Well, I liked it. The acting was good, the kids weren't too cloying and the production values seemed up to par. And, most importantly, it looks like CP will have a decent part in it. So, who do we write at Lifetime to express our appreciation?

Janet

Send cookies to the studio!

dc

There's a message board on at www.lifetimetv.com where you can say what you think. They post a message of the day every day from it. Probably there's a contact us link there somewhere too. They really like audience feedback there.

I've been to the Lifetime Wild Card BBS; a whole lot of the prior-to-airtime posts read like they're completely fake. Besides, I must encourage Global .

I spent much of the episode recognizing or trying to recognize Toronto location sites. I'm still working on trying to recognize where the insurance agency offices are and I had to laugh when I recognized Jillies - a strip bar. I've never been inside, of course .

How're things in your neck of the woods?

dc

DC,

No chat going on that I know of. Think folks are busy watching it or watching it again
It doesn't air here on the West Coast for another 30 minutes.
LOL at sending cookies to the studio!!! Good idea, I nominate you and Joan
Yeah, sure you have never been inside Jillies! If you think I believe that, I have a bridge across Lake Washington I want to sell you

Janet,

So the hair and writing are good, huh?
Sounds promising then!

Thanks for the spoilers gals!
Shannon

We are on out second viewing! What happen to all the East coasters. Are they party poopers and go to bed at 10:00!

Were still partying with some wholesome Lemonade. (and if you believe that we have a bridge that connect the countries that people are trying to get rid of. We can sell it for a good price.)

Joan }>

>Joan and DC<
We are on out second viewing! What happen to all the East
>coasters. Are they party poopers and go to bed at 10:00!

Well, we all know you two are the party animals of this bunch Seems like you have outlasted everyone tonight!
>
>Were still partying with some wholesome Lemonade. (and if
>you believe that we have a bridge that connect the countries
>that people are trying to get rid of. We can sell it for a
>good price.)

LOL! I think I know the name of this wholesome Lemonade and it is good. Think I will grab a bottle out of the fridge and join you too in a toast to CP's new series
Have fun you two!

Shannon

CHEERS!

>
> >Janet,
>
>So the hair and writing are good, huh?
>Sounds promising then!
>
>Thanks for the spoilers gals!
>Shannon

Part, hair, I get it. I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. Well, most of the time. You really shouldn't pun-ish me that way
.

Janet

Hi Janet,

I enjoyed the show, too. Not sure what the reviewer was talking about "missed emotional moments" - what did they want to happen in a one-hour show??? There was stuff "handled"...I thought her somebody cut me some slack speech was kind of cute but I wished she had handled it a little more interestingly - not just standing there "talking" to this perfect stranger, but really showing a melt down. But - it was okay. Her little "I did something right" in the hospital was nice - wrong supporting actor with her, though LOL. One thought that came to mind as she was standing there looking at the "victim's" car was this is going to be a modern-day Jessica Fletcher, where she "gets it" and the audience has to wait and see what it is she discovered till the explanation at the end of the show(G).

Regarding important stuff -CP- the hair was okay...yet another color (sigh). I didn't like the kind of "desperate to make that date" feeling...but the walking into the bosses office was cute and I liked the "burning the midnight oil" scene. It was more of a supporting part this first week - the whims and fortunes of the acting profession - I watched the next new one about the FBI agent and did anyone else watch and notice that the psychic girls mother was Madeline from La Femme Nikita? Star one day, bit part the next :-)...at least she appeared well, didn't she have cancer of something toward the end of LFN? It was fun to finally see Mr. P again, and it did look like more for him to do next week - could have done without the red tie. I'm not sure gray suits are his color...wardrobe comments JG?

Just my two cents worth.

Marg

Well, the suits are a bit drab, but Chris looks awesome -- much, much better than he did in QAF, and in many of the interim roles after Silk Stalkings. Frankly, it should be illegal for a married man to be this pretty. That just isn't right.

In fact, if you were to put this Dan character into a red blazer, this would be Tom Ryan. All the mannerisms and demeanor are there. I had an instant, favorable reaction to this character, which I have not had to any of Chris' roles since SS. This is like Tom's brother, but a bit less of a wisecrack.

I have the nagging suspicion that Chris isn't going to like this role any better than he liked Silk, since it seems to be a very similiar character, but I suppose that will ultimately depend upon whether the scripts get more clever than the premiere was. Mostly, Wild Card reminds me of the last season of Silk Stalkings, complete with the trademark type of plot involving a cheating spouse who lies about a crime to cover up an illicit affair.

Hopefully, Chris will become the romantic lead, and there appear to be hints in that direction. He's just way too cute to be merely a bit player. And maybe the plots will get better, or the characters will become less stereotypical. But hey, I'd watch anything with Tom Ryan in it, and this Dan guy is close enough

I got the feeling that we may see a triangle for a time, old High School BMOC vs new really cool co worker. Guess who I'll be cheering for! We must let Lifetime know we will watch the show and "love" Chris.

