State of Affairs

I was hooked at the beginning but gradually realized I was watching a vanity piece for Ms, Heigl, which was produced by her and her mother. After the opening scene and it's implications the plot very quickly became shallow and contrived. I just as quickly got tired of Heigl's permanent perkiness and endless wardrobe statements. Compared to Tea Leoni (Madam Secretary), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) or even Kerry Washington (Scandal) she simply doesn't convey the gravitas the role demands. The one thing the pilot episode has going for it is pacing. Perhaps the producers can build in some character development around her in the coming episodes, (Shonda Rhimes where are you?), but given the two Heigl's involvement, I'm not optimistic. Catherine is a beautiful woman, and I hope she eventually finds a role that suits her, but this is definitely not it.

i like this show despite its inherent weaknesses the writing is good. First off its way better than the crap Tea Leoni is doing on Madam Secretary, a single woman who is leading a show without the ever saving hubby in the background. The writing on this show is really good because it carries someone like Katherine Heigel a less than stellar actor. The rest of the characters need more development that would help to offset Heigel's weakness. We need to acknowledge progress here, a black female president I love her don't care what other critics are saying.....a female lead yeah okay she's white and a blond, we could have dropped some stereotypes but lets face it its America and capitalism we have to sell corporate advertising so let us give in to the stereotypical male fantasies here ... one more time.

I'm not sure why everyone are blindly hating this show because of Katherine Heigl, I'm sure she is a Good actresses than others that we most commonly see in current TV Shows. the shows has the right script and plot and enough to keep you engaged. Somebody said something about she laughing loudly when the situation didn't need it - this is just silly. Most of all we have Alfre Woodard on the show, which is a good thing to look forward, and also, you cannot decide on a show just by one episode.. give it a chance.. I"m sure it will be good.!!......... ...................... ............... ........................... ............ ..................... ............ ............................. ....................... ....................... ................................ ........................................ ........................

I'm not sure why so many people have left bad reviews for this show, there truly are a lot of snobs writing reviews here. It seems like a lot of them are from people who dislike Katherine Heigl as well. Who cares! The plot is great and it has picked up pace in the most recent episodes. No it is not Homeland, but what do you expect from a show on NBC? The main reason I watch movies and television is for an escape from reality and I really could care less if a show doesn't accurately portray the government and CIA. If I wanted this, I would watch a documentary, which I do quite frequently. If you take it for what it is, a fun, entertaining action/drama, then you will enjoy it.

They could really have kept this going, had they just gone a bit simpler. Making the story-line a bit more human with some additional real-life touches would have kept it going for at least another couple seasons. It's a fine line that keeps shows engaging, and this was a clear example of one that just missed the mark. The look of this production was as good as anything out there today, but audiences need characters they can look forward to seeing week after week. SOA came close, but just fell short in having folks caring for those on screen. Never a huge fan of Katherine Heigl, she was not the issue in this production, as matter of fact this was one of the better outings she's been part of for quite some time. There's a fine line when someone can step back and critique.. and when principals want to listen, it seriously can matter to an astonishing degree.