February 27, 2007
Taye Diggs is a terrific actor. I thoroughly enjoyed his trippy little time drama Day Break (apparently, I was the only one) and, frankly, I feared for the mans reputation when the Lost fill in was quickly ushered off the ABC schedule. Well apparently Digg's was not tarnished much by the cancellation of Day Break because, according to Hollywood Reporter, he has been given a lead role in the much lauded Grey's Anatomy spin off set to star Kate Walsh. Grey's Anatomy's fans are a little concerned about Walsh, who plays neonatal surgeon Dr. Montgomery, ex wife of Dr. Shepard and third corner of the Grey / Shepard / Montgomery love triangle. Yanking her from the show completely reboots the romantic chemistry of the show. Then again, Meredith's recent death and subsequent resurrection is sure to toss things up on Grey's Anatomy for sure.
December 18, 2006
The not-so-unexpected cancellation of LOST's would be stop-gap, Day Break, left what few fans the show had in the middle of an enigma. Just what forces were behind Detective Hopper's stuck-in-time dilemma? Originally hailed as a short-term mystery with a conclusive resolution, will Day Break fans ever know the fate of their time-bound hero?
November 16, 2006
It was inevitable that the show that would fill the shoes of LOST for thirteen weeks would have a serious hurdle to get over: comparison. I’m not going to compare
Day Break to LOST, (or Groundhog’s Day, since that has been done to death), because that’s neither realistic, or fair. Not that LOST is incorruptible or anything, it is just
Day Break deserves to judged on its own merits. Pretend, for a moment, that it isn’t in the same time slot as LOST, that it isn’t holding up the thirteen week hiatus LOST fans are suffering through, that it isn’t meant to appeal to that very crowd, and you might just see it how I saw it: A very, very interesting drama.
November 15, 2006
Day Break premieres tonight on ABC at 9PM, with the unenviable task of replacing Lost. Starring Taye Diggs, Day Break has the same plot as "Groundhog Day", only if Bill Murray had to keep Andie McDowell from dying instead of making himself a better person. The reviews for Day Break have been okay, nothing special, but the promos have looked pretty interesting. If anything, Diggs is a quality actor who seems like the right guy for the "My girlfriend keeps dying and I'm waking up to the same day but I have to remain strong and figure out what the hell is going on" character.
To me, the real question here is "Does it matter what show replaces Lost?" I'm not sure it does, especially given the special circumstances of Lost's hiatus.
November 8, 2006
ABC is betting the Taye Digg's led Day Break will make for a logical viewing choice for malnourished LOST fans after the island mystery returns to hiatus-purgatory November 15th. The bet is an odd game-play for the network, and a sign of progressive policy at work within the halls of ABC. The fact that they are even allowing the scheduling to take LOST off the air during sweeps is a sure vote of confidence in the shows value to advertisers.
After settling into mega-hit numbers,
LOST seems to be one of the safer bets.
Day Break has a lot to offer
LOST fans, particularly those whose nerves are jangled my the protracted mysteries of the survival drama.
Day Break is a 13-week investment. A complete story told over one half season slot. Whether that story includes a built in sequel mechanism should it became a run-away hit is, of course, a matter of common sense, but at this point ABC is promising if you start
Day Break next week, you will know the answer to its mysteries 13 weeks later when
LOST returns to begin its cycle of tease and denial all over again.
The plot for
Day Break goes a little like this: Detective Brett Hopper is living the same day over and over again. Hopper is accused of killing Assistant District Attorney Alberto Garza. He offers a solid alibi which no one believes. He realizes he's been framed. And he runs, discovering en route that not only he, but also his loved ones are in danger. He then wakes up and relives the same day over and over again. Hmmm sounds like somebody's read their Nietzsche.