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Review of a couple new TV shows, are you a Person of Interest?

It has been a couple of weeks now and this is a good time to talk about some of the latest shows on TV.  I will admit that I’m not a big TV watcher of shows; I’m very picky with shows that I stick to.  I don’t watch “CSI” or “NCIS”, because I think those shows are so over the top, they are funny.  However “Persons of Interest” and “The Walking Dead” are two shows that I’m into right now.  I say right now, because TV shows have a habit of changing after a couple of weeks and sometimes not on the good side.  Let’s start with Persons of Interest.  This show stars two underrated actors, Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel.  These are names that don’t jump off the page when you see them, because you probably don’t even remember what they have been in.  Michael Emerson starred in “Lost” and “The Practice” in great roles.  Jim Caviezel is probably best known for his role as Ashley Judd’s husband in the movie “High Crimes” that also starred Morgan Freeman.  Both actors are perfect in their roles in “Persons of Interest”.  I think the dynamic between on screen is very intriguing, because of the mysterious past that surrounds them both.  The premise of the show is that Michael Emerson developed a computer system that scans NYC for potential victims or criminals before the actual crime takes place.  Michael needed a partner and hired the services of Jim Caviezel, an ex Special Forces military solider.  Jim is a mystery man that was a homeless person when Michael found him.  However, the NYPD detective Taraji Henson views him as a threat, since Jim’s fingerprints and DNA has showed up at numerous crime scenes.  This is the side story, where she is after Jim, as he is out in the field trying to figure out if the Person of Interest is the victim or the criminal.  Each episode also has an underlying moral aspect, speaking of the last show where the person chosen, Linda Cardellini a doctor, was out for revenge against the man that raped her sister, which made her commit suicide years later because of the trauma.  Jim was able to talk down Linda after she kidnapped her man and locked him into a van.  It is the secondary parts of a TV show that I like, because it shows the writers are willing to expand beyond the main idea and give the viewers and overall great experience.  We are only four episodes in, but I can see this show having some staying power and would recommend you all to check it out.

The Walking Dead is another story.  The first season was very short, only six episodes, so it is easy to catch up since the season premiere just came out on Sunday, October 16^th.  I know that many people don’t like to watch zombie shows, because of the horror aspect, but this is more about the survivors than about the zombies’ just killing people.  Why I have reservations about TV shows like this, look at Lost, is that what happens to the show once the cast reaches their goal of finding a safe zone?  In Lost, it was all about getting off the island and when they did, the show took a serious downhill turn.  The reason is because what do they do now?  How can the writers continue a show once the endgame is met?  It seems that they don’t think about this, unless they come out saying, this show will only be 30 episodes and that’s it.  But no TV show will do that, because if it is very popular, TV executives and advertisers seem to keep the show going, even though it is not very good.  While the show is entertaining right now, and according to IMDB, they have a total of 13 episodes in the second season, I feel that the moment where the show loses its way is right around the corner.  In watching the premier, I feel the writers are already at the moment where they are struggling to find that shocking moment, to keep viewers coming back.  I won’t spoil anything here, but let me know what you think after you watch it.

A quick note, two shows that I’m very interested in is “Grimm” and “Once upon a Time”.  I wonder which show will survive, if either will, since I think this premise has been far overlooked and just seems very fun.  I love the idea of mixing fantasy with reality.  I’ve always wondered why some authors never thought of taking their character into the real world, chasing a real world killer.  How great would it be to see Jack Reacher or Alex Cross chasing after Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy.  So, we will have to wait and see and I’ll put something out after they both premiere and see if the mirror on the wall sees a future for either show.

You can send in your comments to editor@suspensemagazine.com

The Beginning or The End?

As you know I have many questions that swirl around in my head and today is no different.  I’ve wanted to write this blog for some time, but really had to think about this topic, before I put my thoughts down.  We review hundreds of books each year, along with short stories.  That is a lot of reading.  Now I don’t read that many books, for one simple reason, I get bored very quickly.  We are Suspense Magazine, not Oprah, so therefore I want to read suspense / thriller / mystery / horror stories that catch my attention.  If you write one of those genre fiction stories, maybe not so much with mystery as those stories have to build to a climax with the murder and then build back up to solve the mystery, you better bring it in the first chapter.  So the question I pose is The Beginning or The End, which is more important?  Many of you will say, they are both equally important, but I disagree.  I feel that with some stories where the ending IS the story, in thriller / suspense, the ending should be the icing on the cake not the entire story.  The beginning of the story should set everything up and put the reader front and center and on a collision course into the unknown.  How many times do you read and put the book down, because it didn’t grab your attention?  You could have the greatest ending ever in a book, but I will never know because you bored the hell out of me to get there.  Finally when I get there, I’m like oh good you wrote a good ending, so why didn’t you put that much thought into the beginning of the story.  A book is not like a record album, where you can skip over the songs you don’t like and put on your IPod the songs you do like.  You have to sit through the entire book to get the whole story.  I think that too many authors say, “I have the best story and the ending will surprise you.”  That’s good, but instead why not think of how to get the readers excited to read your book, that you grab them by the throat and won’t let them go.  That is how you will get readers to stay with you, because you started the book out with a bang and were able to continue this throughout.  I know that it is very popular to write a book backwards, by knowing the ending because that is arguably the most exciting part of the book that authors forget they need to readers along to get there.  The beginning of the book is also probably the hardest part to write, and takes the most thought, which is why it is the most important.  Can’t wait to hear what you think about this, so send me your thoughts either here or email me at editor@suspensemagazine.com