Was it really just a couple of months ago that we were all fussing about the abundance of good crime television on Tuesday nights? White Collar, (USA) Justified (FX) and Southland (USA) were all competing for real or DVR time, unless we resolved the conflicts with On Demand.
Being a DVR person myself, I whined in the comments of that January post complaining that the three cable programs we were trumpeting were only part of my problem.
… [W]hat about the networks?? Unforgettable on CBS and Body of Proof on ABC.
Here is what my DVR schedule looked like: 10 pm Unforgettable and Body of Proof, 11 pm Justified; midnight Southland; 1 am White Collar. I was exhausted just doing the programming…Now I have to find time to watch it all.
And, watch it all I did. It took some doing to make sure I’d seen the weekly episode of each show before I taped the next one. I began to refer to Monday afternoons as “catch-up Monday.” My goal was to be finished watching last week’s 10 PM Tuesday shows before the start of Castle on Monday night.
First White Collar went on mid-season hiatus. Then Southland aired its season finale. In a matter of days, Justified will also take a break. Then what?
If you had paid attention to my comment in January, you’d already be up to speed with Unforgettable (10 PM Tuesdays on CBS), a show that is near and dear to my heart for several reasons. The geography is my home borough of Queens in New York City. They film on location, sometimes very near my house. Hooray for money spent in the local economy! And as a short mystery fiction writer, I have a hard time resisting any series that is based on a short story. In this case the story is The Rememberer, written by J. Robert Lennon. Unforgettable stars Poppy Montgomery as Detective Carrie Wells, a woman with hyperthymesia, a condition that allows her to recall anything she has ever seen or heard. I thought the premise might be problematic. How could she possibly function if her entire life was jumbled front and center in her mind? But it doesn’t work that way. She can recall and revisit any memory from her far or recent past and so it all fits nicely with her work as a detective and her personal quest to find her sister’s murderer.
Another thing I enjoy is watching actor Kevin Rankin, who portrayed despicable Devil on Justified, playing the shy but engaging Roe Sanders, a young detective who works with Carrie.
Also at 10 PM on Tuesdays, ABC presents Body of Proof, starring Dana Delaney as Megan Hunt, a Philadelphia neurosurgeon who becomes a Medical Examiner when an accident prevents her from continuing to operate on the living. Although Delaney is clearly the central figure, she has the support of a superb ensemble cast, including Jeri Ryan, who was super terrific as Tara Cole when filling in for Gina Bellman (Sophie) on Leverage a few seasons back. While Dr. Hunt is trying to rebuild her relationship with her teenaged daughter, she is also learning, apparently for the first time, to play nice with others, as she interacts with her colleagues in the ME’s Office and members of the Philly PD, solving murders as she goes along. Here at Criminal Element, it has already been noted that television is awash with female Medical Examiners, and you may think you’ve had your fill, but I assure you that if you haven’t seen Body of Proof, it is worth a look.
So, if your dance card is empty on Tuesday at ten, try drifting back to the Networks for some criminally good entertainment.
Terrie Farley Moran’s recent collection of short stories, THE AWARENESS and other deadly tales, is currently available in e-format for the Nook and the Kindle. Terrie blogs at Women of Mystery.
Read all of Terrie Farley Moran’s posts for Criminal Element.
