Wicked City

There's an odd critic backlash against "Wicked City" because of "violence against women". Uhh... it's a show about a detective pursuing a serial killer similar to Hillside Strangler, who targeted women. It is fiction, centered around certain subject matter which alludes to, unfortunately, some real history. And when it comes to actual graphic scenes, they're tame compared to a show like "CSI" or "Bones", never even mind "Dexter". Or "Zodiac". Or "SE7EN".

So what's next, are we gonna hear that "12 Years A Slave" is racist because it shows abuse of African-Americans? Clearly, they've been singled out by that movie! Is that how low the bar has fallen, that we now want to keep storytelling on a politically-correct leash, to strip it of any edge or rawness, dare it not offend anyone? I hope not, because that will be the end.

Compared to your generic procedurals like CSI: CITY or NCIS: CITY, or Hawaii Five-O, this show's pilot was refreshing, it moved along at a brisk pace, and made me actually interested in what happens next.

Compared to throwaway skin-show-for-kids like "Quantico" this show should be a breakaway hit. At least, in a world where critics have taste.

I started watching Wicked City the day after it premiered. It is an interesting concept. I studied serial killers, deviant behavior, psychology in college and I've always been fascinated. The problem is when a show just becomes like every other crime drama on TV. You need something to set yourself apart and unfortunately, this one tries to hard with the sex and violence.

The other problem I had was with the homicide detectives at the scene. For a seasoned detective whose repertoire including the notorious Hillside Strangler, he doesn't know a thing about crime scene protocol. I know it was set in the 80's and there were some continuity errors with the exact date, but starting in the 70's detectives carried gloves to use at crime scenes.

I'll keep watching to see where it goes from here though. I do love a good crime drama.

This might be just one of those cases where the pilot is far better than the rest of the series but this first episode is just impressive.

The story is really original and every character in the show has the potential to be a bad guy/girl. I was specifically impressed by Erica Christensen who plays a role with more depth than in Parenthood.

As per Jeremy Sisto and Ed Westwick, both are giving an excellent show.

This story has a real potential and can run for many seasons if the quality of the scenario doesn't deteriorate after the first 10 episodes... as it's often the case (with the producers firing the expensive writers and directors and replace them with amateurs).

And the music is good too.

Kent Galloway (Ed Westwick) is a serial killer hunting the Sunset Strip in 1980s L.A. Karen McClaren (Taissa Farmiga) is an aspiring journalist who has a close encounter with him. Betty Beaumontaine (Erika Christensen) is a single mom nurse who begins a twisted affair with him. Police detectives Jack Roth (Jeremy Sisto) and Paco Contreras (Gabriel Luna) hunt for him. They track down McClaren as an witness and she's working with photographer Diver Hawkes (Evan Ross). Jack is married to Allison (Jaime Ray Newman) with a daughter and having an affair with undercover cop Dianne.

I actually like the style, the music and the killer story. I don't mind the Gossip Girl killer, and I really like Erika Christensen, Taissa Farmiga and Jeremy Sisto. A lot of things go through my mind about why this show crash and burn so badly both critically and in viewership. I have no problem with this getting canceled. There is no denying the horrendous rating. It deserves to be canceled after only 3 episodes. So what went wrong? Despite the minor success of Aquarius, I don't think this is a network show. This would work better as an 8 part serial with a lot more blood splatter. The story could move much faster. Aquarius is a summer show anyways. As for Wicked City, I don't care about Jack Roth's personal issues. I don't care about his love life. It would be better to concentrate on the killings and the investigation. I'm one of the few who actually like the show but I won't shed a tear for its cancellation.

After 2 episodes, I think this one may turn into a winner--I'm wondering if they might get bogged down in the whole "period piece" thing of the 80's because frankly, I didn't even pick up on that until halfway through the first episode... but the entire second episode put it right in my face. I absolutely love Taissa Farmiga in everything she's done so far, but in this series, her acting is horrible. I don't know whether it's on purpose or not, but she'll say a line and THEN react to it; like, "He tried to kill me..." in a deadpan and then she'll remember she's supposed to look like she's surprised. She's a doll, though.