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The Unusuals (season 1)

#1
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4/9/09 at 2:07pm
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Anyone else hang on after Lost to see The Unusuals? I thought it was a fun pilot episode. It set up a long running storyline in the background to go with stories of the week. There were a variety of quirky characters. I'm looking forward to where it goes from here. There were some interesting twists in the pilot.

Apparently it just did barely better than Life on Mars did in the overnights. I'd guess that it will last out its run this season, but probably won't into a second season unless ratings improve.
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#2
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4/9/09 at 2:45pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I didn't watch this, but if it barely did better than Life on Mars (which had very little promotion until it got moved to the post-Lost timeslot) with the 24/7 advertising they've had for it, that can't be good. Though, even with all the advertising it probably costs less anyway since Adam Goldberg and Harold Perrineau aren't exactly as big names as Harvey Keitel and Gretchen Mol.
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#3
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4/9/09 at 3:51pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I thought it was pretty interesting too. Agreed, quirky characters.

One thing I wasn't clear on as I was sketching at the drawing board during the second half of the show. When the guy shot at Adam Goldberg with the shot gun, was it the shot that created the image of Jesus on the wall? That was a pretty good trick if it missed him like that. That was a pretty good running gag if they keep him missing death at every turn.
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#4
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4/9/09 at 5:46pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
was it the shot that created the image of Jesus on the wall?

Yeah. The void where the shot didn't hit the was (which formed the silhouette of a man) was where Goldberg's character was standing. Shades of Pulp Fiction. There was no explanation of where the halo came from.

I thought the actual show as a lot better than the promos suggested it would be, quirky, but not as slapstick as I feared. (I liked that the hot dog guy was a background "bit", not a plot element, and that some of the goofier elements were limited to the background and to the dispatcher's radio calls.

I'll be tuning in next week to see where it goes.

Regards,

Joe
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#5
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4/14/09 at 12:35am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I actually enjoyed the pilot episode a lot and think that it has a bunch of interesting characters and much promise. Let's see where the next few episodes takes it. Of course, the fact that it's on ABC - the network famous for screwing around with new shows and hanging them out to dry - doesn't help it at all.

I like many of the actors involved and all of the inside references to other shows (homages or coincidences). Case in point: One of the many former shows I thought about while watching The Unusuals was Hill Street Blues (along with Barney Miller, NYPD Blue, Boston Legal and a host of others). At one point in the premier episode the cops were watching General Hospital which happened to be featuring Bruce Weitz (mob boss Anthony Zacchara on that show) who was also Sgt. Mick Belker on Hill Street Blues. And Ambler Tamblyn (formerly of Joan of Arcadia) was a regular on General Hospital as Emily Quartermaine so what goes around comes around. I love that type of "six degrees of" stuff.



Hopefully optimistic (despite the ABC connection).....
RAF
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#6
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4/14/09 at 10:12pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I'm also in and think it's a very interesting show.

I love the characters and their stories.
Very curious to find out what some of these characters are hiding.

When advertised I thought this was not going to have much going for it.
But after watching it, I think it's a fantastic show.
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#7
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4/14/09 at 10:28pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

We lost Life on Mars for this?
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#8
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4/20/09 at 6:54am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

It appears tha ABC is giving The Unusuals an extra push this week. This weekend I saw an advertisement that there will be new episodes this week on both Tuesday (in place of Cupid) and Wednesday.
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#9
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4/20/09 at 3:48pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood
We lost Life on Mars for this?

Well to be fair to the Unusuals, the ratings for Life on Mars were bad regardless and it could have been replaced with any show.

I just wish the Unusuals were doing better. While I quite enjoyed Life on Mars and wish it did better so it could've stay, I'm absolutely loving the Unusuals. The cast is quirky, and the scripts have been crisp and funny. It's like a hilarious version of the Shield. It's much smarter than Castle and is reaching Life levels of likeability. If you haven't seen it yet, I really recommend giving it a chance.
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#10
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4/20/09 at 4:31pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I dropped Life on Mars after a couple of episodes, but I'm enjoying the Unusuals so far. I like Amber Tamblyn.
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#11
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4/21/09 at 5:13am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I like the show so far. Great characters and almost-great writing. I like shows that give you a reason to care about the characters.
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#12
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4/21/09 at 6:14am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

It's a little too mushy at times to be a cop show.

"Jee-sus, it's like Iwo Jima out there" - Roger Sterling on "Mad Men"
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#13
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4/21/09 at 12:11pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I was sad to see Life on Mars go, but at least it was allowed to complete the story arc in a way that I thought was enjoyable. I just finished watching it a second time (significant other catching up on the DVR) and I enjoyed it even more the second time around. And it was quite interesting to see all the clues planted in just about every episode that clearly (once your know the ending) pointed to the eventual outcome. Very nicely done, and certainly not spur of the moment to rush to an ending. This summer/fall I'm looking for the boxed set, hoping for some extras as well as the British version.

All that said, The Unusuals is a nice replacement. A "cop" show set in NYC but with a completely different slant. Some very clever stuff and it has held my interest so far. I can't say the same for Cupid (which I guess ABC is ditching because we get a double dose of The Unusuals this week - one in Cupid's time slot). While I usually am a fan of Bobby Carnivale, Cupid seemed to be a complete waste of time and I had already purged it from my DVR's programming list. In fact, I owe an apology to Better Off Ted - the only other new show that I dropped from recording after the first show. Compared to Cupid, Better Off Ted is Pulitzer material. In fact I have to admit that some of the recent shows (I peeked!) were much funnier and I may actually start watching it again.
RAF
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["PITA" since 1942]
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#14
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4/22/09 at 4:56am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Another solid episode last night, although Radar O'Reilly (and I think some others) already did the 'favor management' thing so that was kind of a rip-off. I thoroughly was engaged.

