Clarice

So if you forget the legend upon which this show is built, you are left with a good proceedural Gvt. Agency show, which is rare in these days of formulaic episodic cop propaganda; yes, they're borrowing heavily from the legend just by making the show, but it does make for a certain interesting undercurrent to everything.

The cast works well, the script isn't nearly as bad as the reviews suggest, nor is the production quality in any way lacking (I think everyone was hoping for film quality attention being paid to every detail, which isn't feasible, unless you're watching Hannibal, which raised the bar to an astonishing degree). A few less moth flashbacks, and we're good. My only strong complaint is the butchery done to Catherine Martin's character, and I don't know where that storyline is going, so I'm trying to reserve judgement.

Had to laugh at Clarice needing a better psychiatrist.

This could be a decent crime drama ... chasing serial killers worked for Criminal Minds a long time and this is a character we know. Writers have to tone down tension shtick with her boss. It's overdone, implausible, and distracting. This tedious relationship will kill the show. That said, egotistical bullies in the FBI may not be off the mark.

Clarice is an entertaining watch as long as you don't sit there comparing the main lead actress with the portrayal of the character by the legendary Jodie Foster in Silence Of The Lambs. Just enjoy it for what it is, the main actress does a fine job in the role. Although the pilot episode was not that gripping, I enjoyed it and I really feel that this series could well get better as it goes along, I will defitely keep watching it.

And by that I am of course referring to the excellent series featuring Mads Mikkelsen's amazing portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. That series had great style, fantastic atmosphere, and stellar directing, editing, and acting. They planned to tell the ultimate Hannibal Lecter story but only were able to make three seasons out of a seven season plan. So, here we have a Clarice Starling series that had been in the works for years but didn't get the train running till now.

So the premiere - Meh. Rebecca Breeds makes a very good Clarice but nothing else is up to her level. The cinematography isn't bad but the atmosphere is lacking, the characters are none too memorable, and the storyline isn't attention grabbing enough. I give it about a season at least.

I had reservations when this show was announced because doing a TV show they would have very large shoes to fill but fortunately they nailed it, I'm very excited to see where it goes so please renew it & give it a chance. Too many shows these days get the axe before they are able to prove themselves.