Pilot Watch: A Gifted Man

by Kelly Bedard

A Gifted Man is not a new show. I mean, it is a new show- a CBS Friday night experiment in unconventional procedural drama- but it adheres to a formula that's been produced three notable times before. Wonderfalls, Joan of Arcadia and (most similarly) Eli Stone are all what I call "prophet shows": client/case/patient-of-the-week agnostic faith-based stories of redemption and connection with strong ties to the ether. A Gifted Man is a more dramatic (and less George Michael-full) take on the same thing, though vaguer with the mythology (and God vs. ghost clarification) behind its ethereal messages. Each time I've seen a new prophet show I've liked it a lot and it's been canceled quickly. Here's hoping, as predictable and slightly Ghost Whisperer-y as it might be, A Gifted Man doesn't suffer the fate of the three great prophet shows.

Actor Obsession: Matt Letscher

So there's this guy. Whenever someone asks me who my favourite TV actors are, I never think of him. I don't remember to include him in lists of TV crushes, standout characters or superb guest stars. But the thing is, I really really should. Maybe it's because he's not very showy. Or maybe it's that no matter how many awesome shows he's on, they always seem to be canceled before their time. He doesn't often get to make grand speeches, stand on any literal or metaphorical coffee carts or get top billing as the star of the show. But I love him. I've loved him for years (since 1998 to be exact) and have loved every single thing I've ever seen him in (which is a lot). He deserves to be on those aforementioned lists, I'm embarrassed that I never remember to put him there. He did, however, earn a My TV Award nomination in 2009 for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his work on Eli Stone. That guy is Matt Letscher.

Still don't know who he is? Letscher's is one of those names that people never seem to recognize when I bring it up, but almost everyone knows his work. He's a terrifyingly unrepentant villain (The Mask of Zorro), a terrific office prig (Good Morning Miami), the playful but responsible older brother (Eli Stone) and the sweet single dad from the playground (Brothers & Sisters). He was married to Joey's crush and dated Old Christine. And now he's hired Parker and Kim to defend him on Drop Dead Diva.

In a lovely episode that miraculously overcame many many cheesy hurdles (a bizzaro court case for Jane, an overly emotional Grayson, an insecure Kim, and Jake Pavelka), Letscher made me love him all over again. He barely said a word for the first half of the episode, just sat there wearing cool "I work in the TV industry" glasses and not giving too much away. He played the producer of a Bachelor-like reality show, who was being sued for inflicting emotional damage on a rejected bachelorette (the always adorable Camille Guaty). Kim called him a jerk, Pavelka's character claimed he set the bachelorette up for heartbreak and we were bombarded with criminalizing footage from the fictional show; all signs pointed to "this guy's a pig". But there's something about Letscher's eyes. He didn't have to say anything, I knew he was a good guy this time. Maybe it's the way he furrows his brow, or something about the light going out of his twinkling blue eyes when he plays a villain; maybe it's the way his face reddens before you see any tangible tears (not that he cried on Diva, just sat there downhearted) or all or none of the above. Whatever it is, Matt Letscher is one of the most emotional actors working today. He can always make me feel whatever it is I'm supposed to. This time around, no matter what the evidence, I knew I was supposed to like him. So I did, and it turns out I was right to. Matt Letscher's the best in the business for emotional turns: he can rip your heart out without ever seeming dramatic; he can make you laugh, make you mad and give you nightmares. That's a lot of reaction for a familiar face to inspire.

Would someone PLEASE get this man a starring vehicle?! He can play absolutely anything and will have the audience exactly where he wants them the entire time. I'm telling you, there's something about those eyes.

Little Anne is All Grown Up

And while we're on the subject of Canada and its contributions to the world of entertainment, imagine my delight when this week's Brothers & Sisters contained a guest spot from a Canadian icon of sorts- Megan Follows, who played Anne of Green Gables in the beloved film adaptation, was introduced this week as the new director of Nora Walker's center for families of cancer patients. 

The episode was also the first of a multi-episode arc for Matt Letscher, one of my favourite TV actors, (Eli Stone, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Joey, Good Morning Miami). Since he's American he's not actually relevant to this post but he's always worth a mention in my opinion. 

ABC lets me down

While I was at a friend's place for dinner tonight someone asked a hypothetical question: "if the TV only had 3 channels, which 3 channels would you want them to be?". I replied "ABC, NBC and CBS... or maybe The CW, or Bravo... definitely ABC". Then I came home and did the rounds of my favourite TV news websites and my heart broke; ABC has cancelled Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone, effectively making me eat my words. 

For years now ABC has been my favourite network. While Fox is loading up on action/adventure and CBS is mostly dependent on reality, ABC seemed to be making a point of scheduling intelligently scripted shows. They had tons of them, contributing to making last season (strike aside) one of the best in recent TV history. 

But the cancellation of 2 of my favourite shows and 1 that I wish I'd had time to watch leaves me wondering what ABC's offering this season that the other networks don't have. The only shows they've kept on the air are tried and true ratings and/or Emmy winners and they haven't given me a single new show to care about. 

My TV schedule will certainly seem much bleaker without Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money to give it a little colour. 

Television Prophets

All hail the the almighty end of the writers strike.
That being said, there's another almighty at work in today's TV climate- the actual almighty.
Considering all the shows in question thought themselves completely original at the time of conception, it's almost surprising that in the span of the last 2 weeks Ive come in contact with 3 different shows about people who are contacted by God... that's right THREE.
Such an obscure (and possibly controversial) concept, one would think, would be a rarity- oh no, it's not.
I recently bought the second season of an old favourite of mine on DVD- "Joan of Arcadia". I also have fallen newly in love with an under appreciated gem called "Wonderfalls". Inspiring slightly less enthusiasm but still warranting a watch is "Eli Stone" which premiered 2 weeks ago in the strike-struck wasteland that is television at the moment.
There are probably a couple more "god speaks to our characters" shows out there too- I've just missed them.

Here's the breakdown of the prophet formula:

1) the unlikely hero: a disenfranchised teen, a cold corporate lawyer,whatever. as long as they're sarcastic, cynical, secretly big hearted and completely nonreligious they'll work ( Jaye, Joan and Eli).

2) the snarky friend: someone to question the weird behaviour of the new found prophet and keep them rooted in reality. again, sarcasm is a must but it has to be someone who knows the hero well and spends a lot of time with them (before and after the visions begin). (Jaye's friend Mahandra, Joan's friend Grace and Eli's assistant Patti)

3) the authority on science: the person who tries to explain it all away (Jaye's therapist Dr. Ron, Joan's scientist brother Luke and Eli's doctor brother Nathan)

4) the authority on faith: the person who knows about "something more" who can explain why the hero is perhaps not completely crazy (Jaye's theologist brother Aaron, Joan's artist boyfriend Adam and Eli's acupuncturist friend Dr. Chen)

5) the bizarre God-ly medium: how God reaches our hero (inanimate animal objects speak to Jaye, God appears as ever changing everyday people to Joan and He reaches Eli through the songs of George Michael)

6) and everything else: a lack of organized religious participation on the part of the hero, strong family connections, weekly cryptic "missions", the hero's strong sense of detachment from others, moderate to enthusiastic critical acclaim, low ratings and early cancellation.

and who says only crime shows can be procedural? if visions from the ether can be formulaic, anything can. God help us all.