Absolutely. That's exactly what I thought when she was on the phone talking to Dan, and her high school "ex" was hovering over her and making her feel awkward answering Dan's invitation to "go have coffee". They're setting up the "angst-riddled love triangle" thing. (And I anticipate that this "story" will arrive rather soon. After all, this is "the women's network").

I didn't really find the premiere's script writing to be at all innovative nor clever. Because of this, the attempts at subtlety were totally transparent, and the "punches" seemed telegraphed. I expect that I'll end up watching this show only because of Chris, like I did with Silk Stalkings. Thankfully, he's playing a very Tom-like character, so that makes it easy to watch.

Well, I loved the Joe Boxer commercials. They were great. Too bad CP wasn't in one of them. He would certainly have gotten more air time and a better part. So this is it? He's a third banana who is portrayed as being unable to do his job properly until the Medusa-haired trailer trash woman comes gallumping into town, walking like a spavined horse, and saves the day? That is so LIFETIME I could just cry. The fact that it was so unremittingly awful was the only thing that made watching it bearable. One could only laugh. Such a bad script, such bad acting, such bad actors, such a disaster. Poor CP looked like a man who has just awakened in the midst of a train wreck and wonders what the &%$# is going on. And who is picking out those ties they've strung around his neck? Get some help! And, most importantly, someone buy that woman a frigging hair brush!

The only good thing about the whole mess was that I won $25 by betting David that they would include a GHB storyline in the first episode. Bless their predictable little hearts. What would LIFETIME do without GHB? They certainly couldn't write another script. I love the fact that one of the street names for a new version of GHB is "Lifetime". Considering their fascination with it I've often speculated if they aren't manufacturing it themselves. And considering this little gem maybe that would be best. They certainly can't do decent television.

Laurence

Oh, ouch!, Lawrence. I think your review is the harshest I've seen so far. I can see a lot of your point of view (although CP's ties are usually the last things I look at when he's on screen), but I think I liked it better than you did.

Being a woman in the Lifetime demographic, I can see how this show will do well, as long as they continue with a heroine who isn't buff by TV standards and is still able to show the pros how the job should be done, raise three kids, and keep her hair heavily streaked. I suppose the theory is, if we don't have anything better to do than watch cable on Saturday night, Mary Sue programming is just the ticket for ratings. Maybe the theory isn't so far off the mark.

There was so much exposition to get out of the way, there really wasn't a lot of room for acting from anybody except from Ms. Fisher. I thought she was fine. Not thrilling, but fine.

I'd have been happier with a two hour pilot though. The one hour show was so condensed and free of those bothersome details and shadings, it left me with too many practical questions. For instance: Did anybody else wonder what happened to the date rape guy? (Shouldn't there have been lawyers and cops all over the place?) Why base the hunch that the two witnesses were fraudulent on the fact that both of them said 'westerly' in their descriptions when only ONE of them actually said 'westerly' in the episode? And if the insurance company was about to get off without paying out to the sister, why would they applaud and then hire the lady who made them look inept - or at least uncaring - and cost them thousands of dollars? Maybe there is a reasonable explanation for that last one, but I can't figure it out.

Having said all that, I had some fun watching Wild Card and,of course, I plan to keep watching the show and hoping for some plot surprises and CP featured eps.

That's a long enough ramble - even for me.

I think that the insurance company also had to pay out money to the alleged "victim" (ie, fraud perpetrator), which they didn't have to pay out after the fraud was uncovered. But mostly, I think that they were clapping because the episode was over. Otherwise, yes, it was kind of implausible and silly that an insurance office would be giving a standing ovation to some stranger that made them out to be inept. I distinctly remember rolling my eyes during that scene.

Ok, it wasn't as bad as Laurence made it out to be. I'd put it on a par with a Silk Stalkings episode (which means it was totally forgettable, mediocre TV). We'll see if it gets better. But it has Tom's brother on it, so that's good enough for me. But for sure, if I'm going to keep watching, CP better have more screen time. The show isn't going to hold my interest without him being on more. And he will need to be a little more provocative like Tom was. More wit and personality, and more playful sex appeal.

I think that the insurance company also had to pay out money to the alleged "victim" (ie, fraud perpetrator), which they didn't have to pay out after the fraud was uncovered.

Okay. I suppose I can go with that, if I must.

But for sure, if I'm going to keep watching, CP better have more screen time. The show isn't going to hold my interest without him being on more. And he will need to be a little more provocative like Tom was. More wit and personality, and more playful sex appeal.

CP had several (three?) closeups in the upcoming episode teaser, so that's (maybe) a good sign that we'll see more of him soon. And, since they're still shooting the show - and will be until October - maybe some feedback really would make a difference in his screen time.

