Imposters

It's a little cheesy at times but it's quite a fun show. The suspense keeps me watching.

I read "dark comedy" in the description of this show and almost moved on, but this show is different than some dark comedies that tend to be too cynical for me, like the "War of the Roses." There are no mean spirited gags that make some characters unlikable.

This show reminds me a little of "The Grifters" meets "Pretty Woman." A light drama with comedic elements.

Surprisingly poignant moments and very good character development won me over.

Binged all of season one in two days and fell in love with Inbar Lavi (as does everyone else in the show). She is the new fresh face of Hollywood and, after visiting Israel last year, I find this native Hebrew woman highly intriguing. Her initial sidekicks, Max and Sal, are also very good actors. The three new sidekicks, all ex-spouses of Inbar's character Maddie, are pretty average. Writing is better than the crap on network television. Despite moving slowly in spots, the plot remains engaging enough to hold your interest. Somewhat miffed by Uma Thurman's character. She is not so convincing in her role as a hard-nosed enforcer. Patrick, the FBI dude, is just okay. He's a poor man's Shamar Moore.

I like this show... a lot. But I am enthralled, mesmerized, and smitten with Inbar Lavi.

This show is fun, smart and funny. The con artist world in full "Bloom". I was disappointed to see it was cancelled after season 2. Given the date, I don't think another network has picked it up. I'm kind of hoping Netflix, Hulu or Amazon might pick it up and save it. Bravo is a real fringe network and the following seems to be pretty good even without that. It would play well on one of those three streaming services. I hate to see a good series get dumped because of an obscure channel. Warehouse 13 died that way. Amazon did step in and save the Expanse so, there is still hope. It might help that Uma Thurman has signed to do a horror series on Netflix. Maybe she can get them to pick this up and make Lenny the new boss or team lead.

Imposters stars Inbar Lavi as a con-woman able to be a rich person's perfect romantic partner before skipping out with their money. In season one she works on her next victim while three former victims hunt her down. This nutty story fueled primarily by the charm of its principles.

Lavi is perfect as the girl who is easy to love. Often you would expect this part to go the route of the femme fatale; an intimidating, sexy, mysterious woman. But Lavi is sweet and lovable, which is much truer to what men actually go for (remember, in Gilligan Island polls, men were hotter for girl-next-door Maryanne than sex bomb Ginger).

Her pursuers have an easy rapport as they bumble their way towards a woman they all clearly love. In a ridiculous but clever turn, the three decide to con people along the way. While they hunt Inbar down, she finds that there is more to her current con than she expects.

The early episodes are all about humor and character, with little sign of the Big Con typical of con-people fiction until the halfway point; the series is more about the conned than cons.

Unfortunately, season 2 is a let down, at least for the four episodes I watched (plus the final episode, which I watched after I heard the show was canceled, but which didn't change my opinion at all). Lavi was an enigma in season one, but in two the series moves into psycho-analyzing her, which sucks out the mystery. Meanwhile her character is completely divorced from her three exes, which results in far less forward momentum. The show isn't as funny, the characters aren't as interesting. It's like a whole new, inferior show. Perfectly watchable, but that's about it.

But do watch season one; it's terrific.