Thrusday night - and this is no mistake - I managed to sit down and watched ABC's pilot of Six Degrees. According to the theory, everyone on this Earth is no stranger; we are all connected to each other through a chain of six people. Do you believe that is really possible?
I imagine that it is somehow possible that we can all be connected to each other in this manner, but do we need a TV series about that? My initial reaction when I saw this series is that I thought the effort would be pretty cool. I expected it to be something completely different, however . . .
The series is set in NY.
The first character introduced is Mae Anderson ( Erika Christensen ), a blonde bombshell who "gets caught up in the lights and energy of the city", climbs aboard a streetsweeper and rips off her blouse. She ends up in a holding cell awaiting her chance to giver her side of the story to the Judge.
Enter Carlos ( Jay Hernandez ). He's a young public defender who is immediately smitten with Mae. Thinking it all just might work out, he convinces the prosecutor to drop the charges against Mae. Carlos manages to ask her if they can see each other again, to which she responds, "We will." But it isn't through normal channels. He finds out that she has used a fictitious social security number. He attempts to find her at work - a trendy nightclub. After trying unsuccessfully to get into the nightclub, he decides to take up an offer from a limo driver to do a VIP roll-up in front of the club for fifty bucks. It works but he misses Mae. Fortunately for him, a late night subway ride puts him directly across the aisle from Mae.
Damien ( Dorian Missick ) drives a Lincoln Town Car for people who need to get from point A to point B in NY. He seems like a nice enough guy who's trying to get by. He has a bit of a gambling problem and owes people money. His brother would like to help him out ( obviously by working on the other side of the law ) but he adamantly turns it down. Later, he decides to do a job for his brother after running into a couple of bill collectors. A fight ensues, but his fare ( Carlos ) helps him out and they escape. After meeting his brother, he shoots a guy who is after his brother ( looked a little like a set up to me ) and makes enough to pay off his debts. His brother hands him an envelope that contains the info for another job. Inside is a picture of Mae. Damien decides to get in touch with Carlos.
Meanwhile, Whitney ( Bridget Moynahan ), a hot magazine exec is getting promoted to partner. On her morning run she picks up a postcard with a picture of a couple embracing in a park. Thinking she has stumbled upon the next photographer for her client's spread, she contacts the artist.
Steven Caseman ( Campbell Scott ) is a photographer that has lost his "eye". He doesn't even consider Whitney's offer. He's rude, curt and walks out of her office. Later he approaches a gallery owner ( that he obviously had a relationship with in the past ) who, in no uncertain terms, tells him he's a has-been. Campbell hits the street with his camera trying to find his eye again. He finds it in the emotion of a woman sobbing as she has the last of her deceased husband's belongings removed from her home.
Laura ( Hope Davis ) is starting her life again. Her and her daughter are living with the memory of Laura's husband. He was killed while working as a photojournalist in Iraq. Hope finds work, but must also address the need to provide childcare for her daughter. Laura is lucky enough to find a charming young woman named, can you guess? - Mae. Laura also finds a new friend - Whitney. They buy shoes, eat lunch, and discuss Whitney's fear that her fiance is cheating on her via Internet dating sites. There are still secrets to be exposed.
Who or what is Mae running from? What did she do? Will Mae and Carlos finally hook up? Now that Whitney's fiance finally proposed will he be exposed for the cheater he is or come up with another brilliant excuse? Will Damien go down for murder? Will he get Mae?
Will people "tune in next week" to find out the answers? I think so. Being this deeply immersed into the characters is, in my opinion, what separates good TV from not so good TV. The stories are driven by the characters. You can relate to the characters. You can care whether or not they live, die, succeed, fail . . . whatever. What's more, you don't need some overly blown fiction to get good stories. Mystery, drama, and suspense can come from something as simple as the suspicion of a cheating boyfriend who always seems to have an excuse.
Six Degrees also has a bit of the feel of Lost. Better put, it seems as if the formula for character background was borrowed from Lost. When you find out more about this character, you'll also find out more about the life of this character. But, since they're all connected, it might also alter another character.
Dizzy yet?
The first character introduced is Mae Anderson ( Erika Christensen ), a blonde bombshell who "gets caught up in the lights and energy of the city", climbs aboard a streetsweeper and rips off her blouse. She ends up in a holding cell awaiting her chance to giver her side of the story to the Judge.
Enter Carlos ( Jay Hernandez ). He's a young public defender who is immediately smitten with Mae. Thinking it all just might work out, he convinces the prosecutor to drop the charges against Mae. Carlos manages to ask her if they can see each other again, to which she responds, "We will." But it isn't through normal channels. He finds out that she has used a fictitious social security number. He attempts to find her at work - a trendy nightclub. After trying unsuccessfully to get into the nightclub, he decides to take up an offer from a limo driver to do a VIP roll-up in front of the club for fifty bucks. It works but he misses Mae. Fortunately for him, a late night subway ride puts him directly across the aisle from Mae.
Damien ( Dorian Missick ) drives a Lincoln Town Car for people who need to get from point A to point B in NY. He seems like a nice enough guy who's trying to get by. He has a bit of a gambling problem and owes people money. His brother would like to help him out ( obviously by working on the other side of the law ) but he adamantly turns it down. Later, he decides to do a job for his brother after running into a couple of bill collectors. A fight ensues, but his fare ( Carlos ) helps him out and they escape. After meeting his brother, he shoots a guy who is after his brother ( looked a little like a set up to me ) and makes enough to pay off his debts. His brother hands him an envelope that contains the info for another job. Inside is a picture of Mae. Damien decides to get in touch with Carlos.
Meanwhile, Whitney ( Bridget Moynahan ), a hot magazine exec is getting promoted to partner. On her morning run she picks up a postcard with a picture of a couple embracing in a park. Thinking she has stumbled upon the next photographer for her client's spread, she contacts the artist.
Steven Caseman ( Campbell Scott ) is a photographer that has lost his "eye". He doesn't even consider Whitney's offer. He's rude, curt and walks out of her office. Later he approaches a gallery owner ( that he obviously had a relationship with in the past ) who, in no uncertain terms, tells him he's a has-been. Campbell hits the street with his camera trying to find his eye again. He finds it in the emotion of a woman sobbing as she has the last of her deceased husband's belongings removed from her home.
Laura ( Hope Davis ) is starting her life again. Her and her daughter are living with the memory of Laura's husband. He was killed while working as a photojournalist in Iraq. Hope finds work, but must also address the need to provide childcare for her daughter. Laura is lucky enough to find a charming young woman named, can you guess? - Mae. Laura also finds a new friend - Whitney. They buy shoes, eat lunch, and discuss Whitney's fear that her fiance is cheating on her via Internet dating sites. There are still secrets to be exposed.
Who or what is Mae running from? What did she do? Will Mae and Carlos finally hook up? Now that Whitney's fiance finally proposed will he be exposed for the cheater he is or come up with another brilliant excuse? Will Damien go down for murder? Will he get Mae?
Will people "tune in next week" to find out the answers? I think so. Being this deeply immersed into the characters is, in my opinion, what separates good TV from not so good TV. The stories are driven by the characters. You can relate to the characters. You can care whether or not they live, die, succeed, fail . . . whatever. What's more, you don't need some overly blown fiction to get good stories. Mystery, drama, and suspense can come from something as simple as the suspicion of a cheating boyfriend who always seems to have an excuse.
Six Degrees also has a bit of the feel of Lost. Better put, it seems as if the formula for character background was borrowed from Lost. When you find out more about this character, you'll also find out more about the life of this character. But, since they're all connected, it might also alter another character.
Dizzy yet?
Leave a comment