Private Eyes

Jason Priestley who will forever be identified with Beverly Hills 90210 as all American Brandon Walsh for several seasons has changed his famous zip code to a native Canadian postal code. His name certainly guarantees a bit of box office attraction for his new Canadian series Private Eyes.

I did a bit of a double take when I saw he was born in 1969 making him as I write this 49 years old. Granted he was no teen when he was playing one, but I have to say he looks pretty good for his age. We should all age so well.

Priestley whom I remember on a long ago interview said he was a hockey player as a kid plays an ex-hockey player and is now trying to reinvent himself as a private detective. He works for Cindy Simpson who took over her dad's detective agency and he's come in as an operative.

The series has a Remington Steele like quality to it with the chemistry between Priestley and Simpson. Hopefully it will have as long a run as Remington Steele did.

The premise is pretty close to Castle, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. You've got a "famous" bad boy teaming up with badass female Cop, although she is a PI in this. Shade even has a smart daughter who he has deal deal with growing up just like on Castle. The show is more of a "kiddie" version though. My biggest negative is Angela's character development. In Castle the writers let you know that Beckett knew she was in love with Castle while they strung you along, but she couldn't deal with those feelings, but at the same time further developed the character. On Private Eyes the writing/plot send the way Angela acts in directions that don't really make sense for her character and relationship with Shade, all the while you dont know what she is really feeling. It's a little frustrating.

When reading the previous reviews, one person complained about the title song not being the original version and 2 others complained about the show not being original.

I came to this show because I tend to enjoy the two leads in their previous work and I enjoy shows of a similar style such as Rookie Blue, Burn Notice, Suits, etc.

This is a light entertainment admittedly, but definitely worth watching. You have 2 charismatic leads plus a really good ensemble. If you ever enjoyed Castle for the secondary characters such as the relationship between father and daughter or the two detectives working with Beckett, you should enjoy this show.

The stories are simple but also make sense for the type of work that is supposed to be represented. This is not a spy story or a cop show although there are interactions with police and they do resolve crimes. It is more about family and interpersonal relationships.

Also, if you live in Canada, it is really great seeing a show with so many recognizable sites and images. Normally, shows shot in Canada will usually use scenery that can easily be seen as American so as to aid in either international sales in the case of purely Canadian productions, or are being exclusively produced for an American network. This show does not hide that it is filmed here and I applaud the producers for this.

Based on the episodes that I have seen so far, I hope that Private Eyes comes back for a second season. If it does, I know I will be watching.

Cheers!

There have been a lot of detective shows through the years. Some lean to being campy comedy like Moonlighting, others end up a murder of the week procedural like Castle, and others like Veronica Mars end up being side jobs they do while doing other things. Granted I LOVE all of those shows but it's been a while since there has been a good P.I. show where the characters are both actual P.I.'s with random cases to solve. Veronica Mars came the closest.

Here we have a more realistic side to the P.I. life. I really don't care for spoilers myself and I don't want to spoil the plot so what I really need to say is... if you've hungered for a pure P.I. show with random cases this is what you've been waiting for. It does, again, air a little more on the realistic side but without being dark. Like how it's not realistic for Magnum P.I. to be doing a stakeout in a Ferrari. Or how it's not realistic for a writer to be involved in every murder that goes through a precinct in Castle. Or how it's not realistic for a man to take the name Remington Steele so the female P.I. can solve cases that only the big boys get. So anyone that appreciates those kinds of little touches should, like me, find a lot to love with Private Eyes. It may start out seeming like it isn't going to live up to the claims I'm making but stick it out as it's definitely more than the first impression gives.

At first glance I really liked the show. It reminds me of Castle, the story about a father and a crime solving duo. The story lines are smooth and the comedy is natural. The most important thing here is that while it is being compared to classic shows, it has a present twist. From a personal point of few, this feels fresh to me and that's why I like it. I hope this as long run. After Castle ended, I had nothing of this genre to watch! A comedy, crime series helps in reviving my mood. Its not about the art, the originality nor the clichés for me, its about the successful characterisation which transcends the realm of the 2 dimensional television and plays out as a reality in my head. I'm giving 8/10 for just that. The show has managed to reach out to me and I would like to show my appreciation.