Endgame

Among all the "crime" shows out there, i enjoy this one the most. Intelligent TV is usually an oxymoron, but not in this case! I love the way Balagan doesn't have to resort to anything physical,but uses his intelligence to solve crimes. And the use of chess moves to work out the sequence of events is genius on the part of the writers! It is well acted and I especially like that the show is set in Vancouver, and you know it's set in Vancouver; not in some anonymous American city!

I really hope the network gives this a second season to gain more viewers. I have friends as far away as Isreal who really love this show.

I absolutely LOVE Endgame. The cast is phenomenal, the story is original, and it is one of the most intelligent shows today on ANY network- Canadian or otherwise! Shawn Doyle as Arkady Balagan is AMAZING and a true credit to Canadian talent! While his chess master may first come across as arrogant and ego-centric, Doyle has the ability to play Balagan with such depth and complexity that you cannot help but be astounded by his genius and saddened by his pain. Balagan can see beyond the obvious and notice the nuances of any problem he encounters, except the one case he has yet to solve- that of his murdered fiancée. I was first drawn to the series as a longtime fan of Patrick Gallagher (True Blood, Glee, Men of a Certain Age), but now I cannot wait to watch it every week to see all of these incredible actors portray this touching and brilliant story.

I have to admit beforehand that after being so disappointed with recent detective shows that I was reluctant to give Endgame a go. However, upon prompting by a house mate, I decided to give it a watch. I was a little confused at first, expecting it to be more serious than it was. Once past the first few minutes, I found that the comedy elements were a perfect fit. The acting and direction did justice to the amazing work of an awesome scriptwriting team. I hope to see this series continued past the first season, though there seems to be a trend of late wherein intelligent shows are canceled. Fingers crossed the viewers take a liking to this series.

The first time I saw Endgame, I thought it would be your usual "brillant guy shows all the cops and those with real know-how how to solve crimes." The show is nothing like that. Endgame's protagonist has a phobia that will not let him leave the hotel he is staying at. After his wife's murder, he was so traumatized that he could no longer be part of the "real world," unless it is through quips of his knowledge and intellect.

The supporting cast literally marvels at his genius and scoffs at his arrogance.

Every character in every episode plays a relevant part in telling the story.

In one hour, we see one of television's most vulnerable characters show everybody what he feels and sees.

Great show, Do yourself a favor and watch it if you can.

Looking at crimes from the point-of-view of a chess game and the players as chess pieces is fascinating. The chemistry of this ensemble cast led by damaged Russian Ex-pat Chess-master (played by Shawn Doyle) is a testament to the phrase "friends are the family you choose". Albeit a dysfunctional one, but then what family isn't a little bit? I was curious to see where the storyline was headed. I really would have liked to see the back story of the character of Sam (played by Torrance Coombs). Where does he go when he's not assisting Arkady solving mysteries in trade for chess matches? It's really nice to see a Vancouver, BC based show actually play as Vancouver, BC. Sadly it looks like we'll only see one season. A shame as the show was just hitting its stride.