The Catch

We are loving this show. Finding it fun, clever and entertaining. It is enjoyable, much like the old Mission Impossible series was, but with a modern look and much more intrigue and play. Life is crazy, and it is nice to come home and disappear into the fantasy of a spunky intelligent thriller. It is also nice to have that story told without the extraneous and exploitive blood, guts and gore of other shows. The characters are fleshing out slowly, and cannot be taken at face value. Each week builds nicely on the previous one, which help to draw the watcher into the growing story. Mireille Enos is fun to watch, with her Monroeish eye-flutter affectations. She is mesmerizing, and nicely underplays the roll. In fact the show has strong and interesting female rolls with Sonya Walger playing the anti-hero steamily well. Yes, they are stereotyped, but aren't most fantasies? If we wanted to watch 'real life' we would just turn off the TV!

A promising concept with a lovely cast, but a WASTED potential. Even though it has its moments, everything being happening 'too' fast is genuinely nerve-wracking. You can never feel connected with the show. If you have nothing else to do or watch, you could take look. If not, do not waste your time.

Love that this show keeps you on your toes, and even then, often you say...oh, I should have, but I just didn't see that coming.

Each cop/good guy/bag guy type show needs a unique hook to keep you coming back, and this one has one that catches you in the beginning and keeps you coming back. It includes intrigue, love, hate, like, likable main characters and likable side kicks...and plot twists. You really like the bad guys in this show...and that's not easy to do, create likable killers.

I liked this show so much that I actually watched 5 episodes via On demand, commercials and all, since I had to go out of town and my dish network stopped recording while I was gone... It was worth it though. If you've not watched this show, you can catch up on demand with dish if you've got it.

Hope it stays on for a number of seasons.

Not being a 'ShondaLand' addict—in fact, I can't remember watching one previous TGIT episode in its entirety—I didn't have preconceptions about what I was 'supposed to' feel about "The Catch". From the previous IMDb reviews, I see I am glaringly in the minority in my initial opinion about the show; I was already a fan of a few of the actors and loved the look and feel of the production. The previous reviews, however, have not convinced me to change a single idea I had about the show; in fact, I find the other reviews to be epistemologically flawed in their vagueness and unspecified assertions.

So as for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode and plan to keep watching. Below are my first five reasons to watch.

1. Mireille Enos: Mireille Enos is a compelling actor. She may be typecast by some as the serious, unadorned detective in "The Killing", but in "The Catch" she is engagingly glammed up and beautiful, not with an 'I've-been-entitled-all-my-life' beauty but rather with an 'I'm smart and accomplished and insightful' beauty. Plus, she can sprint at an impressive speed after bad guys, showing that her outer strength can match the inner.

2. Alimi Ballard: Alimi Ballard has always been smart and sharp, as his scenes on "Numb3rs" and "CSI" have shown, but his frequent relegation to a law enforcement roles in dark suits has required a restraint he can thankfully shed in this role. From the first time we see him on the links rocking a preppy polo-shirt-and-plaid-pants golf outfit, we know something will be different. On "The Catch", he remains sharp and smart, but as the 'fixer' of the confidence team, he morphs into changing roles with emotive style and wit.

3. Mature Allure: It is great to see a show with a variety of actors over 35 (notwithstanding Rose Rollins' 20- something visage) who look great, dress great, speak articulately, and keep the story going. Much has been written about Peter Krause's casting and whether his age and recent role in Parenthood will affect audience perceptions. Not having watched "Parenthood" (or "Six Feet Under" or any of his roles, to be honest), he was a blank slate to me, and I was pleasantly surprised. My daughter remarked that the younger actor in the original pilot (still available online) is better eye candy, but Krause is a nuanced actor who conveys ambiguous intentions well. As a con man in his late 40s, it is more plausible that he has been around, seen more than he needed, and become reflective and conflicted about whether to stay in the game or pursue a connection with his latest smart, intriguing target. If his character were in his mid 30s with less knowledge, life experience and capital, would he really be ready to give up his best confidence-earning years to be with someone who could always put him in jail?

4. The Artwork of Maria Kreyn: I am not sure how widely recognized artist Maria Kreyn is, but after this pilot episode, I'm sure she will gain a much wider audience. Her painting 'Alone Together', featured in "The Catch", is hauntingly beautiful and provides a captivating metaphor for the show's narrative.

5. Open Spaces and Sunlight! Whenever I catch a few seconds of another TGIT/ShondaLand show, the scene is usually in an enclosed space such as a hospital room or dark office or someplace not particularly airy or (naturally) light. "The Catch", in contrast, is replete with outdoor settings, California sunshine, and floor-to-ceiling windows with luxurious day and nighttime views. This only added to my enjoyment of the show and desire to see more.

Hollywood doesn't like making a series about real people anymore. If you think back to shows like NYPD Blue, Barney Miller, The Rockford Files, any number of programs that have gone before. The cast included stars as we'd all expect. And usually a good number of supporting actors. And these shows were not cast based on the appearance of actors. This another program that has only attractive people in every single part. In one episode there are defense contractors who all young and very attractive. It's a huge distraction. Look around, at your own life, not everyone in physically fit, and attractive. This show does involve a story line that moves in and out of the world of the rich and famous. But even those people should not all be young and attractive. Somehow they even have bad guys who look like underwear models. If you enjoy watching shows where every single person looks like no-one you'll see in everyday life. This is the show for you. But then you'll have to suspend your disbelief to swallow the story lines they've woven so far. I can't see how they can do more that a season at most. How are they going to come up with even an even slightly believable continuing plot with the same cast of characters, they set in place? Lastly, they resurrected split screen editing. This effect quickly became irritating when it first became popular back in the late 60's and early 1970's when it was first conceived. And they've managed to make it even more annoying by having lines, forming grids, blend across some of the screens.