CRIME, NOSTALGIA IN NBC'S CORNER.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic NBC'S EFFORTS to gain a foothold on Sunday nights have been moderately successful this season. In addition to ``Law & Order: Criminal Intent,'' which has become compulsively watchable watch·a·ble adj. 1. Capable of being watched; viewable: watchable wildlife. 2. Good enough to watch: "The fastest modem ... thanks to Vincent D'Onofrio's spellbinding spell·bind tr.v. spell·bound , spell·bind·ing, spell·binds To hold under or as if under a spell; enchant or fascinate. [Back-formation from spellbound. performances, the network added (not just) another cop show, ``Boomtown boom·town n. A town experiencing an economic or a population boom. ,'' and a '60s-era family drama, ``American Dreams'' to its schedule this season. ``Boomtown'' has begun winning its time slot over ABC's lesser cop procedural ``Dragnet''; more significantly, it won a Peabody Award two weeks ago and has evolved from a drama with self-consciously clever jigsaw-puzzle structuring to an involving character drama. NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. expected its limited series ``Kingpin'' to be this year's prestige product, but ``Boomtown'' has far surpassed those expectations, as well as just about every other show on network prime time. Tonight's ``Boomtown'' episode is a feverish anxiety dream: Deputy District Attorney David McMorris (Neal McDonough), whose alcohol-fueled inner demons Demons See also devil; evil; ghosts; hell; spirits and spiritualism. ademonist one who denies the existence of the devil or demons. bogyism, bogeyism recognition of the existence of demons and goblins. have sent him on a harrowing downward spiral throughout the season, threatens to hit bottom. Waking in his car after some fierce tippling, he discovers a cracked windshield and blood on a headlight just as he hears that a homeless man has been found dead, the victim of a hit-and-run. His groggily urgent efforts to piece his night together and his colleagues' escalating exasperation with his erratic behavior make for a gripping hour. Series creator Graham Yost and director/executive producer Jon Avnet's efforts to create a smart, exciting series seem almost heroic amid what generally populates network TV. McDonough and co-stars Mykelti Williamson and Donnie Wahlberg have each had several episodes in which they've given performances worthy of Emmy nominations, and ``Boomtown'' has more than proven itself an important addition to an NBC schedule that's losing its luster elsewhere. Meanwhile, ``American Dreams'' plods along on a raft of good intentions and turgid turgid /tur·gid/ (ter´jid) swollen and congested. tur·gid adj. Swollen or distended, as from a fluid; bloated; tumid. turgid swollen and congested. melodrama. It managed a pretty good episode two weeks ago, in which slice-of-life vignettes superseded its practice of ladling on messages. Tonight's installment, alas, returns to its caster-oil preachifying. Tonight, Meg (Brittany Snow) is coerced by best-pal/devil-on-her- shoulder Roxanne (Vanessa Lengies) to sneak classmates onto the set of ``American Bandstand,'' with the usual dire repercussions repercussions npl → répercussions fpl repercussions npl → Auswirkungen pl . Writers have limited the appealing Snow to but three expressions - sunny ebullience, skeptical bemusement be·muse tr.v. be·mused, be·mus·ing, be·mus·es 1. To cause to be bewildered; confuse. See Synonyms at daze. 2. To cause to be engrossed in thought. as she agrees to Roxanne's latest scheme against her better judgment and lip-nibbling concern as things go awry. The show is weirdly edited, with a jittery urgency more appropriate to ``NYPD NYPD New York City Police Department (since 1845; New York City, NY, USA) NYPD New York Play Development Blue'' than a family soap opera; plots then come to a dead stop for vintage ``Bandstand'' clips. Moral dilemmas are pretty simplistic sim·plism n. The tendency to oversimplify an issue or a problem by ignoring complexities or complications. [French simplisme, from simple, simple, from Old French; see simple and tend to shy away from Verb 1. shy away from - avoid having to deal with some unpleasant task; "I shy away from this task" avoid - stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something; "Her former friends now avoid her" the tougher racial issues broached. The cable network TV Land recently named ``American Dreams'' a ``Future Classic'' (though that citation seems more a PR move than a bona fide feting) - judging from tonight's show, its becoming a classic is way off in the distant future. BOOMTOWN - Three and one half stars What: Intricately structured drama focusing on Los Angeles police, prosecutors and paramedics. Where: NBC (Channel 4). When: 10 tonight. In a nutshell: A smart show continues to get stronger. AMERICAN DREAMS - Two stars What: A Philadelphia family comes of age during the turbulent '60s to the beat of ``American Bandstand'' music. Where: NBC (Channel 4). When: 8 tonight. In a nutshell: Sweetness undone by preachiness and soapy plotting. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Neal McDonough's deputy DA continues his alcoholic ways tonight on ``Boomtown.'' (2) Things on the ``Bandstand'' set go awry for Meg (Brittany Snow) on ``American Dreams.'' |
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