Departure

British Global Air Flight 716 leaves JFK and disappears somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. There are 256 on board. In London, aviation expert Kendra Malley (Archie Panjabi) is recruited by her former boss Howard Lawson (Christopher Plummer) to join the investigation. The team has to navigate conflicting motives, multiple suspects, and desperate people with fading hopes of finding survivors. Then one survivor is found.

It's an intriguing mystery premise but the show slowly runs out of steam. I'm not sure that the writing is up to the challenge. It does have some great actors including the legendary Christopher Plummer who dies after filming the second season. That may provide a sad excuse to end this series. Rest in Peace for a beautiful thespian.

'Departure' ultimately turned out to be Christopher Plummer's final acting role. But this flashy potboiler about a missing passenger plane feels like little more than an extension of one of those "CSI" shows from America.

Chatty and frantic, with rushed characters introductions, and a range of typically American drama gimmicks you've seen a hundred times before (unrealistically glossy offices, dramatic flashbacks, pompous soundtrack), even the cast looks a bit uncomfortable here.

For some reason, Archie Panjabi even turns up in a strikingly similar maroon leather jacket as her iconic private investigator Kalinda from the superior 'The Good Wife'. It's just a pity the Good Wife writers didn't come with her cool wardrobe.

"Let's find that plane!" declares Archie's Kendra O'Malley in episode 1, in case that weren't obvious as the entire premise. But it's the rushed pace and lack of sensitivity required by material like this, that truly derails any interest.

Compare this to the masterfully suspenseful submarine drama 'Vigil', and you'll truly see what should have been.

By the third episode of this, I was so shocked at how bad the writing was that I came to IMDB to see the score, and couldn't believe that it had so many decent reviews, never mind the good reviews!

The script was terrible, so bad that even the decent actors couldn't save it. The characters had no personality whatsoever and there were plot holes everywhere. Characters seemed to do things at times that made no sense whatsoever. It was trying to be very serious with a lot of suspense, but the cringe-y script and embarrassing 'witty' one liners ruined any attempt at adding suspense.

I almost gave up but out of sheer boredom I kept going and it actually got better. The second half gave more backstory which made the characters more real, the actors had more of a chance to show their acting skills, and the first series finished off with a firm conclusion. The twists towards the end were a bit predictable but satisfying, and I always appreciate a show that doesn't end with cliffhangers!

Give it a go if you have nothing else to watch but you need to stick with it for a while to start to see it pay off!

No reason for bad reviews. It's just an entertaining crime thriller with some twists and turns. Doesn't matter about cliches. Not looking for a emmy here, just a storyline that keeps my attention. Mission accomplished.

If it wasn't for the lead actress of this show, I wouldn't have gone through the first ten minutes of the first episode. Interesting though.