Allegiance

Initially I was very excited about this series because I love the spy genre. This series however is a loser. Writing is very bad. It often doesn't make logical sense or is sometimes just absurd. Some compare this to The Americans because it is also about Russian spies in the US. Allegiance is not in the same class as The Americans. Some of the actors, like Gavin Stenhouse are not ready for prime time, but even the better actors here are made to look bad by the bad writing. The central character Alex played by Gavin Stenhouse is a socially awkward naïve genius CIA analyst who doesn't come off at all as believable and is painful to watch. In a recent episode a romantic relation began with Alex and an attractive colleague. There is zero chemistry between the two. One minute Alex is so naïve and awkward that everyone would bet he's a virgin. The next minute he's James Bond going down on the girl. The whole production is amateurish.

I love Allegiance's original and astute writing. I can tell it is going to be one hell of a thrilling ride, with A list New York actor at the helm that will give it just the right authentic feel it needs. The pilot episode was fast paced, dramatic, suspenseful and artfully executed. Allegiance is high quality network TV. Also, I love Cohen and Davis, they are like Bogie and Becall together. And Stenhouse has such a wonderful Sherlock Holmes-like qualities when he is assessing data. I believe Nolfi has a big hit on his hands. Love, Love, Love this show! I don't see any similarities to The Americans other than the fact they are both about Russians.

If you haven't seen Allegiance, you should. I love a good spy thriller and this one fits the bill.

It has a great cast and an intricate storyline. It's well paced and has some interesting plot twists. I suspect not all is as it seems and there will be more surprises along the way.

The pilot did a great job of introducing the characters and their relationships to one another. All the actors played their parts well and were believable, particularly Scott Cohen, Hope Davis, and Gavin Stenhouse.

Eagerly looking forward to see how the story unfolds.

Watchable if you have time to waste. Acting for the most is exaggerated and overplayed apart from a couple of actors. Too many stupid mistakes. Bad direction and a script that over uses surveillance instead of brain to progress the story.

...I love this show,( earnest acting & earnest scriptwriting), but the scripts, a la 'Breaking Bad' require a certain amount of investment in time, as they are very intricately written. Despite that it is a suitable replacement for suspense addicts(a la breaking bad)& a good introductory primer on the inner workings of "KGB-like' SOviet intelligence agency apparatchik. ALso, unlike 'Madame Secretary', w/ tea Leoni,you could even imagine this family living in your neighborhood. I also like to watch shows w/ unknown actors, a la Anna Gunn('Skyler WHite'of BB),instead of the usualHollywood A- listers,.....all in all, villainy always makes for a good show, the more villains the better. THE final act? hopefully, a second season for a great show.....