Lucky

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.

Like The Shield, this show deals with a morally ambiguous character, but unlike The Shield, it uses this for dark comedy rather than dark drama. John Corbett rules the show as the troubled lead, simultaneously evoking pity and laughter from his desperate situations. His friends are very funny, and Ever Carradine is classic as a woman with her own gambling problem. I'm surprised the opening credits don't have her as a regular.

So far, so good, I will stick with this show. I don't have a gambling problem, but this show may become my addiction.

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.

ever since "northern exposure", john corbett became one of my favorite actors because of his wit,erudition, and air of control of his every situation. "Lucky" has characters who are smart and eccentric in the stimulating locale of Las Vegas which makes me laugh and applaud.

How is it that the WB, UPN and to a degree FOX, miss on every new show, and F/X can hit such home runs as "The Shield" and now "Lucky". This is inspired stuff. Almost every line is repeatable at tomorrow's coffee break (i.e. - "he's white and dead, and I'm black and gone!!"). The characters - after only two weeks -- are unforgettable. The loan shark (Dan Heyada) who hears everything, the "trac" puffing thru his surgical hole, a robber on a 1st name basis with his victim and two of the wackiest sidekicks ever seen. And all held together by a smooth acting job from John Corbett as the most unlucky World Poker Champ ever. He has gotten better with ever role since "Northern Exposure". After scoring big on "Sex and the City",(and My Big Fat....)check out his scene with his deceased wife's parents. This is on several times a week, so pick a time, hopefully catch a few replayed episodes, and strap in!!