The Nine, 52 heures en enfer

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.

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.

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.

The Nine is a potentially stellar new show that, while still working out a few kinks, is proving itself to be the best new show of the season! With all the junk that is on the television these days, this show is quite refreshing. The show is a critical hit, though not one with the viewers. This is likely because of the misleading previews which made the show look like a new Big City version of Lost. The Nine is not like Lost, and as a fan of both shows, I believe that The Nine definitely brings new things to the table.

The Nine deals, simply put, with a bank robbery. When 2 brothers decide to rob a bank, they are sure that it "will all be over in 5 minutes." However, when things go wrong, the brothers decide to change the plan. 52 hours later, the 9 survivors finally emerge from the bank, changed from their traumatizing hostage ordeal. The show focuses mostly on The Nine's lives after the robbery.

The Nine is definitely character-driven, unlike its comparison show, Lost, which, although character plays a vital role, is driven primarily by some crazy plot line. The Nine leaves the events of the bank robbery a mystery, making the viewer wonder what happened in there, what caused the characters to change situations the way they have, and who was really innocent or guilty. Bonds have been made and broken, but no matter what, The Nine are all connected after what they went through.

The acting is believable and genuine. The actors bring their emotions out fully, and there is not one stand-out performance in comparison to another. They are all fantastic. They make the viewer really feel attached to the characters.

The script is realistic, if not a little cheesy at times, but is heartfelt nonetheless. With time, I know this show could turn out to be something big, if given the chance.

All in all, The Nine is intriguing, and heartbreaking. Unfortunately, so few people are realizing this, so the show is in danger of cancellation. I'm just going to enjoy this rare gem while I can!

I enjoyed this series and am very disappointed it's gone. It's plot line was unique and compelling, and though character developments were ramping up slowly, I found that to be a good thing. Sort of like getting to know a good friend in depth, over time.

That 'friend' wasn't any particular character - there were no "superstar standouts" in the large ensemble cast in my opinion, but each person was interesting enough to hold their own, plus contribute to the overall 'character' of The Nine.

If they're going to pull the rug out it would be great if they'd consider a wrap-up movie, a micro-series or a publication where lingering questions and mysteries of what happened during the hostage holdout and what happens with their lives in the aftermath are put to rest.