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Herc Says ABC
SPOILER ALERT !!
KAREN SISCO (10 p.m. Wednesdays. ABC. Airs this autumn opposite “South Park,” “Law & Order” and “The Brotherhood of Poland, N.H.”). Crime drama centered around the beautiful but tough federal marshall played by Jennifer Lopez in the movie “Out of Sight.” From screenwriter Scott Frank (“Get Shorty,” “Out of Sight,” “Minority Report”). With Carla Gugino (“Chicago Hope,” the “Spy Kids” series), Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown,” “Human Nature”) and Bill Duke (“The Limey,” “Red Dragon”).
Herc saw this pilot. It wasn’t directed by Stephen Soderbergh, it wasn’t written by Scott Frank, it didn’t star Jennifer Lopez or George Clooney. But I kinda loved it. It rocks pretty hard. Carla Gugino makes a better Karen than JLo and Robert Forster makes a better Marshall Sisco than Dennis Farina. No Albert Brooks or Catherine Keener or Steve Zahn, but it’s got Bill Duke and Jake Busey, and Peter Horton does not suck in Michael Keaton’s Ray Nicolette role. George Mason and Nina Meyers turn up in the pilot. Together.
It’s pretty and fast-paced and funny and sexy Carla gets to be all cool and quick-thinking and show a bad guy who’s boss. I’d like to declare “Karen Sisco” the show to beat this autumn, but I haven’t seen “Jake 2.0” and I haven’t seen “Wonderfalls.”
(Somebody! Send Herc “Wonderfalls”! He must see “Wonderfalls”! He craves the “Wonderfalls”! Herc wants to see the pilot that lured supergenius Tim Minear away from “Angel” and Team Whedon!)
"Pimp Daddy" saw "Sisco" too and says:
It’s pretty and fast-paced and funny and sexy Carla gets to be all cool and quick-thinking and show a bad guy who’s boss. I’d like to declare “Karen Sisco” the show to beat this autumn, but I haven’t seen “Jake 2.0” and I haven’t seen “Wonderfalls.”
(Somebody! Send Herc “Wonderfalls”! He must see “Wonderfalls”! He craves the “Wonderfalls”! Herc wants to see the pilot that lured supergenius Tim Minear away from “Angel” and Team Whedon!)
"Pimp Daddy" saw "Sisco" too and says:
"Pimp Daddy" saw "Sisco" too and says:
ABC’s Karen Sisco is *all* *good*!
Unlike ABC’s Threat Matrix, Karen Sisco isn’t littered with lame scenes
or crap characters.
The show is a continuation from the movie Out Of Sight (characters, not
plot). There is no reference to the majority of the characters from the
movie (such as Jack). They also don’t seem to acknowledge anything plot
wise from the movie (though there are similar scenes such as the
bathtub, a hotel and scene where a guy is slammed onto the floor and
handcuffed with style by Karen).
Premise: “Smart. Sexy. Tough. Karen Sisco is a United States marshal on
Miami's Gold Coast. In pursuit of dangerous fugitives, Karen must pick
her way through the dark underbelly of South Beach nightlife and the
sunshine and glitz of Palm Beach highlife … while she struggles to win
the respect of her supervisor and fellow officers.
Karen is a barely concealed weapon who can take down a suspect twice
her size. The only man she truly trusts is her father – a retired marshal
with a wealth of life experience and street smarts. He's Karen's
confidant, counsellor, confessor – and her rock when her confidence waivers …
which it does every time she tries to connect romantically with a man.
Based on the character portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in Elmore Leonard's
Out of Sight, Karen Sisco is that rare combination of action and
character-drama, with a fresh and original young lead. ”
As soon as the pilot begins we know that Karen (played by Carla Gugino)
is close to her farther (played by Robert Forster). Her farther was
also a US marshal, but he’s now a PI (hence why he's there for support as
a farther and ex US marshal).
As the pilot moves on we see that the show has a Jack (George Clooney’s
character in the movie) esq character. He plays the guy Karen is after
(he escapes police custody in a funny scene where the officer watching
him on the plane has a heart attack, it’s funnier then I’m making it
sound…). He manages to stay one step ahead of Karen and eventually starts
flirting with her over the phone, he’s a trophy bitch to rich
(vulnerable) women, which is how he has managed to stay wealthy, but he is
arrested for something (didn't catch it) and he’s being escorted to the US.
Karen is also dating a FBI agent who’s married; she doesn’t want him
while he has temporary left his wife (it’s an on and off marriage). Her
farther on the other hand wants her to date someone else (who isn’t
married), his poker friends (they’re ex cons, who are now going straight)
seem to like the non-married guy too.
