Body of Proof

It was often silly, with enough clichés to fill all the cheesecakes in Philadelphia, enough exposition to require a PowerPoint presentation, and enough irascible doctor/detective work to make you wonder if the main character was the love child of Monk, House, Patrick Jayne, Tim Roth, Alexx Woods, Jessica Fletcher, and maybe even Harriet Korn but by golly someone was found to have died of Lupus in the first episode, and you can't beat that with a stick!

The thing is, I love medical shows and I love detective shows, so it's hard to go wrong with a combination of the two, and how are you going to do that except by keying on the Medical Examiner? Like House, the medical part of it seems pretty accurate, and it's fun trying to beat Dr. Hunt to the diagnosis. Oh yeah, and I also enjoy shows where people notice a lot of seemingly unimportant things - it gives me an incentive to heighten my own sense of awareness.

So you've got the keep-it-simple cop, and the hunky blond guy, the hard nosed but incredibly good looking female boss, and the somewhat incompetent assistant all playing off of the irascible main character who's so good at her job you can't fire her. But at least it's a woman this time!

The first two seasons were good. The last season was garbage, not because of the change in cast (sad to see the guy go, glad to see the girl go), but because he producer's went out of their way to make the episodes more like mini horror movies which is not what the show is about. Also, the arrogance of Megan Hunt was a turnoff throughout the run of the series. Like, it was too much and I disliked her more and more.

Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) is a self-possessed former neurosurgeon who suffered some setbacks. It's been 4 years since a car accident left her with unknown medical issues which led to her patient's death. Kate Murphy (Jeri Ryan) hired the highly skilled doctor as a new medical examiner. She works with Ethan and Curtis in the lab as well as partnering with investigator Peter Dunlop. Police detectives Bud and Sam work the cases. She is desperate to reconnect with estranged daughter Lacey Fleming.

It's been awhile since Dana Delany has led a TV show, not since China Beach anyways, that lasted more than a season. She's good enough to anchor a police procedural. There is a functional group around her. Her relationship with Lacey holds a little interest. Her abrasive character never truly found the required love interest although Peter comes close. There are some big cast changes in the third and final season and they try to pump up the action/danger. It was probably done to try to save it from sure cancellation. Both renewals were surprises. It was obvious that this show was the low man on the network. The final Hail-Mary failed.

As much as I REALLY like Dana Delany, the first show did not showcase the writer's best abilities and I would have rated it a 5, at best. Nonetheless,I continue to watch the show and it has improved quite rapidly. The episode where Megan's (Dana) spoiled daughter has a school video project on what your parent does for a living was quite well written, particularly the closing. I think those who have given the show a chance have been pleasantly surprised.

Much has been said about Dana's character being obnoxious. I don't find her obnoxious at all. I think "direct" is a better word. The weakest links are the medical examiner's staff. They don't appear capable to have risen to that level of medical smarts. In general, the casting is a bit weak but, as always, Dana Delany is a joy and she carries the series.

I loved 'Body of Proof.' The quips were funny, Dr. Hunt was intriguing, and Dana Delany put on a wonderful performance. I started watching because I loved Dana in 'Castle' as Special Agent Jordan Shaw. Her character is similar, which I like; blunt, snarky, but human. She has a softer side that it a refreshing thing to see on a show like this. Her situation makes you want to hug her, but her edge makes you want to cross the street when you see her coming.

While unconventional, (I know some people's heads are spinning because of an ME playing detective, which really wouldn't happen,) I think it is in the character's nature, and that is really the premises of the show. I mean, it really just shows how extraordinarily smart she is.

I am really interested to see where this goes. I realize that shows like this can be overdone, but I am ready to give BOP a shot. I can already see parallels to shows like 'Castle' and 'CSI', but it is only the first week. I am definitely going to watch on Sunday and Tuesday to see what transpires. :)