Critic's Choice
Nice guys may not finish last at FX, but they're a low priority when it comes to drama development.
The network that brought you The Shield, a show centering on a rogue cop with a brutal streak, now unveils a series that's no less provocative: the weekly adventures of lecherous Christian (Julian McMahon) and fretful Sean (Dylan Walsh), two Miami plastic surgeons with questionable professional ethics and disordered personal lives. Are they lovable? No. Are they watchable? Compulsively so.
The 90-minute premiere airing July 22 tries too hard to keep topping itself with ever more graphic operating-room scenes and an increasingly outrageous plot that involves a vile criminal seeking surgery for disguise. But the opener entirely succeeds at drawing us into Christian and Sean's world and clearing the ground in which the characters can grow. McMahon (Charmed) is perfect as a satyr with a seductive smile, an unblinking eye for cash and long-smoldering feelings for his medical partner's unhappy wife, Julia (superbly played by Joely Richardson). Walsh fares well in the difficult role of a man who swings back and forth between self-righteousness and complete moral confusion. Like so many of his patients, Sean has problems that run too deep to be fixed with a nip here and a tuck there.
BOTTOM LINE: Successful operation
HBO (Sat., July 26, 8 p.m. ET)
"If you don't see it comin', you're gonna get hit," veteran trainer Victor (Nestor Serrano) advises promising pugilist Lex (John Leguizamo). In this boxing movie you see every punch coming, so you hardly feel a thing.
As director, Leguizamo gives New York grit and Latin flavor to Undefeated. As lead actor, he bears a certain resemblance to John Garfield in the 1947 ring classic Body and Soul. But the script, even if it's intended as homage to past boxing dramas, plays like a compendium of clichés. Lex rises through the welterweight ranks; turns his career over to slick, shady managers; falls for a temptress (Vanessa Ferlito) with show-business ambitions; grows estranged from his homeboys and finally faces a moral crisis: Will he throw a big fight? Montages serve as dramatic shorthand, an acknowledgment that we all know the story so there's no reason to tell it in detail.
BOTTOM LINE: Not a contender
ABC Family (Sun., July 20, 8 p.m. ET)
Contrived, cutesy and occasionally maudlin, this TV movie is lucky to be redeemed by its attractive cast.
Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) plays Amy, a lawyer who orders her life according to a time-line provided by her dear, departed mother. Mom's scenario calls for Amy to marry her seventh boyfriend, but she's one short of that mark when she meets Daniel (Brad Rowe), a handsome venture capitalist who seems perfect for her. What to do? Spend one weekend with Peter (Patrick Dempsey), a Wall Street whiz turned humble bagel-shop manager, and call him No. 6. Then she'll be free for happy-ever-aftering with Daniel—unless, of course, she falls in love with Peter. The sentimental conclusion is foregone, but Dempsey and Williams-Paisley make a winning pair.
BOTTOM LINE: The stars save it
CBS (Wednesdays, 10 p.m. ET)
American Idol's Simon Cowell is an executive producer of this nasty but lively matchmaking series, though his on-camera role is limited to a few acidic comments that seem spliced in to satisfy his fans. Early on, most of the verbal abuse was dished out by Laura, who's helping her friend Lisa choose marriage prospects from an army of auditioners across the country. (Viewers start voting for their favorites once the field is reduced to 10.) Laura heaped put-downs on the suitors—many of whom resembled Gong Show rejects—as they strove to impress Lisa in the allotted 30 seconds. Simon calls Laura "a bitch—my kind of girl." If she's your kind too, make a date with Cupid.
BOTTOM LINE: For insult lovers
Sunday, July 20 THE RESTAURANT NBC (10 p.m. ET) The debut of a reality show about an upscale Manhattan eatery.
Monday, July 21 200 GREATEST POP CULTURE ICONS VH1 (9 p.m. ET) It's the start of a week-long roll call of the biggies from Bill Clinton to Miss Piggy.
Tuesday, July 22 MI-5 A&E (9 p.m. ET) The British spy agency fights terrorism in this drama series' premiere.
Wednesday, July 23 BOARDING HOUSE: NORTH SHORE THE WB (8 p.m. ET) Roomies Danny and Miles compete as the surfer show ends its season.
Thursday, July 24 PASSIONS NBC (2 p.m. ET) Guest star Mya stirs up the soap by singing "My Love is Like..Wo."
Friday, July 25 20/20 ABC (10 p.m. ET) R&B artist Monica talks about her return to music.
Saturday, July 26 HEAD 2 TOE Lifetime (11 a.m. ET) Women get a new look determined by a friend or relative in this makeover series' premiere.
CELINE’S INFERTILITY STRUGGLE: MY PRIVATE HEARTBREAK
Daily injections, painful tests and four failed IVF attempts: The singer, 41, reveal her dreams for a second baby. ‘I’ll try until it works’
