Karen Sisco

Karen Sisco (Carla Gugino) is a US Marshal in Miami. Her father Marshall Sisco (Robert Forster) is the only one she unequivocally trusts. Amos Andrews (Bill Duke) is her boss.

Based on the character portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in Elmore Leonard's Out of Sight, Karen Sisco is a smart, sexy, and tough character. Carla Gugino plays her with gusto. It never really took off and lasted only 7 episodes with 3 unaired remaining. I think there were two main problems.

The first is they shot this is L.A. If they could do it in Miami, it would add so much more local flavor. There is a difference and the audience can feel it. The second is the need for edginess. Seeing the successful 'Justified' (another Elmore Leonard adaptation), it seems obvious that Karen Sisco just doesn't have the grittiness in both style and substance. It just isn't Elmore Leonard enough.

I've only seen the pilot of Karen Sisco, but I think that it's got real potential. TV shows today seem to be becoming more and more like movies, and while watching this I had trouble remembering that it was actually a TV show. Since TV shows generally have cliff hangers, I found myself eager for more of this great new show. Carla Gugino, Thomas Kretschmann, and Xander Berkeley were exceptionally good, and all I can say is that I can't wait for more! :)

I knew I had seen something special. After the hour-long episode 5 (Nostalgia) I knew I had not imagined it. Yes, this was a critics' favourite, and yes, they all gave the same reasons and impressions I'd had. There's no coincidence here.

What is it that gets you to not turn the channel? When you see something intriguing already in the opening titles? Les Paul used to say that an audience will never remember the first song you play - they're busy making up their minds whether they like you or not, and they make up their minds in those first two minutes.

So with Karen Sisco. This is well acted, well directed, and above all well written. More and more it's become apparent to me how vital a good teleplay is: without it the directing and acting will fall apart, lacking a foothold.

I imagine this crew has a lot of fun. Yes, there's violence, and I don't like that, but there's a coziness and a sense of adventure too. And the humour - or should I say wit?

Enjoy.

It took me years to track down a digital copy so I cold watch these as I beleive its never been on DVD. I was told to look on YouTube. The show was wonderful, smart, entertaining great cast, why only 10 episodes? Gugino went on to do the limited series Threshold, which was great also.

As others have noted in these comments why is it that studio execs keep putting reality show dreck on? I have never watched survivor, the bachelor or any other "reality" show drivel. Since really those shows are for the average person to have their 15 minutes of fame and since most of them are self centered idiots (at least that is what the commercials show them as) why would a rational, thinking person ever watch it. If you want to watch a reality show watch The Soup and you will get the best parts of it anyway. This show was very well put together and if you had watched the Jennifer Lopez/George Clooney vehicle Out of Sight you would have gotten a little bit of background on her character. This could have been an excellent series. This and Ms Gugino's other series Threshold (way, way better than Invasion even though that has William Fichter)I don't get it. Two series that she has been in and both well done and what do the networks do? Please someone slap them for those of us that would like a little bit of thinking behind out entertainment.