Cane

I was excited about this show from the first time I read about it, and was afraid it wouldn't live up to my expectations. It has, and then some.

This is a throwback to the days of the great soaps of the 80s, Dallas or Dynasty. A big, rich family feuding with an equally rich rival family, with assorted romantic problems and family rivalries thrown in for good measure.

The acting is uniformly excellent, and all the performers are appealing. A real standout is Nestor Carbonell, who has got to be one of the sexiest men on television. It's also great to see Rita Moreno in a role worthy of her.

I read that this show is not doing well in the ratings, and I hope it survives to become an established hit. It's rare for me to get into a weekly show, and this one I make a point of watching. I haven't missed an episode yet, and I don't plan on it.

I think the fade out scene in episode #10 ("Time Away") with Alex Vega (Jimmy Smits) gazing into the Gulf wondering just how he got himself into his present situation, accompanied by the pulsating sound of "Outside" by Staind, is the single most captivating and meaningful scene that I have seen in television in recent years. CBS just has to stand by this show and accept the fact that it is simply too good to ever command a high ratings audience. In fact, CBS president Les Moonves ought to take Cane's less than stellar ratings as a compliment. This show is terrific.

Mark

Plot: The story follows a large Cuban-American family who own and run a very successful rum and sugar business in Florida. The patriarch is trying to make sure his business is in good hands as he looks the three men who will carry on his tradition. However, the brothers all have a different approach as to how they should deal with rivalries inside and outside of the family.

What I liked: The cast all gave stellar performances! There weren't any gaps in plot or character development, so it was very easy to get drawn right in to the story.

What I disliked: Nothing!

Why it will/won't make it: This is more of a family drama, so it may draw in viewers who were not normally watching during these hours. This is a very well cast and scripted show, and I don't foresee it being received poorly. The only problem may be that it is on too late for the larger target audience. I hope that CBS doesn't cancel this great show like it did to Jericho (even though they are bringing it back for a short period). This show is really likely to get some awards! This is my surprise hit for 2007 (Ugly Betty was my surprise hit for 2006).

Final review: Watch while it's airing!

I recently watched the pilot episode and can't wait for more. Jimmy Smits and the supporting cast are sensational. They draw you in and give you the true feeling of how important family is. Just like the feeling you may have had the first time you saw the Godfather. With one big difference, this family runs a legal business. The pilot episode does a fantastic job of bringing you into the family's life and establishing each character. Then the drama starts to slowly build leading up to...I'll leave all you readers with just that.This will be another keeper for CBS. So make sure to check it out. I don't believe you will be disappointed.

I watched all of Cane last night. Decent show, as for if I'm hooked - time will tell. Cane is kind of like what I expected: a Dallas like TV show... Cubans instead of Texians, Florida instead of Texas and Sugar instead of Oil. I kind of chuckled at some of the "Spanish speaking" moments - maybe I can learn Spanish watching this show lol. I think this show can appeal to a lot people regardless of background (white, black, Hispanic), hence you don't have to be Hispanic to enjoy this show. I think it does a good honor to the Hispanic culture and hard working freedom loving Cubans who live here in the United States after a long struggle to gain entry into this nation. (yes they join and serve in the US military too.) But back to my "Dallas" reference. This show is almost a mirror image of "Dallas," just things are different as I had mentioned. There's characters that fit each character in Dallas and there's a big mansion set in the tropics where everyone lives not out in the middle of dusty Texas. There's the old father who likes to ride horse back through the sugar fields as did Jock on the Southfork Ranch. Again, if you look close enough, you'll see these similarities :-) So thumbs up on Cane, but time will tell if I get hooked. I score a 9 out of 10, only because I'm not sure I'm hooked into watching every week just yet.