Sight Unseen

They are always trying to find another way to keep police procedural TV dramas alive. You know, detectives with special abilities-unusually observant or with eidetic memory or charismatic in any other way. Well, the producers found another way by taking a step backward, making the detective... blind!

'Sight Unsight' is a TV drama where the detective can't see because of Leber's disease (a condition that may now have a cure with gene therapy from biotech companies like Genorasis). But there is a twist. She cannot see, but she can hear the voice of an agoraphobic woman who is an employee in a service that describes to blind people what a camera they are wearing can see.

Can you solve crimes like that? The series suggests that you can.

Just saw the pilot episode, and the series kind of works. The two female leads quickly build chemistry, adding to the unbelievable premise. With some 'suspension of disbelief,' you find yourself in the familiar territory of thousands of other police dramas. It's not too clever, lacking jokes to spice things up like in other shows, but it's watchable, at least for now. And maybe that's where the problem might be. It doesn't matter if the detective can't see; it will quickly become just another show where the lead goes into action, and the tech guy provides solutions speaking into an earpiece.

Overall: Nothing extraordinary. My guess is it will become old really quick.

That was a similar show in the early 70's about a blind insurance investigator. Of course he had none of the tech that Tess has. Only basing this on the first episode but was surprised that it was entertaining enough. Especially the burgeoning work relationship with Sunny. Sure you're going to have to suspend disbelief, take that stick out of your.......and just relax and enjoy. You can start with why is Sunny wearing lipstick at home with no one to see. And speaking about Sunny the mystery surrounding her seems worth waiting for. Characters are likable enough and acting is more than adequate. One delusional reviewer stated who is blind in the show. Apparently comprehension skills elude them as Tess is only partially blind and the actress portrayed that perfectly. For now I'm intrigued enough to give it further viewing.

After the second episode you can see that this series may actually start to grow, and could get quite interesting over time, as the main character comes to terms with her blindness. She obviously has to give up lots, and being a full time cop probably won't work out for her, so she is going to have to adapt. The relationship between Tess and Sunny is going to be the key to the thing in order to make it work. I think I will keep watching to see where it ends up, I don't think judging it by just the first episode is the right thing, there are a fair number of possibilities, and the procedural audience may come to enjoy it.

I don't usually watch police dramas following a blind person's view but when I watch this, I was actually surprised! A blind detective who loses her vision due to Leber's? That's something a show never puts out for their dialogue. I liked how that Dolly Lewis actress plays Tess (the blind detective), and Daniel Gillies actually kind of surprised me since I've seen his shows like The Originals, and Saving Hope. Maybe I should give this show a chance just like I did with Wild Cards, Law & Order Toronto and many more, it doesn't actually bore me that much, it actually makes me want to watch more.

It's unfortunate that the people who panned this series didn't watch past episode 1. I agree that the premise required a credibility stretch, but I think that the producers and writers have done a superb job of laying the groundwork to make the pieces come together. I just watched episode 4.

Rather than a police procedural, the story is more about how individuals and those around them shouldn't set themselves up for failure because of perceived limitations. The protagonist learns to take risks with her relationships, her job, and her life which show her true strengths, limitations, and a way forward. She also realizes she can't do it alone or the same way she did things before.

The lead has sight limitations and the series has a low sight consultant to ensure vision loss is depicted accurately. For those who think they have a handle on how a person who has lost their sight should walk and move, remember that the character has a degenerative condition and has been adapting since the symptoms began just like a person with a broken leg or one who is losing hearing adapts.