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.

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.

My husband and I really enjoy this .show. Funny, Witty and serious. Just thought you'd like to know😄 We love that the show is filmed here in Toronto Canada. Jason Priestly is one of my favorite actors. I was excited when I heard he was back filming again. We love the premise of the show. It has been a while since it has aired, so I hope this is a new season. Friday nights will be something to look forward to once again😄

I didn't think I was interested after the pilot episode. It seemed too gimmicky and redundant. Yeah, yet another pair of ill-suited, mismatched detectives "forced" to work together blah blah... But, I'm glad I watched a couple of more episodes. They made some right turns in the development of the characters and their relationships. I appreciated they toned down the macho animosity and even turned the Shade/Maz dynamic into a sort of reluctant buddy kind of thing. I'm really tired of all the hatred and competitiveness in everything you see these days. This show takes me back to the last century (I can't believe I'm old enough to say that!) and PI shows like Harry O, Rockford and Magnum (the REAL one). Lighthearted humor and a little escape from reality in a relaxing manner is a welcome change from all the explosions and shootouts and car crashes and helicopter crashes and plane crashes and military invasions and, well... you get it. Oh, did I mention all the shouting and backstabbing and assaulting and battering of the "reality" shows? Thanks for "Private Eyes". I'm glad it's still on.

Addendum: The way I rate shows... I don't usually review anything less than a 7 because 6 would be a failing grade and I won't waste my time watching it. I'm old; I don't know how much time I've got left. Since I probably turned it off before getting even halfway through, it wouldn't be fair to rate or review it. 7 is watchable but I may go a while between episodes since, though somewhat entertaining, there are other shows more interesting or compelling. 8 would be a regular in my lineup. 9 is a must see and probably bingeable. 10 is just the epitome of superbity and headed for my all-time favorites list. I'm adding this to my reviews because it seems there are a lot of binary reactions to pretty much everything these days. I am not a like/unlike kind of guy. I see a lot of grays so if I give something a 10 it doesn't mean the only alternative is a 1.

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.