The Inside: Reviews and such

nerd4hire

nerd4hire

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Am I the only one that's hyped about the Whedonverse, being (at least in a small way) reassembled to create the upcoming TV Series The Inside?

It was filmed on the old Buffy set. Showrunner Tim Minear took over Joss's old office. Minear also gathered together Buffy/Angel alum like Robert Kral (Angel composer), Amber Benson (for a guest role), and Adam Baldwin ( for a recurring role).

Plus he's snagged an all-star power package of some of Buffy/Angels best writers and production people.

Jane Espenson: writer or co-writer of such episodes as Rm W/Vu for Angel, and Band Candy, Earshot, Conversations with Dead People, and Storyteller for Buffy.

David Fury: writer or co-writer of such episodes as Disharmony, Salvage, and You're Welcome for Angel, and Helpless, Real Me, Grave, and Showtime for Buffy.

Ben Edlund: writer of Life of the Party, Smile Time, and Time Bomb for Angel

Howard Gordon: Consulting Producer for Buffy and Angel.

Tim Minear: Fill-in show runner, co-producer of Angel and Firefly. Writer of such Angel episodes as Hero, Reprise, Through the Looking Glass, and Home.

As I understand it the story of The Inside went something like this. Fox had a property concerning an FBI agent working undercover in a high school (yeah, I know 21 Jump Streetish). Fox didn't like the script.

If IMDB.com can be believed Tim Minear has a 7 figure contract with Fox to create and run shows. They brought Minear in to retool the show.

The first thing Tim did was create a whole new concept. In the Minear version of The Inside, the central figure would be a talented, young FBI profiler, with personal secrets. She is brought in to work with a specialized unit that hunts serial killers. There's a shadowy FBI director that knows her secret.

At least 13 episodes will be produced. Those of us who followed Minear's work on Wonderfalls hope those 13 will contain a complete story arc, as the Falls did.

Will it succeed? Who knows, but expect intricate plots, complex characters, and surpises. It's gonna be hot, and starts in 2 1/2 weeks on Wednesday June 8.
 
It seems interesting. It's good that there are going to be more shows for people to pick from. Hopefully these shows survive because I'm getting very sick and tired of reality tv.
 
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charmingangelC
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I think it looks cool. Nice to see the ultraslick Fox promo style lavished on (hopefully) quality material. That girl protagonist looks so young...kinda Buffy-like in that respect.

I wonder if networks are re-thinking the cut-and-run, slash-and-burn treatment of new series. Like, maybe they plan ahead now for DVD treatment, try to produce a "complete", resolved storyline"”even if a show's fate is to be yanked off the air. A complete arc, as you said, N4H.
 
Yeah that arc in 13 thing is kind of interesting, I think.

I heard it first from an interview with Tim Minear during the production of Wonderfalls. What he said was, he'd learned his lesson from Firefly. You have to tell the story of your arc quickly, before the network has a chance to pull the series.

They made a conscious effort to tell the story in 13, and that's another reason why Wonderfalls is the # 1 rated DVD at Amazon.com. It is on one level, like watching a really long, really fascinating, serialized, but 'complete' movie.
 
Although I just read a review, and it sounds like they're doing mysteries of the week (in the first 3 anyway), as opposed to an arc. Hard to say which way they'll go at this point.

On the bright side, the series sounds like it's going to be something worth seeing. No surprise there.

Inside Preview

As promised, I watched the first three episodes of Fox's The Inside last weekend. The more I saw, the more I grew attached to the series, which follows a band of cute and clever FBI agents (led by the no-nonsense Peter Coyote!) who investigate violent crimes. What I liked about the show: It's created by Buffy vet Tim Minear, and it retains some of that epic, mystical feeling. The ensemble cast, led by newcomer Rachel Nichols, works together well. And so far, no mystery has ended the way I thought it would.

What didn't I like? The eps I saw are constructed Law & Order-style, with a clear beginning, middle and solution to the crime. If I know Minear and his writing team (which includes several Whedonverse alums), I expect a larger, more complicated storyline will eventually shine through. Also, I found Inside's violence and blood to be excessive at times. Judge for yourself when the show debuts June 8.
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http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/hipclicks/blog.htm
 
TVGuide's Mike Ausiello has a mini review:

Question: Now that this riveting TV season is over, what are the new shows worth watching over the summer? Is The Inside any good? "” John Talcott

Ausiello: I watched the first two episodes over the weekend, and given its pedigree "” it was created by Angel's Tim Minear and 24's Howard Gordon "” I was massively disappointed. Basically, if Medium and Profiler were to have sex, get pregnant and give birth to a really boring baby, its name would be The Inside. And nothing against leading lady Rachel Nichols; I'm sure she's a very nice person, but she's woefully miscast here. Paris Hilton would have made a more convincing FBI agent.

