Lucky

There are very few shows out now that I watch, especially with the wave of reality TV that has taken over. I religiously watch The Simpsons, and try to catch Frasier, Just Shoot Me, and Dharma and Greg when I can. TV has nothing new to offer me, except for Lucky and Monk. Since this is a message about Lucky, I'll leave Monk alone for now. Great show though.

I happened upon Lucky one night a few weeks ago, it was a repeat of the Pilot, and I decided to give it a chance. This show is awesome. Good writing and great casting. I can only sit through so many plots of him getting in trouble with hoods, trying to leave Vegas, or blowing a fortune in no time, but other than that this show has everything going for it. I like the fact that they actually use profanity in this show. It sounds weird, but this is the way people talk, more often than saying 'Gosh' or 'Darn'. It's really hard to hate Lucky, he's just too free of a guy, he can lose 10 grand, and walk out with a smile on his face, knowing somehow he'll make it up. I do wish they'd go into more about his life after the World Series of Poker, and the Pilot episode, unless they had some flashback episodes... All in all, I'd have to say that this is a great show. It even goes so far as to have some shots that seem more like a film than a low-budget project like a television series.

Ensemble acting with unique individual performances...the best of both worlds in one television program...thank God it's on FX and you get to see encores...it's so good, the time flies so fast...you want to come back to Vegas right away! Love the characters and the unfolding bits of plot in each episode...the levels multiply, things get wacky, things get sane for a bit and everything explodes again...just like a quick trip to Vegas. The music is great! Adds so much to the feel of the show,and John Corbett...HOORAYYYY!!!! YOU GET TO FINALLY SHINE! You've been 'exposed' in the 'North' and 'Visited' Earth and now you have a character that allows you to anchor your talented star for keeps! Billy,Craig,Ever,Dan and the entire supporting cast..YES! YES! YES! You guys rock! WATCH THIS SHOW!!! YOU'LL LOVE IT!!!!!!!!Mare

A harsh stance to take, perhaps, but it's true. This was a genuinely funny show. You know what I mean; you don't have to force yourself to laugh at this. Unlike most sitcoms, I didn't find myself grasping for reasons to laugh. Maybe my favorite part about this show was the fact that there was no canned laughter. That really means a lot to me as a television watcher...it shows one of two things: first, that the makers of the show have enough faith in the viewing audience to make up their own minds about what is or is not funny without a "live studio audience" or a bunch of laughs edited into the show; second, it might also mean that the makers of the show couldn't afford it. But I digress. This show was great all around. Great characters, great acting, great writing...and then it all goes down the tube. The show also had a lot of heart. There were serious situation that were dealt with in a serious matter. Danny's drug addiction, Lucky's wife's death, his ever-lingering depression...none of these were taken lightly. If the cancellation of this show doesn't show you that there is no justice in this world, I don't know what will.

I loved this show when it was on the air in 2003, and I couldn't believe it was canceled. Clever, funny, outrageous, with great situations, John Corbett stars as a recovering compulsive gambler who lives in, of all places, Las Vegas.

Corbett is handsome, he's cool, and he's charming as Michael Linkletter, who works to get his life back after losing his wife and the million dollars he won in poker.

This is a dark comedy about a man in sad circumstances and some of the crazy things he does. Why a compulsive gambler who is in recovery would live in Las Vegas is beyond me. But it was a clever idea, very well done, with a great cast, and I'll never understand why it was canceled.

In the words of Dan Hedaya's character, "Motion is life. Standing still could be fatal." After watching this series' first two episodes of "Lucky", I realized how much most of television programming was standing still. We allow ourselves to grow accustomed to bland, lifeless shows such as "Will & Grace", "Friends", and "Everybody Loves Raymond". And run-of-the-mill dramas like "The Practice", Law & Order", "CSI: Miami". Then when something new and refreshing comes along we realize what great tv is capable of. What "The Shield" is to cop shows, "Lucky" is to tv comedies. John Corbett plays Lucky Linkletter, a compulsive gambler living in Las Vegas trying to overcome his addiction. That he lives in Vegas is not inconsequential. The show plays up the fact that Lucky and his cohorts reside in the gambling mecca of the Western hemisphere by featuring several scenes inside of casinos. In fact, the premier episode begins and ends with Lucky sitting at a poker table. In between these scenes we meet the great cast of supporting characters, see Lucky attempting to go straight (including having joined Gamblers Anonymous), and we learn that he's feeling guilty over the unexplained death of of his newlywed wife. In short, there's a lot of show packed into this half-hour. The question is which Lucky will prevail, the good or the gambler? Can they coexist? Can Lucky even BE Lucky without the gambling? More importantly, will "Lucky" still be "Lucky" without it?

It'd be too cliché to give this show an 11 out of 10 rating, so I give it 10 out of 10--and will reduce my ratings of all other tv shows by one.