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is missing a lot
Lifetime series lacks decent scripts and direction
By Ethan Alter
If you crossed "Without a Trace" with the first five seasons of "The X-Files" and then proceeded to strip away their strong scripts, great ensembles and top-notch production values, the result would probably look something like Lifetime’s new series “1-800-Missing.”
It’s difficult to imagine even the most dedicated Lifetime viewer sitting through this bland would-be crime thriller, which debuts Saturday at 10 p.m.
Gloria Reuben, late of “The Agency” and “ER,” stars as Brooke Haslett, an FBI investigator who specializes in missing-persons investigations. Her latest case--locating the fiancée of a well-known senator--brings her into contact with Jess Mastriani (Caterina Scorsone), a college graduate with psychic powers. Just like another logic-driven FBI agent--hint: her initials are B.S.--Haslett doesn’t believe in the paranormal. She’s forced to work with Jess anyway, however, when her superiors decide that the young woman could be of some use.
Naturally, the two get off to a rough start. Haslett is quick to discount all of her new partner’s suggestions, and Jess is too green to stand up for herself. It doesn’t help that she’s still getting used to her powers and isn’t always sure of what she’s seeing.
In addition to her visions of the missing fiancée, she also dreams about a little girl who may or may not have been kidnapped by her father. As their investigation proceeds, Haslett’s icy demeanor begins to thaw, particularly after Jess proves that the child in her dreams does exist and successfully intervenes to help her. By the end of the hour, the two women seem to have reached a compromise that will, of course, be challenged in subsequent episodes when Jess spouts more mystical mumbo-jumbo that Haslett refuses to accept.
“1-800-Missing” is based on a popular series of young adult novels, and its premise certainly seems ready-made for television.
Unfortunately, the show never generates much in the way of drama or mystery. The fault lies primarily with the direction, which is flat and uninspired. As nice as it would be nice to blame the show’s boring look on its obviously low budget, that’s too easy an excuse. After all, "The X-Files" didn’t have a lot of money in its first season, either, but the creative team used that to their advantage, designing a striking--and by now widely imitated--visual style that could be produced on the cheap.
The show’s scripts are equally dull, particularly the exchanges between Jess and her harried mother (Alberta Watson), who fears for her daughter’s safety yet for some reason never confronts the FBI for forcing her into service. And while Ruben and Scorsone do what they can in their one-dimensional roles, they’re definitely no David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
Ultimately, it’s not clear what kind of audience the network was hoping to attract with “1-800-Missing.” The show isn’t thrilling enough to capture the attention of younger viewers, and it doesn’t really possess the emotional underpinnings that attract the usual Lifetime crowd. Don’t be surprised to see this series go missing from its schedule after a few weeks.
July 31, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Ethan Alter is a New York writer and a regular contributor to Media Life.
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