True Lies: Pour le meilleur et pour le pire

Interesting way to bring this to the small screen and in a surprise turn, the writing is actually good with one exception. What brings this down is weak acting and in particular, Ginger Gonzaga, wow is she horrible. Not only is she a horrible actress but the way she is written as a badass from the beginning is totally absurd; her bullying and whiney screech makes my ears bleed. In fact, something was gnawing at me from the moment she got on screen and then I remembered, she was horrible in She-Hulk.

The production level reminds me of Chuck which isnt bad but will definitely limit special effects and stunts. My wife and I really want to like the show but the next episodes need to get better or why bother.

Ridiculous motor chases, fireball explosions, a million bullets fired but no one ever gets hit...you got it. We have 'the formula'. Remember The A-Team? They invented the formula, it works for stupid people and ten year old boys. And let's face it, The A-Team sucked as well.

Now picture this secretive organisation, Omega something. Like the CIA but not. They have high tech gadgets coming out of the wazoo. They jet set, save the world on a daily basis, they are the good guys.

Main guy, Harry, (Steve Howey) is a boring salesman by day, a dashing spy by night. Wife, Helen, (Ginger Gonzaga) a typical middle class suburban mum with a teaching gig, just so happens she teaches languages. This comes in handy later on.

I realised that I should treat this as a comedy in the manner of a spoof. It made it bearable, almost enjoyable. Ginger's emotional range when she accuses Harry of having an affair made me think she was just a little mad at some minor misdemeanour. I cracked up.

No spoilers. If you try this, just think 'Spoof' like Austin Powers; The Spy Who Shagged Me and you'll be fine.

It is one thing to be campy, it is another.to transcend the Adam West Batman style, and only lacking the on screen "wow" "pow" cartoon bubbles.

There is no tension in threats or danger faced by the characters and you know they are going to survive anything with some idle banter and cliches. The missions they supposedly go on are imminent threats with huge consequences yet are engaged with simple-minded alacrity. A little darkness, drama, the potential consequences of actions would lend believability to an otherwise shallow narrative.

Omega's spy systems flourish with fancy digital stuff that makes it seem even more comical.

It is a tall order to fill in the shoes of Arnold and Jamie Lynn and they tried, but they just didnt pull it off. I felt no chemistry between these two and that was the magic of True Lies the movie.

I found myself fast forwarding to a good part but just did not find any wow factor.

I really hope it gets better. It looks like it might prove entertaining but as i was watching it late, i switches to the new.

Why they brought in a boy to the family escapes me. Also, are they just going to mimic the movie or come up with something new and interesting to grab our attention. Oh, and suddenly a school teacher who does yoga is a deadly shot and knows how to fight? Not.

In the first episode we learn that the wife speak suitable languages that just happen to be spoken by some goons, she can fight those goons no problems, and she can knock out said goons with her legs. Not to mention she is not scared, not very surprised and adopt so quickly to all situations that she looks like the super-spy and not her husband.

And of course the wife, Mary, last name Sue, also comes up with the best plans, is able to think quicker and better than her husband.

I lost complete interest after that one.

The show (first episode) is also badly written with awful dialogue.

With those big negatives out of the way I also need to mention that this has some charm and the idea is not too bad. This could easily been pretty good, but the writers decided that they wanted a bad show so I am moving on.