Last summer if you had asked me what's the new show I was most looking most forward to, I'd say Awake with no hesitation. Was immensely disappointed to not see it in the Fall schedule and that it was relegated as a midseason replacement series. Huge mistake, but that was then, this is now. Awake is finally here and can't wait to see it.
The series will be starring Jason Isaacs, one of my favorite actors. I was initially introduced to him with the role that made him popular as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, but he'll always be badass Irish-American, from the show Brotherhood on Showtime, Michael Caffee.
In any case, very much looking forward to this one as it seems to have high production values and good acting, including a good combination of drama with procedural elements.
So make sure to tune in tonight at 10 PM ET on NBC.
"Awake" is an intriguing drama about a detective (Jason Isaacs, "Harry Potter," "Brotherhood") who finds he is leading an arduous double life that defies reality. Following a tragic car accident, detective Michael Britten finds himself awake in two separate realities: one where his teen son, Rex (Dylan Minnette, "Saving Grace"), died in the crash and his wife, Hannah (Laura Allen, "Terriers"), survived and another where Hannah has perished, leaving Michael and Rex to pick up the pieces. In order to keep both of his loved ones alive, Michael begins living in two dueling realities, churning up confusion. In one reality, Michael and his wife debate having another child, while in the other, his son Rex is turning to his tennis coach, Tara (Michaela McManus, "The Vampire Diaries"), to fill the void from the loss of his mother.http://www.nbc.com/awake/
Trying to regain some normalcy, Michael returns to solving crimes in both worlds with the help of two different partners, Detective Isaiah "Bird" Freeman (Steve Harris, "The Practice") and Detective Efrem Vega (Wilmer Valderrama, "That '70s Show"). Michael is assigned a different case in each reality and quickly discovers that his dual existence is actually a powerful tool. He begins to solve impossible cases by using his two realties to gain unique perspectives and link clues that cross over from world to world.
Helping Michael to navigate his two realities are his bureau-assigned therapists Dr. Evans (Emmy Award-winner Cherry Jones, "24") and Dr. Lee (BD Wong, NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"). While both therapists work to untangle his two worlds, Michael has no interest in proving either one is false. But when memories of the accident begin to haunt him, he is forced to confront the truth about what really happened the night of the crash.
Wow, I remember seeing something about this but somehow missed that it would be airing tonight. Thanks for the post - I'm glad I saw it while I still had time to set my DVR. :D
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing the commercial for this one, and thought it sounded kind of sad. You have to tell me if you liked it. Maybe I'll watch it on demand if it's a good one. :) Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteFirst episode is online on Hulu, already watched it and thought it was pretty good. A bit slower than I expected and the procedural aspect still needs some work (I expect these two things to improve substantially from 2nd episode on), but quite promising.
ReplyDeleteAs for "sad", I think it's quite manageable. It's not the gut-wrenching type, at least not at this point.
Sorry, here's the link to Hulu:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hulu.com/watch/330135/awake-special-full-episode-preview
Cool. Thanks for the link! I think I'll check it out this weekend then. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree it was a bit slow, but pilot episodes can be that way sometimes until the basics are set in motion. I think it has potential, but it all depends on where they go with it. Michael seems very happy with his two realities, and something needs to intervene to shake that up. With the previews alluding to a potential conspiracy involved, that could do it. My own initial theory had been that neither reality was real, and that Michael was the dead one. But I don't think that is correct.
ReplyDeleteI think it's one of the best pilot I've seen in a while. It might seem a bit slow but I think it's needed to give you more time to reflect what is going on. The drama definitely shows great potential.
ReplyDeleteI just hope that Michael is not dead or in a come or that his wife and son are actually both dead and he made these realities as a copy mechanism.
Some good theories there Richard, I should've thought of them. And seeing the previews about the next episode, I think you're correct about the conspiracy. I mean, what's a show without a good conspiracy in the middle of it?
ReplyDelete