Of the many shows I’ve watched or plan to watch, one genre is barely on my radar: “thrillers.” Kidnappings, spies, traitors, and plots to kill the president do not catch my attention unless it’s a movie, and even then you’d have to pay for the ticket. The primary reason I decided to use up what little space I have on my DVR for Hostages was because of the cast. I absolutely adore Toni Collette … it’s her eyes. They just pull me in and I am instantly on her side. I want everything to go well for her character in whatever role she plays. Then there’s Dylan McDermott who’s super nice to look at. And lastly, Tate Donovan. He’s a fantastic actor who radiates kindness; no matter how much of a jerk his characters may be, he redeems himself. His acting makes that redemption believable.

The actors, the producer, and the time slot: that’s how I was tricked into watching Hostages.

The first few minutes of the show I was already rolling my eyes. Dylan McDermott’s opening scene as Agent Duncan Carlisle was all about showing what a badass he was. Unfortunately that is not what his character came off as. Instead, he came off as super corny. After taking over a hostage situation — very rudely I may add — he shoots a “hostage” that turns out to be the criminal in disguise. When the cop asks him, “What if you’d been wrong?” Duncan replies smugly, “I wasn’t.” Wow. Superb writing! After he struts away from the cop towards the camera, I immediately wanted to hit stop and delete it off my DVR. But I didn’t … I kept going, hoping it would live up to all the promoting CBS put into this show. C’mon … Toni Collette?! The show must get better, right? No. No, it really didn’t.

As the show goes on, I realize the director really wanted this to be fancy. The camera angles and the panning were truly overdone. There really is something to be said about simple camera work. Maybe if the story had done a better job drawing me in, I would have appreciated the choice instead of finding it distracting.

Hostages’ plot is so predictable and cliché. Before each family members secrets were revealed I had already guessed what they were: pregnant daughter with a douchey boyfriend, drug dealing son, cheating husband. And of course, the bad guy is really not a “bad” guy. His wife is sick, and he helped the pregnant daughter hide her secret … how sweet. And don’t forget, someone in the President’s circle is working with the bad guys. Surprise, surprise.

The acting was not at all what I was expecting from seasoned actors who usually shine brightly. I felt that Collette was barely trying. Her shocked face seemed forced and when she was told she had to kill the President or her family dies, she looked around with her mouth open, and looked just… silly. That’s the only word to use. Silly.

By the end of the episode I found myself laughing at all of the little things. I’m pretty sure Hostages is not a comedy, but it sure felt like it. I don’t think the pilot was captivating enough for it to stick around for too long. What the show has going for it is that Jerry Bruckheimer’s name and it’s on CBS. Being on CBS a good thing for any show. The network tends to keep shows around for a while, giving them a chance to find their voice and connect to an audience. However, my instinct tells me that all the time in the world won’t get this series a strong fan base.

After finding this out, how they could make this particular story into a television series instead of a movie made sense. That excited me. I wanted to get so into a series that I can’t stop watching it and — lucky me — I wouldn’t have had to wait too long for the next episode. I s that they didn’t do a very good job making this show suspenseful or interesting enough to hook me.

I’m the type of person who will give a new show a few episodes before I give up; it’s rare that I only watch a pilot. And maybe I’m a bit biased because thrillers aren’t usually what I watch anyways, but the thing is… if a show is amazing, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. I will watch it. This show was just not great … not even close. For that, I am truly sad, because I wanted to like Hostages. I just hope it ends quickly so that these actors can move onto other projects that are actually worth taking up some of my DVR space.

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Yesterday, I previewed ABC’s slate of new dramas. Today it’s time to take a look at what CBS is serving up. Since the Tiffany network is returning eleven hour-long dramas from last year (along with three hour-long reality shows), there’s not a lot of room for new material. You’d think with position like that, they’d be able to pick from the cream of the crop.

We’ve only had the chance to look at two of the three new dramas. One is a drastic change from the network’s regular fare, while the other fits right in. Will CBS’s strategy of trying something new work out?

Hostages (Mondays 10:00PM)

It seems like most of the networks were taking chances with high-concept dramas. Hostages definitely fits that bill: the family of a surgeon scheduled to operate on the President of the United States is held hostage to force the doctor to make a fatal error while in the operation room. Hostages should be right up my alley: a political intrigue thriller where the lines between black and white are more than a little blurry. Sadly though, the first episode just falls flat.

Verdict: The DVR is going to have a hard time recording this against The Blacklist and Castle.

Magic Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: My reply is no.

Intelligence (Midseason, Mondays 10:00PM)

Like the last couple of years, the broadcast networks are holding back several of my favorite pilots for midseason; Intelligence is on that list. Ever since the finale of Lost, audiences have been waiting with bated breath for Josh Holloway’s return to television. I can assure you (ladies) that he’s just as roguish as he’s always been. He and Megan Ory (Once Upon a Time) have great chemistry, and the show’s got the one ingredient that I think makes NCIS one of the most watched shows on television: It’s fun.

Verdict: Intelligence had me at hello, and I’ll figure out a way to work out the DVR schedule later.

Magic Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: As I see it yes.

CBS Pilots not yet available to press: Reckless (Midseason)