Touching Evil

the premiere 2hr episode of this series was excellent, it was intense in your face and takes no prisoner, well worth the hype. but now that the show's been on for a few weeks, the stories are not as intense and interesting anymore, just your basic formularic cop show with creegan doing random weird things.

some critics compares this show to law & order: criminal intent, because of the quirky main character, but story-wise touching evil falls short when compare to Criminal intent.

the show's Star jefferey donovan is great actor, and the rest of the cast are just as good, but the story doesn't live up to the show's potential.

hope the show improves back to the quality of the premiere episode.

In the wake of many popular television shows coming to an end, whether it be the series finale of "Friends" or "Frasier" or the cancellation of such beloved shows as "Angel" and "Miracles", USA ventures to redefine the crime genre with the remake of a British series of the same name, "Touching Evil".

Starring Jeffrey Donovan and Vera Farmiga, the show starts off unlike any other crime drama before with its surrealistic pan angles, colors and especially creepy background music composed by the Ross brothers (Error and 12 Rounds) and Claudia Sarne. Donovan's character Detective David Creegan is just returning to duty after a three-year long medical leave after surviving a gunshot wound to the head. He is no longer the same man, husband, father or cop as he used to be.

"Touching Evil" is so rich in character development that it is impossible not to become attached to one or more characters on the show. The smallest bits of interacting between characters serves as a device to explore different aspects of the characters that you normally would have seen otherwise. For example, in the episode "Grief", Chief Hank Enright is speaking with Jay Swopes on the telephone and proceeds to spell a person's name. Swopes responds, saying that normally it's I before E, whereas the name is spelled with E before I. It's such a minor and unrelated detail plot wise that makes for the impact. Such character details helps to make these people real, people we can relate to and grow to love. Even the snarky Bernal, who is always out to slander Creegan any chance he gets, grows personally to the point where we have to like him, if just a little bit. In short, the characters on this show are dynamic, every one.

If you haven't seen this show, you're really missing out. I expect at least one Emmy nomination for the outstanding lead roles by Jeffrey Donovan and Vera Farmiga--they both did such a terrific job and they deserve to be recognized for their hard work. "Touching Evil" fans are anxiously awaiting news of renewal for a second season. So far, I am placing much more faith in cable networks than I dare to with broadcast networks. I only hope that USA will continue to come through for us "Touching Evil" fans. USA, don't let us down!

Reading through these comments on Touching Evil I have come to the conclusion that if you were expecting the show to be a carbon copy of the British original, you were sorely disappointed. HOWEVER, if you allowed the show to be it's own entity, you were instantly struck by how different from your average US TV drama it actually is.

First of all, the principal actor, Jeffrey Donovan, is no Robson Green (from the original BBC series). He is, however, a phenomenal Method actor in his own right and should be congratulated at nailing such a complex character so perfectly. Secondly, it should also be said that the persons responsible for all the negative commentary on this particular thread have never commented on the obvious quality and chemistry of the other cast members: an amazingly important thing in ANY show. And thirdly, none of the detractors have said that they bothered to see any other episodes besides the pilot. Pilots, as a rule, are always the roughest draft of any television program and should therefore be given the greatest leeway.

For those of you who are true fans, there is a website petition for giving this show a second season:

http://www.gopetition.com/online/4632.html

The sign up is privacy protected and the information is only used for the petition itself.

In summation, PLEASE have no preconceived notions that this is going to be the same as the BBC original. If you're that into the British version, I'm sure you can find the three episodes that were aired somewhere online on DVD.

I am a huge fan of the original BBC series "Touching Evil" with Robson Green. US remakes of Brit TV have been largely disappointing in my opinion. I expected this to be t he same. I was pleasantly surprised. I LOVED IT. It is not the same show, and this is good. I think the biggest problem with some remakes is attempting to make a straight copy. This show has an identity all its own, although it is based on the same premise as t he British version. I found myself sucked in to the story and glued to the set, so to s peak. Jeffery and Vera are believable in their rolls as the two lead characters of David a nd Susan. Jeffrey's performance was unexpected, he showed great vulnerability, without l osing his leading-man presence. I was very impressed. The dialogue is well written, w ith plenty of dark, wry humor thrown in. The show was well-paced, with an appropriate a mount of action and suspense. Didn't find a minute of the two first episodes u nwatchable. Please give it a chance so that we can find out just where this show can t ake us. Especially since they don't seem to be making any more of the original series. Try it, you'll like it!

I highly recommend this series about a serial crime detective team in San Francisco. Jeffrey Donovan plays a fantastic role as David Creegan, an eccentric and unorthodox serial crime detective who became the character he is by being shot in the forehead, dying, and coming back with a chunk of his brain removed. Donovan makes the whole show worth watching with his hilarious antics and his interactions with other characters.

The series is by no means morbid, although there are depressing themes and scenes. The show is more characterized by its playfulness and twists between characters. Donovan's antics and exceptional acting make this series so addicting. If you've seen an episode, you'll be coming back for more. If you saw the premier episode and didn't like it, don't be turned away. The premier was longer and slower than it needed to be, but they've made up for it ten fold in the next two episodes with its quick pace and wit.