LAX

"LAX" is a drama series, and I use the term lightly, wrapped up as a 45-minute hip-hop music video. Not as thoroughly absurd as HAWAII but that's not saying much. The premiere episode ran the gamut of A to B on the believability scale – giving us heaping doses of every possible airport movie cliché we've been privy to since the days of black and white television. Over the top theatrics, sophomoric writing, choppy editing and unnecessary time-lapse photography all add up to an hour of mind-numbingly, boring television. If this is the best the boneheads at NBC/Universal can offer up as first-rate entertainment then were all in for a very long and miserable television season.

I am more than disappointed with this new NBC "drama". Love Heather Locklear, but this was one of the worst television shows I've ever seen. The only thing worthwhile was the music. The show was all over the place and in the end, had no point, not even entertainment. Terrible, just terrible. I realize this was the pilot episode, but I can't imagine saving this train wreck. I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather the schedule be filled with reality TV than with LAX. I'm a pretty easy audience, but I was embarrassed to watch this inept show. From the opening slow pan of Heather's bare feet on the tarmac to the dog being chased to the tired banter between Heather and Blair... it was tedious and painful. Hopefully we won't have to suffer a full season, hopefully they pull the plug soon.

As a fan of both Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood, I really wanted to get hooked on this show. That was a pipe dream on my part. This show is not only ridiculously far-fetched, it has a hard time making the main character of Random even remotely likable or professional. Even worse, it's not even entertaining in the slightest. Any airport manager (like the one Heather is supposed to be portraying) would be fired for acting out the way her character does. I can really see the F.A.A. and TSA just turning the other cheek casually while some irate bimbo (no offence to Heather herself---a fine actress in a crappy role) stands on an active runway, screeching at an airliner to "get off my runway". Yeah. Right. The only good thing about this waste of time show is the believable chemistry between Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood. I only wish these two fine actors would take their considerable talents to a better vehicle.

Airport dramas always involve elements of joy, tragedy, and pathos by portraying families reunited, lost luggage and drunken businessmen. LAX enters the foray in entering the 21st century with two strikes against it. Fear and loathing in a giant facility run by pseudo-government types. Look, as much as I want to like this series, it's not really cutting it in story nor pace. It tries to be the dramatization of the more watchable AIRPORT on the Wings Channel or the update of Arthur Hailey's story. Maybe they should do what Jack Webb did when he made DRAGNET and solicit ideas from the public or how about include medics/EMTs and an airport chaplain as additional character development. You might as give the show last rites the way it's going.

I spent about seven years of my life as a pilot, airport bum, and air traffic controller. Airports can be very interesting, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the pilots, mechanics, controllers, coyote hunters, plumbers, dish washers, wing walkers, and bums at airports are any more interesting than the people who work and hang out at libraries. The secret to a good story is in the telling. LAX just didn't tell us any good stories, and, as I recall, SFO, the 1970 version of LAX staring Lloyd Bridges, wasn't any good at story-telling either. If you're looking for an interesting career, I can definitely recommend aviation. If you're looking for interesting stories, TV's track record suggests that you steer clear of shows that are set at airports.

Bummer!