It's the kind of work that I like to classify as "deep shallow," in that it deals in familiar tropes and simple themes but articulates them in a clever, stylish way.
It’s the broader story of Briggs--is his hat white or black?--and his unfolding relationship Warren that elevates Graceland a cut above your dime-a-dozen crime dramas.
Graceland is an entertaining addition to a strong summer lineup in which attractive people trade witty banter and engage in serious work that provides good clean episodic fun while teaching the main characters the importance of love and loyalty.
The show may not hold the attention of TV fans who crave complex storytelling--there's not much for fans of psychologically intriguing character development to dig into--but for viewers who enjoy a steady USA diet, Graceland may darken the network's Blue Sky programming approach just enough to intrigue.
Sunjata is talented and charismatic.... He deserves a show that will cement his status as a leading man. This isn’t it. Tveit buckles under the script shifts, in one scene a dweeb, in the next, a canny agent.
Government agents loll around the beach, exchanging the kind of banter for which television writers would, in a just world, be sent to some quiet place to reflect on their idiocy. All this, amid the plotting of incoherent designs to trap drug dealers, and plenty of sand and dazzling blue skies--elements that have on occasion succeeded in mitigating the flaws of some deadly TV series. This deadly series isn't one of them.
This show makes me a nervous wreck - every week. I teach making predictions & foreshadowing for a living, so I'm pretty jaded watching most shows with pedantic writing & mediocre acting. However, the writers are able to surprise me with the multi-layered story lines & plot twists. I get so amped up that I can't watch it @ night, then go to bed - I have to watch it the next night, then have time to calm down before I go to bed. The writing is tight & the story lines are engaging. Two thumbs up. PS: eye candy!!!
I have also noticed that the negative reviews are based upon the trailer. I think that it's asinine to base a review of anything based upon a snippet - my review is based upon watching the entire season.
Graceland is good, and that's probably the best thing I can say about it. The cast is generally unremarkable, and the whole thing has a very USA Network feel, which isn't necessarily bad, it just doesn't have any substance to back up the style.
Okay, you can't deny it, the trailer was awesome. I think if you give it time, Graceland will grow to become an amazing show. Right now, you can already see all the negative reviews. What Graceland lacks is a special something. A special something that defines the show. And by special something, I mean the story line, characters, and everything about it is a bit dry. There isn't that much humor. Okay, well you might say that humor isn't what a drama is for. Then, I will tell you that there isn't enough drama to make up for that. This show is slow moving too, that's why I say the show has a good chance to grow. The concept is a very good idea though.
Based upon the trailer I saw, the premise of the series seemed to be good enough to warrant me sitting through the pilot episode.
I found the pilot to be entertaining. I thought the speech at the graduation ceremony to be quite good.
But I just could not shake the feeling that the show wasn't good enough to justify the effort I would have to put into it in order to keep up with characters' development, the reality-show style of angst among the characters, and all the plot twists. I made that effort with Burn Notice because I found that show to be engaging enough to warrant it.
With Graceland the formula is there, but there doesn't seem to be enough substance behind it.
This show just isn't that good. The main character, Mike is just a generic hero boy who always gets the girl and "saves" the day. He is the main character and he is the most boring, because writers are afraid that watchers will not be able to relate to him if he has even the slightest quirk personality. That is where you are wrong writers. Main characters who have depth and an unconventional way of doing or looking at things usually attract more ****'s just an annoying over-used formula that has gotten annoying over the years. He doesn't really have a character or a true personality. He is just there as the pillar of morality that everyone on the show should follow but don't. Why does everyone on the show have to be extremely attractive? the hot blonde girl, the blonde hero, even the anti-hero Briggs. They just put a bunch of attractive people near the beach and said, "Hey these people are attractive, awesome cops, so you should watch this show" ****. If you wanna watch a really great cop drama that is really dark, watch Luther. Arguably the best cop show ever. People will not find this review helpful, because they already like the show, but hey, the truth hurts. Rant over