The best new show of 2015 just arrived. Seriously.
Have you ever thought that you just knew crime dramas and that nothing could ever surprise you anymore? I certainly did with this look into Premiere Week for the Fall 2015 season. Fortunately, NBC has got one hell of a thrill ride that mixes things up spectacularly. Ladies and gentlemen, buckle your seatbelts because it is time to take a look at The Player.
The Characters
When you have a House this awesome, it always wins.
The show is headlined by Philip Winchester of Strike Back fame. This badass brings a ton of his affable charm to the role of Alex Kane, a private security consultant that finds himself caught in the middle of a high stakes crime that results in the death of his ex-wife (Daisy Betts). He is initially suspected of being the killer by the police, but Detective Cal Brown (Damon Gupton) refuses to believe that, which is what helps to set the plot in motion.
What, you think that’s a cliche and that you know what’s coming? No, you really don’t.
This isn’t your average crime drama that is riddled with cliches. This show delivers an incredible twist in that the proceedings are not headlined by police, but by The House. This secretive, Illuminati-esque organization is headed by a Pit Boss named Mr. Johnson (Wesley Snipes) and a Dealer named Cassandra (Charity Wakefield). The two of them are masterfully showing their skill as actors, but never skip out on the gambling puns or a serious overdose of likability. This is even true as they ask Alex to become the new “Player” and set him off on a mission to stop criminal activities that rich people just so happen to be betting on the outcomes of.
The Plot
Charity Wakefield is a big surprise and a damn fine actress.
The plot is elegantly crafted around action set-pieces that enthralled me from beginning to end. The writers seem to have mastered the “Save the Girl/Get Revenge” plot by creating just enough time for exposition and then – BOOM! – It’s off to the next shoot-out. No screen time is wasted in this story and I never felt bored.
There are even hints that The House is up to something sneaky in the Pilot, which leads to the possibility that a conspiracy might be afoot. It’s a great reason to keep coming back week-to-week to pick out all the clues and figure out what is going on.
The Action
Please allow me to introduce myself…
This show reminded me of the Bourne films. The set-pieces are amazingly well-crafted and you could actually believe that Winchester is this hardened warrior, but it also adds to the idea that he doesn’t have main character powers. On top of that, the cinematographers never lost sight of what was going on, which is a gold star because it made me feel like I was watching a movie.
The Flaws
No.
This may come as a shock to most of my readers, but I honestly can’t think of any criticism for this pilot! I’m serious. This is the most fun you’ll ever have watching a new show on network television since, well, ever. I cannot think of a single network television show in recent memory that has ever held my attention and prevented me from picking it apart as well as The Player has.
Conclusion
NBC has pulled off something that could be considered to be next to impossible in most circles, especially with all the little issues that can come up like pilot jitters or re-casted actors. I want you to forget all of that. The Player had a perfect pilot and you owe it to yourself to give it a look.
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