Cedar Cove

Don't tell me!! Dropped?! Probably. I know the plots are weak. And the characters are often half-witted. But a lot like everyday life. I usually really like anything Andie McDowell does, but I'm not real "hip" on her portrayal of this character. And her relationship with--whatever his name--the 2nd guy, lawyer, is just a bit stupid. The writers did not do themselves any favors by writing such flimsy dialog between the main characters. And the daughter, OK, I can see where this just really falls apart and fans who watched this at first have run for the exits! It is irritating that they mucked this up! The original premise got lost and buried in mucky muck. And the main character, Judge, has really gone off the rails. But with so much other garbage on TV I would still be up for Season 4!!

It appears almost everyone in this town is divorced or has a dark secret, except for the sweet hippie guy who runs the restaurant. But then, I guess it couldn't go on for two seasons or more, but it would be just nice if there were people who didn't come from a divorced back. There's so much jealousy, deceit, and lying. Can't believe this is Hallmark! Nonetheless the beautiful location, fancy houses and the comedy relief celibate hippie dude makes it all worthwhile. Andie McDowell is a beautiful solid actress, and it's wonderful seeing her in a role that allows a few dramatic moments. The good guys are the good guys, the bad guys are the bad guys, there's not a lot of surprises, but I'm enjoying it for the most part. I actually live in this general area, and recognize most of the location shoots.

The only reason I gave it a 5 instead of a 2 is because the first season was OK. Just as I normally don't read books by Debbie Macomber I also normally don't watch TV series based on books by Debbie Macomber. But some years ago, when I was under a huge amount of stress, I read some of Debbie's books because in their relative simplicity they were calming. I also found this to be true of Season 1 of Cedar Cove. I thought I'd check it out, not expecting great TV watching, but hopeful for just something pleasant to watch. And it was.

Season 2, however, I found to be unwatchable. The script consists mainly of people saying "Are you OK?" "Is something wrong?" and "I'm sorry." When there are actual statements or sentences expressing thoughts or feelings they are very pat and almost clichés. Given this kind of writing, the actors are doing the best they can, I assume. Andie McDowell had particular difficulty and appears to be on sedating drugs. The camera never stays on her face for long because she seems unable to hold an expression. The other actors, while a bit more lively, are also obviously struggling with writing that makes Debbie Macomber's books seem like Shakespeare.

Maybe I'll check out Season 3, just to see if it is different enough from Season 2 to make it worth watching.

I happened upon Cedar Cove while looking for a good series to watch. I like all kinds of drama - Grey's Anatomy, Bosch, Fargo, Army Wives, Scandal, The Affair....too many to list. Cedar Cove is light and easy-to-watch with stories about things that happen in real life without the sex and violence that are in mainstream shows these days.

I can't believe the talented actors and actresses on this show and yet the writing/story lines are terrible. Every episode is a repeat of the one before...Olivia spending more time with the DA and rarely her boyfriend. There is ZERO substance this whole season. Now I know why my 58 year old mother won't even watch it and she's a huge When Calls The Heart / Hallmark fan. I too enjoyed WCTH- much better writing. None of the Cedar characters are well developed. It's one new person after another. Brennan Elliott, Dylan Neal, etc are fantastic actors. I discovered Brennan in a terrific role with Lacey Chabert in All of My Heart. That is a movie they should turn into a series!