Monday, June 16, 2014

What Happens When No One Believes....


Another J.J. Abrams produced show ended a short-lived life last night as Believe aired its series finale. After a string of intriguing long running shows, the creative force of J.J. Abrams seems to have fizzled, at least when it comes to the small screen. Believe, like the also canceled Revolution, began as a potential hit, with high viewership and a fascinating idea. But also like Revolution, the show ran out of steam, this type quite quickly.

The show suffered from a severe lack of plotting. After the first few episodes, the story seemed to go nowhere. The characters were simply running in circles, performing the same tasks they had in the episodes that preceded them. Unlike Fringe or Lost, which dealt with ever increasing plot lines that built momentum, Believe felt as though it was entirely based one idea which unfortunately wasn't enough to sustain a series. 

This is one of those shows that would have made a potentially brilliant mini-series. Instead they tried to stretch out the idea, adding this one-person-saved-per-week formula which got tiring really soon. After several episodes, it felt like the characters had nothing to do, often repeating the same lines week after week. The one highlight from show has to be it's two stars, Jake McLaughlin and Johnny Sequoyah. When they were on screen, the show was worth watching. 

The one positive thing about the show's ending was that either they had enough time to know it wasn't coming back, or else they just didn't have a vision for future seasons because the end felt like an end. An entertaining show that may have lasted longer back in a time before television shows had pushed the envelope and viewers expected less.

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