Karen Sisco

Karen Sisco (Carla Gugino) is a US Marshal in Miami. Her father Marshall Sisco (Robert Forster) is the only one she unequivocally trusts. Amos Andrews (Bill Duke) is her boss.

Based on the character portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in Elmore Leonard's Out of Sight, Karen Sisco is a smart, sexy, and tough character. Carla Gugino plays her with gusto. It never really took off and lasted only 7 episodes with 3 unaired remaining. I think there were two main problems.

The first is they shot this is L.A. If they could do it in Miami, it would add so much more local flavor. There is a difference and the audience can feel it. The second is the need for edginess. Seeing the successful 'Justified' (another Elmore Leonard adaptation), it seems obvious that Karen Sisco just doesn't have the grittiness in both style and substance. It just isn't Elmore Leonard enough.

I just CANNOT believe that they canceled this show *sigh* Just goes to show that television studios (and, just maybe, television audiences) do not know entertainment.... Instead of shows like this, we get stuck with yet more "reality TV" drivel like fear factor, American idol, survivor, etc etc ad nauseum... PLEASE make it stop! The executives don't know good television, the general public does not seem to recognize talented scripts, plots, excellent acting, etc. Does any one actually realize how many variations of CSI, or some take-off, spin-off what have you there are? Try to go 2 days without seeing it on the TV! Good luck! Everything is the same, same stories, same plots, we need something fresh, different, exciting....

What more could I ask for - not only is this show witty, exciting, and well directed, it also has a remarkably hot woman playing the lead role, pushing Enterprise's T'pol off to the side for the finest lady on network TV.

Every episode is really a gem, however two so far have stood out as really kickass (the second episode, the one with the two brothers who like Leonard Skinnard, and the one about the guy who keeps breaking out of prison to get back with his stripper girlfriend). Even though Elmore Leonard did little more for the series than invent the main character, the unique touches that are present in every Leonard book are present here. I pray to God this show makes it, because it beats the hell out of most everything else on TV today.

I've only seen the pilot of Karen Sisco, but I think that it's got real potential. TV shows today seem to be becoming more and more like movies, and while watching this I had trouble remembering that it was actually a TV show. Since TV shows generally have cliff hangers, I found myself eager for more of this great new show. Carla Gugino, Thomas Kretschmann, and Xander Berkeley were exceptionally good, and all I can say is that I can't wait for more! :)

As others have noted in these comments why is it that studio execs keep putting reality show dreck on? I have never watched survivor, the bachelor or any other "reality" show drivel. Since really those shows are for the average person to have their 15 minutes of fame and since most of them are self centered idiots (at least that is what the commercials show them as) why would a rational, thinking person ever watch it. If you want to watch a reality show watch The Soup and you will get the best parts of it anyway. This show was very well put together and if you had watched the Jennifer Lopez/George Clooney vehicle Out of Sight you would have gotten a little bit of background on her character. This could have been an excellent series. This and Ms Gugino's other series Threshold (way, way better than Invasion even though that has William Fichter)I don't get it. Two series that she has been in and both well done and what do the networks do? Please someone slap them for those of us that would like a little bit of thinking behind out entertainment.