I don't entirely trust Ausiello's taste (he thought Desperate Housewives went downhill after the pilot and he doesn't get Alias), but I haven't heard a lotta love from the critics about this show. Hope it isn't another Point Pleasant.
 
You just can't judge a show on two eps. Lots of shows are kinda creaky and stiff when getting started, then work out the kinks. Although if the lead actress truly sucks, we may have a problem. We'll see.
 
You know what scares me about this one though? There's no real buzz for it to speak of. You'd expect more, given the people involved.

Oh well, hopefully it will be like Goldenboy says. It will pick up steam as it progresses. Fury and Edlund didn't get involved untill around the final 6.
 
Here's a bit from another one:

That said, The Inside is great. No, it's better than great: compelling, well- written, sharp, even occasionally funny. The pilot: freakin' fantastic. I haven't been this excited by a pilot episode in a while, and never for a crime drama. The second episode is a little less fantastic, but that's more because it follows an amazing premiere more than because it's weak, and will probably play better if you watch when it airs, with a week distancing it from the awesome pilot. The third episode has the best plot (in my opinion) and the best resolve at the end, while having the added benefit of more Katie Finneran and Adam Baldwin (and note to the show/network/ whomever: More Katie! More Adam! Please.)
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http://rasah.blogspot.com/2005/06/inside-inside.html

This guy didn't have much good to say about the main actress, Rachel Nichols, though. That's 2 in a row.

Maybe she was tied by contract to the project. Maybe Tim Minear just couldn't get rid of her when he took it over.
 
http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1068511_3||1068921|1_0_,00.html

The Inside
Fox June 8 9 p.m

Rachel Nichols, Peter Coyote, Jay Harrington

WHAT IT'S ABOUT The FBI's Los Angeles Violent Crimes Unit has a new recruit (Nichols). The boss (Coyote) wants to exploit her past "” a childhood abduction that allows her to get inside the minds of both criminals and victims. The agency's conscience (Harrington) wants to protect her from that heartless boss "” and possibly her never-caught kidnapper.

WHAT TO EXPECT A character drama disguised as a procedural. ''I don't know anything about law. I don't know anything about order. I can, however, make up s---,'' explains cocreator Tim Minear (Angel, Firefly, Wonderfalls). Brought on board after Fox ditched a pilot that had Nichols working undercover in a high school, Minear introduced the kidnapping backstory, a new supporting cast, and kinky plots like one about a killer who targets high-powered women into S&M. Says Nichols, ''We went from 21 Jump Street to Silence of the Lambs.''

WHY WE'RE OPTIMISTIC Fox wants scary, and Minear isn't afraid to give them ''the feel-good dead-baby episode of the season.''
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You have to register at Variety to get the full review there, so I could only get a tiny snippet of it -

Fox has enjoyed its share of success with dramas, but seldom with this sort of me-too procedural crimeshow, which, despite its slick execution, feels like a compilation of beats from "Profiler," "The Silence of Lambs" and other artifacts that count serial killers by the bushel....
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Variety.com
 
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,276|95696|1|,00.html

"The Inside" (Wednesday, FOX, 9 p.m.) is a show with a lot going for it both in front and behind the camera. Put Adam Baldwin (Jayne on "Firefly") in anything and I'm pretty much there. Add in Tim Minear (the man behind "Firefly" and "Wonderfalls" and producer and writer on "Angel") as creator and executive producer and how can you go wrong?

Well, alas, it's my job to tell you how. "The Inside" follows the Los Angeles Violent Crime Unit of the FBI. Agent Rebecca Locke (Rachel Nichols and a dead ringer for Bridget Fonda if you ask me) has special insight into the criminal mind (reminiscent of NBC's "The Profiler") because she was abducted a child. Peter Coyote is her boss. Jay Harrington (last seen being dumped on "Summerland") is the agent who wants to protect her. It's an intriguing premise but here are the three ways the show must improve:

1. The crimes are horrifically violent and heinous. We're never going to have a show about the Shoplifting Unit of the FBI or "Law & Order: Parking Tickets." But I wonder if the show would be stronger if more was left to the imagination. Because let me tell you right now, finish your dinner long before you sit down to watch the pilot episode. The opening scene is stomach churning.

2. In the three episodes available for review, most of the victims were women and perpetrators were men. And sometimes I'm simply tired of watching women being victimized on television. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that the series lead is female. But in each episode, Rebecca ended up in peril and being held hostage in some way or another by the male criminal. The series can't sustain itself if she is placed in danger every single week. Not to mention that she would be due for a nervous breakdown by episode four.

3. The show is dark and moody and seems to cast everything in a shade of gray. Sure that sets the tone but a tone that murky and depressing can quickly turn numbing and boring. The series needs to be careful.

