinking back long, long ago to the Dallas years). Of course, things just aren't what they were then, but that's a completely different post on a completely different board.
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Oct 12, 2007 2:46 PM
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Friday is all about Friday Night Lights for me. It is the only reason why I turn on the tv this season. Tonight there will be alot of flipping between FNL and the baseball game on FOX 
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Oct 12, 2007 3:00 PM
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I just wish Dick Wolf would have been bold enough to have brought Angie Harmon (a.k.a. Abbie Carmichael) back as either the Executive ADA to Sam Waterston's newly elected DA, Jack McCoy on L&O--or, how about Abbie as DA with Jack reporting to her??? Now that would have made for Must See TV!! ![]<img border=](http://community.tvguide.com/images/emoticons/devil.gif) ">
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Oct 12, 2007 3:45 PM
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I'm gonna have to choose. I can only watch 2 of the 3 shows (FNL, WMC and Moonlight). I've been enjoying moonlight the past couple of weeks and I like FNL but I wanted to check out women's murder club too.
I think I'll just have to try to catch the new one online. Although, it sounds to me like you're saying it's not really worth it, if Angie Harmon is the only reason to watch.
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Oct 12, 2007 3:54 PM
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When I was in my 20s, lo these (cough, cough) years ago, Friday was often "date night," meaning that a date could come over for a night of TV, popcorn and conversation, because I had a date with certain shows. It was a great way to find out if we had similar tastes in programs, social issues, etc.
With the lineup on Friday nights now, I don't see why it wouldn't be "date night" again. Especially with the cost of movies now, this is a really good alternative.
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Oct 12, 2007 4:11 PM
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I've really enjoyed Moonlight so far, so I want to continue watching that show. I want to check out WMC (even though you were right on the money re: Mr. Patterson's writing factory) and I love FNL. So, thank God I have a DVR. I'm recording ML and WMC - and this is a testament to how great FNL is - I'm actually going to suffer through commercials in order to watch this show live (upstairs on the one television not attached to the dish!).
Also Matt, it's not really that hard to distinguish between the really well done shows and the rest of the flotsam (seriously wish I would have listened to you regarding the Big Shots premiere - there's 60 minutes I'll never get back!). The well-done shows are so memorable that I actually look forward to them, the rest I tend to forget when they're on and therefore miss them.
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Oct 12, 2007 4:17 PM
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Blah. I'm not one for proceedurals (except for The Closer), but even among those, Women's Murder Club looks really bland to me. My Friday night I will be spent in Dillon and Elmo with a channel flip in between, and it starts in just a few minutes. Can't wait.
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Oct 12, 2007 8:52 PM
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Okay, I've now watched Women's Murder Club and, while I agree with you 95 percent of the time, Matt, I didn't find this half bad. I also did not find Laura Harris to be acting "perky" or awful. Angie Harmon and Paula Newsome are, undoubtedly, the strongest presences on the screen and I particularly liked their scenes together. Rob Estes doesn't come across as strong enough for Angie to be his ex, but maybe that's one of the reasons the characters are divorced. All in all, it's a show I'll watch again and it seemed just right for Friday night.
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Oct 12, 2007 10:17 PM
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I really disagree with your calling Private Practice as bad. So far, I have enjoyed every episode especially the October 10 episode. In my stressful life of teaching inner city children everyday, I applaud ABC's fun shows like Private Practice. I watch TV to escape not to expect a life changing event. To me Private Practice is a developing show-it has gotton better with every episode. See, my teacher mentality has me thinking that's the way it should be-you get better in time. Of course, you being the critic must think everything should be on top immediately. Anyway my point is please stop saying Private Practice is bad-give it a chance-I live on a teacher's salary. Private Practice is my one hour of enjoyment. I don't want it going anywhere.
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Oct 13, 2007 1:40 AM
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My loyalties are still with Moonlight. Although the "orphaned" newbie did not do well, I was happier with a more relaxed storyline this week. I loved Beth riding around in the car ("no garlic in the chips") trying to get Mick to give his age. That 100 watt affection he showed then and at the end of the show is mesmerizing.
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Oct 13, 2007 2:21 AM
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Watched the show (after I was done watching FNL "live") last night and throughly enjoyed it! If I remember correctly (it's been quite awhile since I read the first book in this series) I think the pilot and the first book were similar in how all the girls met (obviously the murder case was different, which was good, because then I didn't know what to expect). In the show Lindsay, Claire and Jill are all friends previously and then they hook up with Cindy and I'm pretty sure that's how it was in the book. Hoping WMC gets picked up for the season!
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Oct 13, 2007 9:23 AM
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I must say that I really enjoyed WMC. I look forward to seeing many more episodes. I truly hope they give this show a chance. I thought all the characters played well off each other. It is definitely a full Friday night with Ghost Whisperer, Women's Murder Club, Men In Trees and later Moonlight and Numbers. It's one of the best nights of television.
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Oct 13, 2007 11:40 AM
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Matt, I'm surprised you didn't give Women's Murder Club higher marks. It wasn't a perfect show, but it did a reasonably good job of drawing in the viewer (me) and holding my attention. I thought the show did a good job of introducing the characters and giving us an idea of what we can expect the show to be about - and I'll be back for more!
That doesn't mean I'll give up Friday Night Lights. I can watch both!
BTW - I also agree with the poster who was writing in support of Private Practice. Give it a chance!
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Oct 13, 2007 4:25 PM
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