Never knew how much I missed you...

As mentioned previously, the powers that be at the CW decided not to pick up a new pilot called The Body Politic and that insiders have indicated that it's one of the best pilots you'll probably never see. Well, heretofore, I hadn't come across any clips or trailers for the show, so I just had to take their word for it...

That was then. Now that I've seen a few clips, I'm inclined to agree with my sources. Unlike the clips from the series that were picked up by the CW, the clips for The Body Politic actually make me want to watch the show. A novel concept, I know. And from what I hear from those who have seen the full pilot, not only is it a good show, but it could actually holds its own on a critical level as well as public.

Of course, it may just be that I miss Jason Dohring (Veronica Mars alum who portrayed my darling Logan Echolls back in the day)... I hadn't realized just how much I missed seeing him on TV until I watched these clips.



My take: I realize that I can't really make a full assessment based on three short clips, but I think this show would have had a hell of a lot of potential. The pace and timing of the show seems to be pretty spot on so the scenes flow naturally, but with some panache. The acting is solid across the board which is a clear reflection of good writing. It's a lot easier to say a line that's well written... When the actors don't have to try so hard to make interactions seem organic to the story, everything comes across as more genuine and less cringe-worthy (a nice change of pace from all the pilots the CW did pick up).

Jason Dohring always does a great job and the way he stood against the elevator wall when he first entered was so Logan Echolls-y it was squee-worthy. On a related note, how great does Jason look in this pilot? He's one of those people who can look great, yet often doesn't, but his styling in this show is really working for me (lovin' the suits and the Simon Baker-style vest...). As much as I love (and miss) Jason, it looks like Gabrielle Union definitely holds her own as well. The second clip was actually quite superb. I think I'm liking Senator Buckley the best of the bunch, quite frankly, but the scene between her and Gabrielle was excellent on both sides. The writing was just acidic enough to put Gabrielle's character in her place, but no so much so that it was catty. Really well written and acted.

I think my only major concern is with the voice-over. I'm not too familiar with Minka Kelly's work, but I hear she's excellent on Friday Night Lights. That said, I found her depiction here to be good, but the voice-over work just didn't quite work for me. This just doesn't seem like the kind of show that would need it... That, or I'm just entirely too accustomed to hearing Kristen Bell's saucy snark when I see Jason Dohring on screen.

Overall, I think this show had a lot of potential. The dynamic among the characters felt natural and familiar. I really felt like these people could actually be friends. Also, the basic concept definitely had long-term sustainability (unlike other shows which will remain nameless). The show had enough elements going that the potential storylines would have been extensive. Couple that with good writing, and this show could have had a long, fruitful life. I assume the brass at the CW were afraid that this show wouldn't appeal to the tween girl demographic (the only one they ever seem to focus on), but for the sake of the network, I have to say I think incorporating some programming that had a wider draw would have been a step in the right direction. Cancel the crap-pile that is One Tree Hill and finally, finally, finally pick up a series that has some broader appeal. I don't know what CW president Dawn Ostroff has been smoking, but passing on The Body Politic was a massively stupid move. Much like cancelling Veronica Mars. Hmm... maybe she just isn't as much of a Jason Dohring fan as I am...

Sigh... The only hope this show has of being picked-up is for mid-season. The CW has one slot open, and assuming the Gossip Girl spin-off is as rightfully dead as it should be, there's a chance they could pick up The Body Politic come January. Quite a lot has been said on the web regarding this series, so I'm hopeful (if skeptical) that Dawn Ostroff roams the internet as much as I do and has come to the realization that she and the other network heads really blew it when they passed on this one initially.

Fingers crossed!