I'm not giving up on the show yet but I will need to see some improvement before I recommend it. After you watch "The Inside" talk about it on the TV Gal message board.
 
slayerpower said:
1. The crimes are horrifically violent and heinous. We're never going to have a show about the Shoplifting Unit of the FBI or "Law & Order: Parking Tickets." But I wonder if the show would be stronger if more was left to the imagination. Because let me tell you right now, finish your dinner long before you sit down to watch the pilot episode. The opening scene is stomach churning.
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My guess is they're trying to do something to get the Law & Order/CSI audience.
 
http://www.sfexaminer.com/articles/2005/06/06/entertainment/20050606_en01_remotepatrol.txt

The Inside

Premiering Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Fox

The premise: Rookie FBI agent Rebecca Locke (Rachel Nichols) joins the Los Angeles Violent Crimes Unit, which includes moral, upstanding Paul Ryan (Jay Harrington), hotheaded ex-Marine Danny Love (Adam Baldwin), witty, smart Melody Sim (Katie Finneran), computer guru Carter Howard (Nelson Ellis). A division headed by Virgil Webster (Peter Coyote) handpicks Locke for the unit, because Locke has a "gift" for profiling serial killers and their victims. If you think it sounds a lot like 1996's "The Profiler," you're be right.

What's good: Baldwin and Finneran make the most of their supporting roles. Too bad the show isn't about their characters.

What's bad: Nichols "” She's a fine actress who would be perfect for a WB drama about a twentysomething looking for love or facing other really adorable problems, but she's not believable as an FBI agent with a dark past. Also, the scripts are pretty boring. Only Baldwin and Finneran's characters have any life in them. The rest are duller than, well, a predictable crime drama.

Verdict: I expected more from the show's creators, Tim Minear (an executive producer on "Firefly" and "Wonderfalls") and Howard Gordon (an executive producer on "24"). Skip it.

Click.

Mini-review from USA Today's Robert Bianco:

atlanta, ga.: Hi Robert, any word on the new Fox series THE INSIDE? It looks interesting and boasts among its' cast the fantastic Katie Finneran from the late, highly lamented WONDERFALLS. Thanks

Robert Bianco: I'm a big fan of Katie Finneran - a Tony winner herself for her fabulous performance in 'Noises Off.' And there's more than one 'Wonderfalls' connection, since 'The Inside' was created by writer Tim Minear of 'Falls' and 'Angel' and 'Firefly' - all shows I loved. 'The Inside,' though - not so much. I'm not a fan of Dean Koontz type thrillers, which is where 'The Inside' fits. But even if you are, the show is just poorly conceived and executed. Look for the details in Wednesday's paper.
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And here's another -

After watching the three episodes sent out for review, the overall feeling is that this is a nicely acted, competently written drama that fails to get you invested in any of the characters.

And the gore isn't quite as much fun as when "The Inside" producers Tim Minear and Jane Espenson were vamping around with "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel."

But there's still some hope that out of this darkness some humor may emerge. In the third episode, "Pre-Filer," the agents look for a guy who profiles people he believes will become serial criminals before they commit their first crime "” and nips their careers in the bud.

And the producers gave a nod to their "Angel" fans by having the bad guy in the first episode wear a uniform with the Wolfram logo.
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http://www.insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_2787540

and another -

"The Inside" is slickly produced "” very noir "” and excels in dialogue riddled with dark hints at the past and "Silence of the Lambs" evocations of sex, violence and control. Nichols is a bit stiff, but she and her co-stars achieve a nice cohesiveness by next week.

However, the series has two significant flaws: It doesn't live up to its premise and it errs on the side of showing instead of scaring.

Nowadays, any police procedural based on forensics and profiling had better make sense. There's too much competition and audiences could open their own crime labs.

But "The Inside" skips over basic detective work in a way that makes Rebecca seem less, instead of more, important...

Nevertheless, I'll probably end up watching "The Inside" on some Wednesday riddled with repeats and reality shows. Even a girl who likes dancing needs fava beans and Chianti once in awhile. Kiss-kiss. Bang-bang.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/television/2002319436_kay07.html
 
Actually that wasn't "another" bad review. It was a stretched out version of the same Robert Bianco review from your previous post.

It's OK though, I think we have a large enough collection of these reviews that we can safely make some observations. There seems to be 3 areas the critics have zeroed in on.

1. We've seen it all before and it draws too much from other sources.

2. It's a total grossfest.

3. The main actress (Rachel Nichols) sucks. She's just not believable.

The real negative reviews seem to be coming from the larger name critics like that guy who writes the gossip column for TV guide. Some of the small-name blogger critics seem to like it. The only real positive thing they seem to be more or less unanimous on is the work of Adam Baldwin (Hamilton from Angel, Jayne from Firefly), and Katie Finneran (Sharon Tyler from Wonderfalls). No-one's had anything bad to say about them, and a few have said some good stuff.
 
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