This week, Amber West and I return to CBS, perhaps the most watched network on television (that’s what they claim, isn’t it?) and review two new hit crime dramas picked up for the entire year – Unforgettable and Person of Interest.
Unforgettable stars Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace) as former Syracuse detective Carrie Wells. Carrie remembers everything: every moment and every aspect of every day, except for the murder of her sister when she was a child. When asked to help the New York City police solve a crime that took place outside her apartment that she sort-of witnessed, Carrie is reunited with her ex beau and partner, Detective Al Burns (Dylan Walsh, Nip/Tuck).
Carrie decides to join Al and the NYC force with one major goal – solve her sister’s murder.
The other detectives on the squad (Detective Mike Costello played by Michael Gaston of The Mentalist, and Detective Nina Inara played by Daya Vaidya from Robbery Homicide Division) aren’t quite sure what to think of Carrie; both react as if they think she is weird and don’t appear to want to get to know her on a more personal level.
But Detective Roe Sanders (Kevin Rankin from Trauma) actually takes an interest in Carrie; he’s amazed with her recall and often times tests her memory trying to catch her in a slip. This friendly banter prompts Carrie and Al to open up and share her history and the mystery surrounding her sister’s death with Sanders.
Unforgettable recently added a TV superstar to the cast – Jane Curtin (Kate & Allie was one of my childhood favorites) joins as Dr. Jane Webster, who will supposedly be crucial to Carrie’s ability to solve her sister’s cold case.
Additionally, Marilu Henner (Taxi) consults production because similar to the character of Carrie, Henner possesses the rare ability to recall all autobiographical events, a condition known as hyperthymesia. Henner also guest stars in a recurring role as Carrie’s aunt.
Technically speaking, I should like Unforgettable a bit more than I do. Carrie Wells is the ideal detective; she’s the perfect study subject for a mystery writer. Additionally, I absolutely adore Dylan Walsh; while I like Poppy Montgomery (big fan of Without a Trace and love the red hair), I initially watched Unforgettable because of Dr. Sean McNamara.
I also really enjoy the ongoing mystery in addition to the fresh case each and every week; but the story lines seem a bit too predictable to me. I personally don’t like to watch a one hour crime drama and have the “bad guy” figured out in the first twenty minutes (my guy likes to call me a TV ninja; I’ve had to learn to keep my opinions to myself while watching police procedurals).
Don’t get me wrong; I record every new episode and usually watch within the week. I consider most crime dramas great writing research, and therefore haven’t tossed it aside yet. For this, I award the JFTV rating to Unforgettable – no matter the predictability, I’m hooked like a fiend, craving another greasy potato chip. But, if I’m busy, this is one that can rack up the hours on the DVR.
Oh, and guys – this one’s for you: Unforgettable really likes to show off Poppy’s amazing arms. Carrie wears a tank top in almost every episode. Yea, I’m jealous…
Do you watch Unforgettable? What do you think? Do you think Carrie’s memory is a blessing or a curse? What other crime dramas do you enjoy? I’d love to hear from you!
Now click over to Amber’s blog and check out why she thinks John Reese is the new Jack Bauer in her review of Person of Interest. I can only imagine this one gets a high rating….
Come back next week when Amber and I review something worth a watch. Any requests?
Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future.
A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:
GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
TBPTV (Twice Baked Potato TV): Part gourmet and delicious, while absolutely horrible for our cholesterol
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech
Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor 
This does sound interesting…but I, like you, am a TV ninja. So I have a feeling this would be on the Junk Food shelf of my pantry, too. (That shelf has very limited space, too.)
I do like Dylan Walsh, though. I guess eye candy is appropriately relegated to the junk food shelf as well, eh? 🙂
I watch when I can–do like the show but liked “Without A Trace” better. Am really enjoying “Person of Interest.”
Yay!
I agree with Amber. This does sound interesting. However, I know what you mean about it seeming too predictable. Too often, weekly mystery series get that way. The protagonist’s mental disorder sounds fascinating, but I can also see where it might get Monk-ish. I’m going to check out an episode on On Demand or something like that and see what I think.
My favorite crime drama is Dexter. However, we’re super into The Walking Dead right now. Once we blast through the season 2 episodes, we’ll catch up on all our favorites. Pathetic, I know. 😀
I love “Unforgettable,” but I wish she’d find her sister’s killer and be done with it, just like I wish Patrick Jane would find Red John and be done with him. I find both distracting from the current week’s stories. Maybe that’s just me.
I just watched the pilot of Person of Interest and loved it! If any of your readers haven’t seen the first episode, I highly recommend it. Makes the entire show more fascinating.
I haven’t checked out Unforgettable as yet, but I have found that many mystery shows are overly predictable. Sounds like one worth seeing regardless. Thanks, Tiffany!
I’ve never watched this one. But I did hop over to Amber’s blog because you KNOW how I feel about A Person of Interest!
I like ‘Unforgettable’. I think the relationships between the characters are well-established but the writers haven’t made the mistake of getting soap opera dramatic (Can’t stand when they do that). Do agree it has the potential of getting too predictable. I also like that Carrie is a broken personality powering through her demons, but still gets despondent at times, like a real person would in her situation. I think having the ability to instantly recall every memory that has ever happened to me would be a curse, a lot of things I’d be happy to forget.
Right now the police dramas I’m watching besides ‘Unforgettable’ include ‘NCIS’, ‘Hawaii 5-0’, ‘Criminal Minds’, ‘The Mentalist’, and ‘Prime Suspect’. I was a huge ‘Law and Order’ junkie and I don’t think there is a series that has stepped into their big shoes yet. I’m waiting patiently. 🙂
Good post, Tiffany!
I like Unforgettable, but you’re right about the predictability. And I’m with David; I don’t like the cold case in the backdrop being dragged through every episode. My favorite crime dramas are Criminal Minds and Flashpoint. In Flashpoint, you know who the “subject” (gunman, hostage-taker, etc.) is right at the start; the fun part is trying to figure out how that person got into that position to begin with.
I don’t know what it is about that word “procedural” that makes me wonder if I would like it. I love a good mystery, but police dramas can get bogged down in my opinion. Maybe that’s why my favorite one is Castle – where the lead character shakes up the police team a bit. However, I have heard good reviews of Unforgettable. I remember hearing Marilu Henner interviewed about her condition, and it is fascinating stuff. It seems like this would be a good foundation for a tv drama.
Hmmm…I haven’t been into crime drama since a serious addiction to Law and Order. Unfortunately, the predictability of Unforgettable sounds like it takes a wee bit of the stuffin’ out of it. Hmmm…perhaps if I come across it channel surfing, I’ll check it out.