New Series: Samantha Who; Viva Laughlin; Women's Murder Club

SAMANTHA WHO (Sitcom-ABC)
STARS: Christina Applegate, Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, Kevin Dunn, Melissa McCarthy, Tim Russ, Barry Watson
PREMISE: Samantha (Applegate) is a young woman who loses her memory after an accident and waking up from an eight-day coma. She can't remember her parents (Smart and Dunn); her best friend (Esposito); or the old school chum she snubbed years ago (McCarthy). And she can't remember her boyfriend Todd (Watson). But some of the pieces begin coming together in the pilot--and it turns out Sam is no good neighbor.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: Christina Applegate (and Jean Smart) are the two reasons to watch "Samantha Who;" Applegate's vitality shines in every scene (and goes a long way to explain why audiences too to her on the old Fox sitcom "Married...With Children"). Smart, a veteran comic who's equally savvy with drama, is great as the mom from hell who thinks screaming every line will bring her daughter's memory back. McCarthy is pleasant as the scorned school chum, and Esposito is wonderfully self-centered. But the premise is a very thin one, and it's up to the producers to determine where it goes from the pilot. You can only milk the amnesia (sorry) to a point where viewers say "enough." For now, enjoy the performances--they're worth watching. ABC is probably wise to slot this comedy behind the Monday installment of its mega hit "Dancing With The Stars;" it may buy the show time to work out the potential kinks. But if it fails, it won't be Applegate's fault.

VIVA LAUGHLIN (Drama/Musical-CBS)
NOTE: CBS canceled this show after just two episodes as of October 23rd, making "Laughlin" the first scripted series casualty of the Fall 2007 season. It is not expected to return.
STARS: Lloyd Owen; Madchen Amick; Eric Winter; DB Woodside; P.J. Byrne; Ellen Woglom; Carter Jenkins; Hugh Jackman; Melanie Griffith
PREMISE: Laughlin, Nevada is a gaming town along the Colorado River, about 120 miles south of Las Vegas. Based on the BBC series "Viva Blackpool," this Americanized version stars Owen as Ripley Holden, a businessman who sells his chain of convenience stores to build a five-star hotel in Laughlin. But the man who owns a quarter of the casino is found dead in Ripley's office (the death came after he pulled out of the project to invest in windmills for energy generation). Ripley must also deal with the problems of his family; a rival casino owner who wants to see him go bankrupt (Jackman) and the widow of the investor (Griffith). All this is seasoned with several of the characters lip-syncing tunes to advance the plot. If all this sounds like the infamous Steven Bochco police effort "Cop Rock" (ABC, 1990), you're close. "Cop Rock" used original tunes; "Laughlin" relies on familiar chestnuts (one scene has Owen and Griffith warbling the Blondie song "One Way Or Another").
WHAT MIKE THINKS: First off, kudos to CBS for its effort to try and break from safe, reliable drama series and try something adventurous. But "Viva Laughlin" may have been the wrong show for the wrong network. There was a lively casino-oriented drama that badly wanted to bust out. But the performances and the musical numbers dragged the story well. (Only Jackman had some life; his scene--used in virtually all the "Laughlin" promos that aired on CBS--showed his dapper self performing the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil" amid a bevy of attractive women and a noisy casino. Too bad it was the ONLY good scene in the pilot.)
The show simply felt as if was being pulled in different directions; one side wanted more daring; the other side (the conservative CBS side, I suspect) pulled it closer to the middle. It showed. Sadly, no jackpots for the network--or the producers. Good attempt, however.

WOMEN'S MURDER CLUB (Mystery Drama-ABC)
STARS: Angie Harmon, Paula Newsome, Aubrey Dollar, Laura Harris, Tyrees Allen, Rob Estes
PREMISE: "Sex & Violence In The City": Four women with various skills form a sort of bond as they jointly solve homicides. Harmon is the San Francisco detective; Newsome is the coroner; Harris is the prosecutor and Dollar is a reporter who wants to join this "murder club." Allen is Harmon's detective partner; Estes is Harris' persistent ex-husband.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: A good idea lost in the execution. "Women's Murder Club" could have been a showcase for intelligent females--instead, it's soap, sex and screwball cases. Kiss kiss, bang bang. There's not enough chemistry among the four leads to make their relationship believable; only Allen as Harmon's world-weary partner shows some spunk. "WMC" is doing well in the ratings against CBS' lackluster "Moonlight;" NBC's excellent but ratings-challenged "Friday Night Lights" and whatever Fox is airing on Fridays at 9:00 these days. But it's by default--and if future episodes don't improve fast, the cause of "Women's Murder Club" could be ruled a suicide.

Until next time, happy viewing!