Legends

"Legends" is about acting. Not the work the actors do in playing their roles in this original show by TNT. The acting that the main character (Martin Odom portrayed by Sean Bean) does in the commission of his job. He works undercover for the FBI's Division of Covert Operations (DCO), a division that specializes in domestic or foreign terrorism. Martin's particular talent is his ability to convincingly assume a false identity (a legend) in undercover work. Viewers who enjoy watching his talent are the main audience for this show.

Martin's personality is suited to this work. When he becomes someone else, he immerses himself totally, to the point that the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. In the first episode, we see him become Lincoln Dittman, a stuttering malcontent who joins a domestic terrorist group because he is disillusioned with the American Dream.

The hazards he faces are physical and psychic. His personal life suffers because of the time demands of the job and because he struggles with reintegrating himself into his real life, where he has a young son, Aiden, and an ex-wife, Sonya (Amber Valletta).

The woman who overseers his operations is Crystal Quest (Ali Larter). She doesn't trust Martin's psychological stability, but her boss Nelson Gates (Steve Harris) values Martin's abilities. Crystal gets drawn into the operations sometimes. She is cool under pressure. Maggie Harris (Tina Majorino) is the computer expert in the office who solves all of the digital problems.

As Martin juggles the dark world of shadow operations and his personal life responsibilities, he follows a longer story arc: who is he? A mysterious man contacted him and alleged that "Martin Odom" is just another legend--just before he was stabbed to death on a subway platform, dying in Martin's arms. Who was the woman that wielded the blade? What can Martin learn from the book that the man gave him with his dying breaths?

It is too early to tell if "Legends" can remain interesting as Martin infiltrates one organization after another. But Sean Bean has a remarkable ability to play the damaged protagonist.

Update 9/4/14: After watching 4 episodes, I am upgrading my rating to 8. This drama is engaging. The acting is good.

I have seen a lot of reviews on here. I agree with most people Season 1 was just OK. Sean Bean was fantastic but the acting for the rest of the cast was horrific.

Decided to give Season 2 a shot. I couldn't stop watching. It was 100 times better than Season 1. I find it funny all these people on here complaining about the time jumps and that there is words on the bottom of the screen. What do you people have minds of 5 year olds? Stop what you are doing and watch the show. It's not hard to follow as long as you aren't an idiot. The acting is great. Story line was pretty solid too. I think the problem they had was Season 1 was so bad that Season 2 never had a chance. If they started the show with Season 2 instead they might have had a hit. I like how Season 2 ended. It gave closure in case it did get canceled. I was worried they wouldn't tie everything up but they did. I highly recommend this show unless you are like these other 2 year olds that wrote these reviews and can't follow a basic story line.

I'm not going to over analyse this. It's a decent show, second season is a very different format to the first but just as enjoyable perhaps more so as it's a bit less 'American'. It follows through on the backstory of Martin Odum.

Worth watching, it's not Breaking Bad but much better than some of the rubbish being produced these days.

Now I'm just having to add more words for the review to be accepted. What more do I need to say - isn't this a ridiculous policy. I'm not a wannabe TV critic I just wanted to let people know that this show is worth watching. Ten lines of text - seriously? Almost there now not much more to type...

I feel that the show's overall concept and idea is brilliant! With the use of Sean Bean's exquisite acting skills and his portrayal as Martin Odum, they made it off the floor with a blast. You are not provided with too much information from the beginning, but enough to keep you satisfied and engaged to where you are not too confused.

The idea is both suspenseful and thrilling, but definitely could be a little less serious. Some humor here and there would provide a lot more to the show's overall authenticity. The constant dark suspenseful mentality of the this action-packed TV show for the majority of the time can be a little too much for some viewers.

But if you're looking for a concept that is fresh, fun, and exciting, I highly recommend this.

This show will probably be cancelled (hopefully not), because many good shows these days do not get renewed (I'm still not over Jericho).

As a huge fan of Sean Bean, his acting does not disappoint. IMO, from his performance in the pilot episode as Lincoln Dittmann, I feel like he deserves a Primetime Emmy nomination for Lead Actor for this show (especially after being snubbed for Game Of Thrones). 4 Episodes in and I cannot wait to see what Bean can pull off.

Aside from the lead, I am probably in the minority but the supporting cast is excellent. I love Ali Larter and I think she and Bean have tremendous chemistry. Steve Harris is really great, same with Morris Chestnut. I cannot wait to see these characters flesh out some more as the episodes air.

Here is hoping for a second season!