Pilot / Ernest Cobb
The dramatic lighting, that ever so recognizable score, Jorge Garcia. Yep, this is a J.J. Abrams show and thank God for that. If Fringe and the X-Files had a love child in the 60s and vanished until today, you would have Alcatraz. There are some cliché Abrams themes in the show: the blond is the troubled cop/agent, nerd references, vast conspiracy theories, the mention of wormholes in the pilot, and the use of numbers (47 in Ernest Cobb, the same 47 from Alias). There is enough differences between this show and the other Abrams procedural, Person of Interest, that also premiered this TV year. Abrams and his well-crafted team have built a world that is believable enough and populate it with characters who ask realistic questions to get to the bottom of things. And just like other Abrams shows, those answers don’t come for a while. But all of these things work in the wheelhouse of Abrams shows. Alcatraz has a real chance to be one of those must watch shows, like Fringe has become, but no one is watching. The mainstream audience needs to catch on fast, and there is enough going on in Alcatraz to capture that audience.
Rating: Watch
Original Air Date: 1/16/12
Alcatraz is on Fox, Monday’s, 8/7c