This show is definitely on my must-watch list.
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#15
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4/22/09 at 6:13am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Louis C
Another solid episode last night, although Radar O'Reilly (and I think some others) already did the 'favor management' thing so that was kind of a rip-off. I thoroughly was engaged.
Yes, the favor trading plot has been seen before, but in this case the goals was a major backfire and Shraeger was able to get back the trophy at the end for her partner. It was a surprise to me - I didn't think that the hit and run plot and the favor plot would intersect.

Meanwhile Henry/Navan is really getting in the deep end and appears to be headed for a big fall. I am hoping we'll see some resolution to that plotline before the season ends.
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#16
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4/23/09 at 5:09am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilO
Meanwhile Henry/Navan is really getting in the deep end and appears to be headed for a big fall. I am hoping we'll see some resolution to that plotline before the season ends.

Yeah, I like that they have this and the other sub-plots right from the get-go. Last night was yet another solid episode. Here's hoping for good ratings and renewal...
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#17
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4/24/09 at 11:41am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I've been watching both this and Southland. I'm really enjoying Southland, but in my opinion, it doesn't even come close to this show. If I had to choose, I wouldn't think twice about dropping Southland. The quirkiness of this show is what keeps me coming back. Let just hope that it sticks around!
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#18
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4/30/09 at 3:28am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I'm surprised how much I like this show. I don't generally watch cop shows, but this has become my third favorite show on right now (behind Chuck and Lost). Kind of like Chuck, they strike a perfect balance between comedy and drama. After the opening scene tonight, I didn't think they could do comedy at all in this episode, but they found a way to work in some light touches here and there.

For being an unlikeable dirtbag, the actor playing Lutz was a likeable guy. I'm a little sorry he won't be around for a while longer, but it was pretty bold to end the storyline as quickly as they did.

Now on to the complete and utter outrage. There was a little bit of bad weather in the surrounding area, so my local ABC affiliate decided it would be a good idea to keep a list of the affected counties onscreen for the entire episode. And where did they put this list? The Severe Thunderstorm Warning descended from the top left, right in the 4x3 area of my 16x9 picture. I counted a total of 17 counties, and they were listed on lines of no more than three words. So, a total of seven lines of text (yellow and white) right over the main picture area. Descending from the right was another list for a three-county Flash Flood Warning. Again, it was against the edge of the 4x3 area on that side. Unfrickenbelievable. I don't write letters, but I think this warrants one.
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#19
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4/30/09 at 5:16am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_S_H
I'm surprised how much I like this show. I don't generally watch cop shows, but this has become my third favorite show on right now (behind Chuck and Lost). Kind of like Chuck, they strike a perfect balance between comedy and drama. After the opening scene tonight, I didn't think they could do comedy at all in this episode, but they found a way to work in some light touches here and there.

For being an unlikeable dirtbag, the actor playing Lutz was a likeable guy. I'm a little sorry he won't be around for a while longer, but it was pretty bold to end the storyline as quickly as they did.
Yes, I like the mix between comedy and drama as well. I was surprised that they wrapped up the Lutz storyline so quickly. There may still be repercussions for Cole down the line but the blackmail threat is now gone.
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#20
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4/30/09 at 6:09am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Perrineau just can't escape mysterious numbers!
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#21
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4/30/09 at 6:13am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicholas Martin
Perrineau just can't escape mysterious numbers!

Hmmm...4 8 15 16 23 42

42?
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#22
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4/30/09 at 6:28am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

It's fitting that HE would be the paranoid one all about fate and destiny on this show
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#23
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5/6/09 at 10:55pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Karen looked a little too much like Amber. I was a little mixed up at the start.

How are the ratings coming along? This is the best thing going right now other than Lost, and I hate to think what'll happen when it loses that lead-in after next week.
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#24
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5/7/09 at 5:36am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_S_H
Karen looked a little too much like Amber. I was a little mixed up at the start.
I also thought as much at first.

It was another good episode. According to Shows A-Z - unusuals, the on abc | TheFutonCritic.com

the upcoming airings are

5/27/09 (We.)10:00 PMABC(#107) The Tape Delay
6/3/09 (We.)10:00 PMABC(#108) N/A
6/10/09 (We.)10:00 PMABC(#109) N/A
6/17/09 (We.)10:00 PMABC(#110) N/A
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#25
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5/7/09 at 7:37am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Another good episode this week! The writing has been very consistent for a new program and the storylines continue to engage. The lead characters are all gelling together nicely. The only thing I do NOT like about this program is the title. The Unusuals is such a dopey name, IMO, and it does a serious disservice to this otherwise quality TV show.

Gary

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#26
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5/7/09 at 6:07pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

I like the theme music, though, and how each letter is punctuated by the horns as it comes in.

Thanks for the schedule, Neil. Looks like we're having a few bye weeks.
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#27
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5/7/09 at 6:45pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_S_H
I like the theme music, though, and how each letter is punctuated by the horns as it comes in.

And the flipping of the letter N.

The theme was written by the show's creator, a former "BONES" writer.
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#28
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5/17/09 at 10:52pm
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Unfortunately the show has been canceled.
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#29
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5/18/09 at 1:07am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

Great. That really sucks.
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#30
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5/18/09 at 5:00am
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Re: The Unusuals (season 1)

What BS. I thought the ratings had been pretty decent.

Another great show canceled just as it is getting started...damn
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