The Nine, 52 heures en enfer

Phillip Dewaar learn to spell "creative" if you want to be taken seriously.

This was actually a innovative show. It also introduced a limited time frame though, 24 episode max. 9 people, bank heist, once the connections were made. . . done. The fact that it only reached 13 episodes was a realization on 2 fronts, 1-the why's and how's can only be stretched so far and 2 - nobody actually cares that much bank robberies on a TV medium.

Bank heists should be left to 3 episode fillers or 1 episode plot devices. Movies though, I don't mind if the main focus is only a bank, only because it is only a time sacrifice of a couple hours or less and not a week by week commitment between 1 to 6 months long.

I was channel surfing late one night in Costa Rica and washed ashore on The Nine. One of those yummy slow burns. I enjoyed the build-up, the character development, the changes in point of view. I looked for it every night - like trying to find a lost ankle charm on a sandy shore - and kept looking when I arrived back in Canada. I found out that the show can be downloaded. Lucky Day... NOT. Just another case of "US viewers only". Shame, shame. I know the show isn't for everyone (particularly for those who need more instant gratification) but it hooked me and I don't even know what episode it was. I hope it shows up on DVD - or the ban (and why is that?) on Canadian downloading comes to an end.

We have all seen movies about hostage situations over certain places, but The Nine takes it up where usually others stop. In the very beginning, the plot chooses not to start with the actual bank robbing event (well, it actually does), but after the robbers enter the bank, the next cut is the saving sequence. How come you ask? The next 35 minutes of the pilot travels through the repercussions of the event, seeing every character very deeply changed, and having meetings and grief together (about the only one person loss at the 52 hour event.). The story has considerable amount of questions hanging in the air, which will surely be answered in the episodes. If the audience is intrigued about what may have happened in the bank, they'll watch the season.

I think it'll work and we won't see another cancel...

This show is the most impressive drama series I've seen since the glory days of "NYPD Blue." I was aghast when ABC pulled it from the schedule.

Yes, it follows the "Lost" method of parsing out plot details, but I felt that every episode revealed a satisfying amount of the mystery. I'm glad to see it back on the summer schedule so I can at least see a few more episodes.

It's a show to which you must pay attention to understand, so that probably has something to do with its low ratings (remember "Arrested Development?").

The casting is phenomenal. It's nice to see Tim Daly in a very convincing dramatic turn, and Chi McBride is one of the most underrated actors ever. He is a completely different, absolutely believable person, in every role. John Billingsley also did a great job free of prosthetics. The entire cast does a fantastic job as well.

This show was based on character, which is almost invariably the root of good drama. It wasn't based on titillation or slick editing or trendy ratings phenomena (OK, I'm sure "'Lost' in L.A.!" was part of the pitch, but at least it wasn't a reality or game show). It featured an ensemble of human characters with human nobility and human flaws.

It's extremely depressing that a quality show like this has been dumped in favor of ... well, I don't know what will replace it because I doubt I will watch it.

I look forward to a DVD release of all filmed episodes at least. It will go nicely with my "Boomtown" set.

Lucas Dalton (Owain Yeoman) and his brother Randall Reese (Jeffrey Pierce) walk in to rob a bank. It's supposed to be a short hold-up but 52 hours later, the police finally ends the long stand-off. The nine surviving hostages are changed by the incident and regularly meet. Franny Rios (Camille Guaty) and single-mom sister Eva Rios (Lourdes Benedicto) are bank tellers. Eva is killed along with the security guard. Suicidal Egan Foote (John Billingsley) becomes a celebrated hero. Surgeon Jeremy Kates (Scott Wolf) and secretly pregnant girlfriend Lizzie Miller (Jessica Collins) break up. Police detective Nick Cavanaugh (Tim Daly) has a gambling problem. Felicia (Dana Davis) is the daughter of bank manager Malcolm Jones (Chi McBride). Nancy Hale (Susan Sullivan) is at the bank with her ADA daughter Kathryn Hale (Kim Raver).

This needs a more compelling hook at the very beginning. The missing money should be the big reveal in the first episode. There should be a cop character investigating it to heighten the tension. I would like more of a Rashomon method of flashback story telling. It takes too long to have the first exciting extended flashback. It's the third episode when the initial takeover is added to and it's probably too late to hook the audience. The problem is that the slow reveals don't add up to excitement. It's a somewhat meandering way of story telling. With no viewers, this is quickly canceled.