I am – Hercules!!

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:

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