The Evidence

When watching "The Evidence" series premiere this week, I forgot I was at home watching a one-hour TV show. The writers, direction and acting are very big-screenish (if you know what I mean) looks like something I'd see on the big screen. It's COLUMBO meets CSI - very modern, edgy, action-packed, suspenseful and even funny!! They have slow motion, stills and fast past pans and I felt like I was there, not at home watching it on TV.

The only thing I didn't like about the show was the "garage scene" with Rob Estes. Reminded me of A Beautiful Mind. Creepy. I know they had to give his character a back storyline, but please. I hope they finalize his own personal case and focus on current day happenings - not the past.

Other than that, very entertaining and cinematic. It's Columbo meets CSI - we see how the murder is done and the evidence and then hope that the detectives figure it out. Very creative and modern! Makes you wonder how they do it!!

Network: ABC; Genre: Crime & Mystery, Drama; Content Rating: TV-14 (language, violence, adult content and some gore); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4);

Seasons Reviewed: Series (1 season)

ABC was advertising "The Evidence" - for months before the few weeks it was actually on - as a ground-breaking new twist on the crime drama. That twist is based on a gimmick where the show gives us the items in evidence - including the deceased's body - laid out on a table and described to us by Martin Landau in the beginning of the show, then lets us see the murder and how all these items come into place as detectives Bishop (Orlando Jones) and Cole (Rob Estes) attempt to solve the case.

The show is potentially unique in that if you don't switch over to it in the first 60 seconds you will be missing out on all the fun. The episodes vary in how cleverly the show uses this gimmick, but the best ones - and the Pilot is the best one - reveal that the true meaning behind the item is not what we'd expect. A cell phone number may not be a cell phone number at all. In that Pilot we see a severed finger with a ring on it as a piece of evidence, and then sweat it out while the ring changes hands wondering who the inevitable will finally happen too.

However, for the rest of the series, after the show's first few minutes it pretty much goes on auto-pilot. The prospect of being able to follow the evidence through the show falls apart with what could either be network or series director tampering that assumes that the audience is stupid or unable to tune in at the beginning of a series. Because we don't have a memory after all, the slightest mention of a piece of evidence triggers a flashback of it on the table for us. Once again, just as it marred the truly original "Tru Calling", the network's desire to pander to the stupidest audience member out there by serving us every detail on a silver platter with incessant flashbacks, prevents us of any joy of putting the pieces of the mystery together ourselves.

Given that the networks apparently think there are a lot of armchair detectives out there, why would they rob us of that little pleasure? And given that that gimmick is the only thing that makes "Evidence" stand out, what is the point of even seeing it at the beginning in the first place? Unlike "CSI" where "the evidence speaks for those who can't", "The Evidence's" use of evidence becomes increasingly pointless to the story.

As the procedural/crime portion of the show goes, well, that part isn't bad. "The Evidence" is a little bit sharper than the "Law & Order" franchise. Hell, it is a lot sharper than the inexplicable cable hit "The Closer". Personable performances and solid buddy chemistry between Jones and Estes give the show more personality than we're used to from a network crime series. Estes' Cole is obsessed with solving the murder of his wife several years ago - a storyline used to bookend most episodes. Jones does something of a half-star turn here. While he does still slink in and out of his wacky comic mode, we are seeing an Orlando Jones that is miles away from 7-Up ads and "wacky black guy sidekick" movie roles and is now a much more mature as an actor than he's ever been given credit for. I'm impressed.

But despite what a joy it can be to watch the two leads go back and forth, "The Evidence" never gets beyond a broken gimmick or build itself up to that next level as a stand-out entry in the already saturated crime drama genre, quickly running out of steam before the end of its already short run.

* * ½ / 4

Briefly, this show incorporates the best aspects of some of the old favorites: the style of Miami Vice, the dialog of, I don't know, a great buddy cop show with a serious edge, .... Also, it appears that while every episode will have a solved murder, ala CSI, there is also a through line with the main character, Sean Cole, ala Lost, where the audience will undoubtedly tune in to see what will happen with the memories of his dead wife--perhaps he will even begin to solve the case little by little. This subplot was the most intriguing part of the show for me. In fact, I watched the first episode with about 8 friends, and the thing we kept talking about most was the dead wife subplot.

One question... wait two. Does every woman on the show, regardless of her job (from the cops to the lab dorks) have to be a model? And is this why every character on the show seems to have some sort of sexual tension with every other character on the show--even Martin Landau?

A great replacement for Invasion.

I was so excited to see this show since I like both Rob Estes & Orlando Jones. The first time I watched the show I was sucked into the way you get to see all the evidence and how it's pieced together by the inspectors. I also enjoy seeing Martin Landau's character on screen. He always manages to provide a little humor as well as history lesson. The only concern I have is that this great show will end up alongside "Firefly" at the end of it's first season.If you enjoy two hot guys who can also act with interesting back stories - Rob's character has a wife who was murdered, the case is still open and he can't get answers through the station; Orlando is trying to help his ex-gang banger brother get a fresh start after jail - then this is THE show for you.

When I saw the preview for the primer of The Evidence, I though, "Oh no, not another cop show," but by the end of the hour, I realized this is definitely not just another cop show. I loved the playful banter between Orlando Jones and Rob Estes. The dialogue was quick witted and often times very funny. The over all look of the show was very contemporary, without being pretensions. I am usually disappointed when a show tries to look edgy and new. Often times this means a shaky camera and pointless cuts. While The Evidence was very "cutty," in the end it all added up to a very cool style.

I was also very drawn into Cole's (Rob's) back-story. His wife's unsolved murder reminded me of Molder's obsession with his sister's abduction in the X-files. I hope, like the X-files, this story thread is recurring though out the season. I'm intrigued keep them coming.