Second Chance

So obviously this is network TV, and is therefore bound by corporate committees and maybe by law to be unoriginal. And I think the writers tried pretty hard to fit that mold... but maybe they couldn't help making an interesting show despite some of those limitations. Clearly, it didn't happen by accident.

Right from the jump, I felt like something was a tiny bit different about this show than your usual network fare. I don't know if it was just the set design or the direction or the cinematography, or maybe a bit of all of these. But this show was a tad ahead of most other network content from the very beginning.

The acting was good. Dilshad Vadsaria played a very convincing and very sympathetic character, and also she's smoking hot. I hadn't really heard of her before, but now, having finished Second Chance, I have to go find another show of hers to watch. Robert Kazinsky did a great job. I had no idea he was doing an American accent until I read an interview with him shortly after I started watching. He seemed super familiar to me but I don't think I've seen much of his other work. On the whole, I'm kind of reminded of Henry Cavil, and that's a good thing.

But as the episodes went by, the show started getting really good. The plot pieces fit together fairly well; the suspension of disbelief was adequate. The dialog was quite good, and I had to laugh on quite a few occasions. I also shouted at the TV in frustration when Pritchard senior was too dumb to just talk to Mary about how he felt, and that's really not my usual style.

Plus, I felt like the writers and the showrunners were maybe going to actually resolve some of the key plot issues that most programs would usually milk for 3 or 4 seasons, and make room for newer things. I wonder if they had cool ideas for new storylines in future seasons.

Unfortunately, we'll never know, and it's a damned shame.

My wife of 50 yrs and I really enjoyed the 1st installment of this series. There have been many stories on TV where someone went back in time to their youth, but not many where a person was "reborn" with their memories, time, and events unchanged. For a senior to have to come to grips with the fact that today he inhabits a 30 year old body with all attending looks and strength is an intriguing thought. All of us seniors have imagined going back in time and doing some things over, but not just getting considerably younger and going forward with a new life. I found myself thinking, wow! what would I do, how would I handle family and finances now that I have an extra 60 or 70 years to live. How are people going to react to the behavior of a young man, mature beyond his years?? We have all seen many men in their 30's act like teenagers, but not very many that behave with the patience, empathy, and deliberation of 70+ years. Can't wait to see how the story lines progress.

I'm always looking for a new show to enjoy in any genre, so when I read the plot I was intrigued. It may not have a huge budget or a cast full of house hold names, Second Chance is quickly becoming something I look forward to each week.

I always give a show at least 3 episodes before I can make a judgment on it fully, and after the third, I hope this show can continue on for a good span of time. It may not be the most profound show out there, but it certainly has good characters and interesting ideas going on which could lead to tons of possibilities.

Definitely give it a shot if you liked the plot summary. It's in between a crime detective type of story and a superhero novel, among many other things, and I mean come on, who wouldn't want a second chance at life?

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. How unfortunate it was not given many more episodes. I hate that I was not given closure, what will happen to Ottos's prediction that there were violent side effects for Pritchard!

Jimmy Pritchard (Philip Baker Hall) is not the most lovable guy. He has always been irascible and too independent to be a team player. Now at age 75, the ex-sheriff resents the ravages of time. His son, Duval (Tim DeKay), is an FBI agent who plays by the book. He never lived up to his father's expectations.

Jimmy stumbles across some men breaking into his son's office and they terminate him. But his death catches the eye of a socially-handicapped savant (Adhir Kalyan as Otto Goodwin) who lives with his twin sister (Dilshad Vadsaria as Mary Goodwin)--a sister who is dying of cancer--and he devises a plan to apply his research in hopes of resurrecting Jimmy. His ultimate goal is to forestall Mary's imminent death.

Obviously, this falls squarely in the science fiction genre and it is not for all viewers.

I don't find any of these characters riveting, but I enjoy the intersection of their personalities. Jimmy is rough around the edges and headstrong. Duval is quiet and plays by the rules. And Mary is intelligent, but vulnerable due to her affliction. For various reasons, each needs the others. As of the second episode, I find this show enjoyable.

The final parameters of the show's episodic format are yet to be revealed, but I am watching to see how things develop.

Thus far, the twins are the most interesting part of the show, perhaps due to the acting, but all of these characters have plenty of room to grow.