The Stand Outs

It snowed a decent amount here yesterday, and I got caught up on some of DVR'ed shows. Here's a couple standouts from the new crop of shows in 2013/2014 that I like.

The Black List (NBC)

A thriller/mystery show that centers around a young FBI profiler named Elizabeth Keane (Megan Boone). One day, one of the FBI's most wanted walks into FBI headquarters and gives himself up. Red Reddington (James Spader) asks to speak to this unassuming young woman. He has information on criminals the FBI doesn't even know exist, but he will only give the information to Elizabeth. Thus begins the trail of intrigue, deception, and dysfunction that keeps the viewer guessing. Boone is likeable enough as Keane and is an acceptable foil for Spader. However, it's Spader who makes this show, he and the writer who scripts his character must be cosmically connected. I honestly think if "Breaking Bad" had its last season earlier, he would wipe up at all the awards shows. He's so horrible, but sometimes the things that he says make you laugh out loud. If you like the "bad guy as good guy" trend, you will love this show.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)

Clark Gregg as Agent Colson.  That's all I should really have to say to anyone who has seen Thor or the Avengers. I love his wry sense of humor, but I think I love the idea that this guy who looks like an accountant could break you in a second. It's another dysfunctional little family, that is fiercely loyal to one another. The thing is, it lacks is a real nemesis, so I am hoping that gets cleared up soon. But, I enjoy the banter, I enjoy the characters discovering who they are, and I love the references to the Marvel movies.

Sleepy Hollow (FOX)

Action/adventure/spiritual warfare/fantasy couched in a crime procedural, not unlike NBC's "Grimm." However, unlike "Grimm" our hero is really, really engaging. (Sorry, David Guintoli). Lt Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) of the Sleepy Hollow police department has teamed up with Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) to save the world from the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Oh, I am sorry, I did say Ichabod Crane as in the character from Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Evidently, Crane was married to a witch who placed a spell on him so he did not die.  He is unearthed in 2013 and sets out with Lt. Mills (he calls her "Left-tenant" in the proper English way) to solve a mystery that goes back to the Founding Fathers and rescue his wife from purgatory. Tom Mison is super-engaging as Crane, this man from the 18th century trying to fit in today. The day Abbie buys him a pair of skinny jeans is almost as funny as his rant about needing a smart phone. It is dark and pretty creepy. It does mix Biblical truth with dark elements; I would not recommend it for kids. I can't help but think that the writers are on a search for truth, but can't reconcile all these influences.

Intelligence (CBS)

This is the newest of the shows, it only started in January. This is the story of a former military special ops guy who is implanted with a chip that turns him into a super-computer (can anyone say "Chuck" or I guess more accurately Bryce Larkin). Josh Holloway plays Gabriel Vaughn and Meghan Ory the Secret Service agent brought in to protect Vaughn from himself. He has a tendency to go a little bit rogue in search of his wife, who is presumed dead as a participant in a terror attack in Mumbai. I have to admit, it's the actors in this one that have me hooked.  Holloway played Sawyer in "Lost," and Ory plays Red Riding Hood on "Once Upon a Time." The supporting cast includes Marg Helgenberger of "C.S.I." fame and John Billingsley, whom you have seen in everything from "Star Trek: Enterprise" to "24" to bit parts on "The Mentalist" and "Criminal Minds." While the action is interesting, it's the human story of Holloway's search for his wife that I find engaging.