Greetings,
During my time writing this blog, I have reviewed many things. Movies, albums, even a play. But today I'm going to try something new and see how it works out. I will try my hand at reviewing shows that either deservedly or undeservedly were only granted one season. And when I say one season, keep in mind that sometimes this may mean only thirteen episodes. You know the drill of the networks. Now I have decided to start this on a positive note by reviewing one of my favorite "one seasoners", Kidnapped. I touched a bit on this one in my tribute to Timothy Hutton, one of the stars of the show, but, hopefully without giving spoilers, I will go more in depth today.
Kidnapped debuted in 2006 with a premise I don't recall ever seeing on a television show, though I could be, and probably am, wrong. Every season, they were going to have a new kidnapping victim, and all the episodes would take us through the entire ordeal. There would be a core cast, the searchers, if you will, and a guest cast that would last throughout the season. Seemed like a good idea to me, but I guess after the cancellation, it didn't much matter.
So this core cast I mentioned was going to consist of three people. To start, we have, my man, Jeremy Sisto as Lucian Knapp, an ex-FBI operative and a current private investigator whom the families of kidnap victims call for help when they don't want to go to the police. Because, you know, ransom calls always include the line "Don't call the cops" Apparently, some people don't. We get a little peak into Knapp's back story, which clearly involves a botched rescue that still haunts him. Not getting to learn more about this character was probably one of the worst things about this show's cancellation. Oh, well, enough of that.
Next, we have Knapp's coordinator and assistant, Turner, played by Carmen Ejogo. Yeah, I don't know who that actress is either, but she was pretty good here. Maybe it's just because it's cliche, but I got the impression that they were eventually going to have her and Knapp get together in some capacity. I like to think they would have avoided that, though, and it has nothing to do with my crush on Sisto. Nothing at all. Finally, there's Delroy Lindo playing FBI Agent Latimer King. First of all, I love that character name. Second, and I did previously mention this, but . . . really? Delroy Lindo playing an agent looking for a missing kid? Can you say Ransom? Well, I guess since he was so good in that, they wanted him to do it again. So as you can tell, the victims' families would opt for some rogue help, but somehow the cops would show up anyway. Isn't that always the way?
Now, for the presumed seasonal cast, which ended up being just the rest of the cast. In this first and only season, our kidnap victim is a teenager named Leopold Cain played by Will Denton. Again, don't know much about this young actor, but props for his work here. Oh, and in case you couldn't tell by his first name, the character comes from a very wealthy family. His parents, Ellie and Conrad, are played by Dana Delaney and Timothy Hutton. Oh, Timothy. Another character named Conrad? Well, it brought good things the first time. Now I really liked these two as the parents, although, they seemed a bit of an odd couple. How often do you see an affluent New York husband and wife who kind of seem to like each other a little? Still, it may have been the current crisis that was bringing them together. Moving on.
There are actually quite a few talented and/or well-known faces in this supporting cast. We get Mykelti Williamson, still trying to remind us that there is more to him than being Forrest Gump's best friend, and Linus Roache, who would go on to co-star with Jeremy Sisto on Law and Order. There are also appearances by Anthony Rapp of Rent fame, and Doug Hutchinson, who some people know as Horace on Lost and, more recently, as a guy who married a 16 year old (that was in real life, BTW!). There is also an actor here by the name of James Urbaniak. Look, I'm sure he's a nice guy, and he is a very good actor. But for some reason, he always gives me the major creeps. Probably because he always plays creepy characters. Stop it, and things will be better between us, sir.
This show's one season did only last for thirteen episodes, and I wonder if they were planning more than one per year. But these thirteen were actually just the right amount to move the story forward without letting things get stale. Like I said, I don't want to give spoilers, but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. Not to mention, a pretty decent payoff in the end. If you factor in everything, cast, concept, story, I think this show was brilliant. So naturally, it couldn't have survived. There is very little room on television for shows that are this good. I do wonder what might have been, though. I suppose I have to look on the bright side. I mean, if this show would have lasted for years, we never would have been treated to Jeremy Sisto's fine portrayal of Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law and Order. So despite the loss, things seem to work out for the best. For some people.
So the question to be asked is this: did it deserve a second season? Yes, yes and yes, again. It was pretty fantastic and deserved much better than it got. Now did it need a second season? Not exactly. They did manage to wrap up the story of the season, which was the point. However, I regret not being able to dig deeper into the character of Knapp. We got some teases here and there, probably because they were hoping to build things up over future seasons, but there were a lot of unanswered questions about him and his past. Honestly, I think, had this show lasted longer, Lucian Knapp would have been remembered as one of the greatest characters of television. I mean, we only got a taste here and it was incredible. Oh, what could have been!
So if you are interested in watching this show, it is available on DVD and it's also streaming on Netflix. It really is worth the watch. Like, a lot!
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