Xander Berkeley (looks like you go onto great things when you’re killed
off on 24) also has a role in the pilot as an accountant for the mob.
He eventually went into the witness protection program but comes back
because his wife (who’s played by Sarah Clarke, Nina from 24) has left
him. He’s there for comedy (“Karen Sisco, can I buy you a drink, or maybe
a lap dance?”) and handles the role well; unfortunately he goes back
into the witness protection program at the end, hopefully he’ll be back.
The show is great on *every* level. The acting (Carla Gugino is great,
she’s tough when she wants to be and she makes the character ooze with
style, smarts and class), the directing, the action (they don’t blow
anything up (yay, but I suppose that’s just me) but a gun fight still
manages to cool great even though there were only two shooters), the
characters (some are there for laughs, others to be asses, sorry bosses),
the use of music is great (hopefully something the producers of Fearless
will think about carefully before they play any old pop song, oh and
while they’re at it they should do something about the writing too) and
not forgetting the humour (it’s similar to the movie, not over the top,
just effective).
The show is character driven, so action comes second, but the pilot
seems to be 50/50. It works very well.
I’m struggling to find flaws with this show…Out Of Sight was a great
movie, Karen Sisco looks like it’s going to be a great series. ABC has a
winner on their hands.
5/5
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+ Expand All
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...and I must admit to not being much of a tv fan these days. Nice to see Gugino in this part; hopefully she's found her middle ground between 'art' and "SPY KIDS" with this series.
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Isn't Mason dead and Nina in custody? How the hell can they both be here?
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Jake 2.0 is a lot of fun, but it's not a greta show, it has some very predicatble and two dimensional characters and aspects. Threat Matrix is too rushed, trying to capitalize on current events, and is underdeveloped, but yet not totally unlikeable. Karen Sisco is just plain solid goodness. I never saw the movie, I know I shouldn't let JLo keep me from an otherwise good movie, but Gugino makes it even harder because you can really believe in her as this character. Forrester is perfect. I agree that it is a shame Xander Berkley won't be around on a regular basis. The rest of the supporting characters are all pretty good, even Jake Busey. Martha Plimpton did a nice turn as one of the rich women taken in by the con artist Cisco is after. The biggest flaw in the show is that Karen Cisco is too cool, to smart, to clever, and too sexy. Even when she doubts herself, we never do. Sure the star always comes out on top and will get the bad guy 95% of the time, but you are so sure that not only will Cisco catch, but outwit her prey, that it takes a little fun out of it. It's still very enjoyable watching her do what she does. This will definitely be one of the 5-6 hours of TV I'll allow myself to watch next season.
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that is really all I had, she is one well put together woman.
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Is it a law that he's gotta be played by someone with a pretty serious Chicago accent?
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Jul 24, 2003 10:57:25 PM CDT
Can't get too exciting oversomeone else taking over the best rol
by osmosis jones
Yes haters, she was good in Out Of Sight. *Damn* good. It's a shame that she segued from this splendid movie into her current "J-Lo" superdiva nonsense and completely lost the tough-yet-feminine charisma she portrayed so easily in her early film roles. Carla Guigino *is* pretty hot, but Karen Sisco ("Like the Cisco Kid, only spelled different.") she ain't.
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I'm a bit disppointed that Forester isn't reprising his role as the bail bondsman from Jackie Brown. I saw him in the ads and kinda thought that was who he'd be playing. It would be a fun team-up of Elmore Leonard characters. Oh well, he'll probably still kick much ass as Karen's dad.
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Naturally, ABC will find some way to screw it up, and it will be cancelled in two years. They have NEVER known what to do with a quality show.
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She graduated from La Jolla High in 1989. I was '88. She was pretty but her body, at 17, was way behind schedule. She looked 12! So, when I saw her 10 years after highschool in "Snake Eyes" It was quite a shock to see this once really skinny girl with no hips/butt/breasts evolve into such a woman! Va Va Va Voom! I'm very happy for her and wish her success with 'Karen Sisco'. I look forward to it.
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She was a very nice girl too, btw.
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oook.
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Totally agree, Osmosis. "Out of Sight" was an excellent, and Lopez was excellent in it. It's a shame what's happened to her; seems like fame has gone to her head in a big way. "Gigli" is going to sink without a burble, deservedly.
As for "Karen Sisco," I'm looking forward to it. I like Carla Gugino and almost all of the other actors connected with it. But ABC is a black hole these days; one hopes this quality show, if indeed it is one, doesn't get lost or ruined there.
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