JG,

If this was equivalent to Silk Stalkings I'm no longer sorry that I missed seeing that series.

Laurence

I can't seem to make the picture appear here, but you can find it at this link:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-re...nt/p_42993.html

Nice picture of the cast. I thought the show was pretty good. I like Joely Fisher but I hope they give Chris more to do. If there is anyway to let Lifetime know how much we enjoy watching Chris and would enjoy it even more if he had more scenes, I would do it.

I liked it. I did watch it a few times, mostly thanks to Lifetime's repeats, but I found more and more to like each time.

I thought JF was just fine in the role. I hate, hate, hate, perfect TV women, so I enjoyed Zoe's bumbling and the fact that she really needs a meeting with the two ladies from the Brit version of What Not to Wear.

Like others here, I think the pilot felt a bit rushed, but then there was a lot of exposition to shove into a one-hour episode. I'm thinking we'll see more of Zoe on the job (with Dan)and less at home. The bumbling auntie turned sharp cookie can only go on so long. The real show will be solving the mystery each week.

I'm hoping the Zoe/Dan partnership will evolve into a Scarecrow & Mrs. King relationship wherein the "new kid" teaches the old pro a thing or two and the old pro keeps her in line and alive while she's learning the ropes. And they're both *not* attracted to each other.

As to the old school chum---bo-ring, but then, as someone else here mentioned, that's part of the formula, the romantic triangle.

Looking forward to seeing the next ep, and starting to think about composing a "real" letter to Lifetime to say thanks for bringing CP back to television on a regular basis.

Jan

On a wardrobe note, love it or hate it, Zoe's outfits fit right in with what is haute-couture in downtown Toronto. I kid you not.

dc

I saw someone wearing the same suit that CP was wearing. It was at a wake. Worse, the person wearing it was in the coffin.

I keep thinking this series is going to be alot like the murder mysteries that go by the alphabet: A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, etc. I forget the author's name but they're good books and there's alot of them. I think this series has alot of pre-written plots to copy! BTW, I like CP in a suit -- alot. But I wish his hair was longer. He does remind me of Tom Ryan in this -- only a little bewildered! I don't really watch CP for the quality of the show but I think this show has some potential.

Meow, darlin'. But I suppose we can't expect more from somebody hung up on TR's red jacket. (Red Blazer -- isn't that from a George Carlin skit?)

How flashy are the insurance guys in your neck of the woods?

TTFN,
Alliterative Lori

How flashy are the insurance guys in your neck of the woods?

Hey, I have never been flashed by any insurance saleman! (On the other hand, when Laurence went outside to pick up his morning newspaper dressed only in his skivvies, I did see a bit more of him than anyone probably should have).

JG,

Hey, a guy forgets his peignoir once and you never let him hear the end of it! But, as I remember, you kept that little face of yours pressed against the window the whole time I was out there. See something you like? Oh, yeah, don't pretend you didn't.

Laurence

"Hearing the end of it" isn't the issue. The issue is "seeing the end of it". Put some clothes on! You're not a guest star on Silk Stalkings, you know.

Hey, wasn't Lar the one braggin' about size 28 jeans? If that's right, there wasn't nothin' *to* see in the end. 'Course, that's just hindsight...

TTFN,
Alliterative Lori

I refuse to talk about Laurence's posterior -- no if's, and's, or butts. So don't even think about getting cheeky with me, Lori.

That reminds me. Some years ago, at weddings, people used to do this silly "line dance" called "The Train". At one wedding where I was a guest (and yes, people have infrequently made the tragic mistake of inviting me to social occasions), I happened to see the bride's mom dancing "The Train" at the end of the line. As she danced by my table, shaking her posterior, I shouted out "Hey! Now I recognize that caboose!".

Lori, you minx, while I may not have a huge backyard, what I do have is beautifully sculpted and well cared for! }> (Why do I keep thinking Carolyn is going to descend on us at any moment with a huge paddle and make all of our cheeks red?)

JG, as for you, well, no wonder Mike doesn't take you anywhere with behavior like that. And stop staring at me!

Laurence

I had to laugh and agree with this. Next week's TV Guide gave a jeer to Wild Card for the fake driving scenes. LOL!

The view from the windows was very unrealistic, but I tolerated it:-)

I thought the show was pretty good, but will like it better with more CP.

Monica

>Well, I liked it. The acting was good, the kids weren't too
>cloying and the production values seemed up to par. And,
>most importantly, it looks like CP will have a decent part
>in it. So, who do we write at Lifetime to express our
>appreciation?
>
>Janet

Cheri:)
I just saw Wild Card for the first time and enjoyed it very much. CP looks just a good as always, although watching him on KFTLC is still my favorite. Here's hoping he gets alot more air time on the show.