What’s this show called … Human Target?

For a show that only made it through five seasons, Boston Legal had an inordinate amount of cast turnover. For the most part, however, that was for the better. The late additions were solid — even Shirley Schmidt didn’t appear until halfway through season one — while the bodies left strewn in the streets didn’t belong in the first place (I thought Jeffrey Coho would never go away).

But some stars were missed. Take, for example, Mark Valley’s Brad Chase. Some may have panned him, but I loved his place in the firm, from being Alan Shore’s enemy to Denise Bauer’s friend with benefits. I missed Brad after he left.

Even so, when Valley popped back up on a new series last season called Human Target I wasn’t jumping for joy. I couldn’t see him as an action hero, not to mention my head-scratching over the casting of Chi McBride, as well as Little Children Oscar nominee Jackie Earle Haley. I figured either the show was going to waste the actors’ talents, or it was going to be an action show without any action. So last week I tuned in to find out if I was right.

Even without being familiar with the characters I enjoyed the group’s reaction to spending time in suburbia, as well as the cross-eyed way they looked at the Applebaums’ marital bickering. I thought it could have been fun to explore the suburbia thing more, but even just Winston’s (McBride) positive response to book club was worth some laughs. Chance (Valley) as a grumpy Grinch — in general as well as regarding the holidays specifically — was kind of irritating; is he always like that? Because it worked for Valley on Boston Legal, but here….

John Michael Higgins as Richard Applebaum on this holiday-themed episode was a fun choice, even if the goofy manner in which he approaches everything only went to reinforce what I already perceived as odd casting choices for the leads.

The story itself was lighthearted in a good way. Aside from Applebaum’s odd approach to the possibility that his employer was out to kill him, I loved how the idea was floated that it was his wife’s neighborhood blog putting them in danger. When it settled on the son I was kind of lost — what was the game’s scheme again? — but I liked how it came out of left field. Ames (Janet Montgomery) isn’t even believable as the teenager she looks like.

The fight scene in the mall was surprising. First of all, how many kids were traumatized by seeing Santa fight? Second, why did no one call the police? When Chance walked up the stairs with the backpack, everyone kind of shrugged and continued about their business. Really?

All in all the show as a whole is definitely a fun escape. I can imagine enjoying the group, even as I don’t get Jackie Earle Haley’s Guerrero and I’m still undecided on Valley’s Chance; as a unit they fit perfectly together. But things are a bit too cheesy, like a throwback to a 1980’s action series … I think that would work if everything else about Human Target wasn’t so blatantly current. And I was kind of surprised by the irony-less deliberate manner in which things are done, like when Guerrero turned the business card every which way to ensure that the camera captured what was written on it. I think I’d be less disappointed to learn that it was intentional.

So while I enjoyed the hour, I’d have to give this one a thumbs down; Valley’s better as a lawyer wielding the occasional axe than he is as a protector spewing the occasional soliloquy. And where the star goes, so goes the show.

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Dec 27, 2010 @ 15:00 EST5EDT