Chase Will Send You Running for Cover
NBC's new procedural about a lady Marshal and her team of bad guy hunters is as by the book as it gets.
The Pitch: Chase is US Marshals meets Profiler meets any number of shows or movies where federal agents gallivant around the country looking for bad guys.
The Set Up: US Marshall Annie Frost leads an incredible group of agents as they search for said bad guys - in the pilot, they track a guy on the FBI's most wanted list, or, as they call it, "the bitch list." Annie is amazing, she's the kind of agent who gets applause from her co-workers just for walking into the office. Her crew includes her partner and potential "will they or won't they" love interest played by Cole Hauser and the new guy who makes a critical error played by ex-Desperate Housewives boy toy Jesse Metcalf. There's also a couple of minority members hovering in the background getting a line here and there.
You know how it goes: they catch the case and are off and running, spouting clichés at every turn, all under the guise of teaching the new guy what they're all about.
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Cringe factor: 8. Lots of goofy shit going on here. Annie has a tense back story that revolves around a low-life Dad which is hinted at in some really obvious ways and there's not too much going on with their hunt itself. They don't have interesting techniques nor does anyone have a particular skill that goes to any length to differentiate this show or these characters from literally any other piece about federal agents going after bad guys, except these bad guys where bright red hoodies so they can easily be spotted in a crowd. It seems as if the writers are banking on Annie being a compelling enough character to keep people coming back to see what happens with her, and that's why she's so dreadfully earnest all the time. Like in the moment where she visits a victim of her prey in the hospital:
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(When she says that she "knew a girl like that once" she's talking about herself. So deep, Chase.)
Over/Under for Cancellation: 6 episodes. This is exactly the kind of show that NBC does poorly, they never hit the right notes and the shows inevitably flame out, like last year's Mercy or Boomtown from a few years ago, unlike CBS, who can churn out procedurals left and right. In all likelihood, this show will be gone by Thanksgiving.
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