The player

After watching the first three episodes of "The Player", I have mixed feelings about this action show that feels like "Person of Interest" meets "Minority Report".

The premise of the show feels a little contrived. The protagonist, Alex Kane (Philip Winchester), is a security expert whose ex-wife, Ginny, is murdered under suspicious circumstances. When offered a job by a shady character named Mr. Johnson (Wesley Snipes) that requires him to illegally take out people who will theoretically commit crimes, he accepts, mostly because he thinks Johnson might lead him to the truth about his ex-wife's demise. Johnson explains that a club of ultra-rich gamblers will bet on the competition between Alex and the bad guys. And they will provide support in the form of a super computer and the resources of Cassandra King (Charity Wakefield).

The show's story lines feel sloppy, with the viewer required to accept a plethora of convenient occurrences. Also, the computer has abilities that can only be described as supernatural.

On the other hand, the action sequences are good, mostly due to great stunt work. I consider this show a guilty pleasure, but it would be better to say that there is room for improvement. Also, Cassandra is an interesting character with much potential. Hopefully, Ms. Wakefield can find a way to make her even more compelling.

This show simply needs to be on Showtime / Starz or HBO to really make it 100%. I think it has potential but not for the NBC crowd.

If you like Action you will like this show. Interesting concept, likable characters set in a world of underground crime elements that could be plausible. Sure it's not realistic but it is interesting entertainment.

The plot is a interesting what if of can crime be gambled on.

Elements of good tactical gun work.

Good physical hand to hand skills.

Some tech mixed in with gun play and car chases suggests how our everyday tech can be used against us or for us.

Overall a fun to watch mini series.

Where I was glad to see Phillip Winchester from Strike Back in a new role, I did not want it to be the same role. Philip Winchester as Alex Kane is very plausible, after all the military's of the world are adopting a Special Operations model. Why him, why doing what he does. In the last few minutes you get a quick wrapper of why he left his old life, and what made him "a better man". Hopefully we will get to see more of his old life surface as the season progresses.

The concept of using big data to predict or identify future crimes has been used in many shows. I did like that they did not make it see the future, only predict the potential outcome. We do that now with Predictive Analytic's and Algorithms, so not to far from truth on this...just they have better data.

The setting in Vegas has a lot of combinations of locations, and can mix and match for a few seasons....example Las Vegas the TV show. So this could stay interesting for a while.

So the potential is there, but the key will be keeping the story line fresh, introducing some actual bad guys that are real, and not having the same outcome every time. What could kill this show is the drama about Jenny, if they spend all the time focusing on vengeance, this this will be a short lived program. We need a hero that we can believe in, one that bleeds, one that can fall down and get up, one that can smile and tell a joke.

Take a play book from Strike Back, mix it up. I look forward to seeing how this show evolves and if the writers can keep us engaged.

Man this show had potential, but it HAD to get cancelled..... UGH I really liked it, the chemistry between Cassandra and Alex is what I fell in love with. I remember the ending and liking it, but cant recall if it was a cliffhanger or open ended ending.

This is a GREAT SHOW I love it. Great story line with lots of action an the little hint of comedy is great, there's not a boring moment and it is great to see Wesley in a major role again he is a great actor. The Cast have a great chemistry on screen and I really hope that this show is not being replacing I would be very disappointed if it is canceled, there are enough cop shows on air already. This show is a refreshing change. I think NBC need to give the show a chance. It is in a competitive time slot. I think if given a chance the rating will increase even more. I am a loyal viewer of the show and will continue to watch.