When 24 launched in 2001, right on the heel of the 9/11, a new type of television show was born. Part Die Hard and part Days of our Lives, the show managed to put the characters of the show and its audience through grueling levels of suspense week in and week out. The experiment paid off in spades. The show became a ratings hit and Kiefer Sutherland became, as unlikely as it might seem, one of the greatest bad asses in the history of television. While the show was a success for Fox, it has taken several years for the other networks to catch on to the idea that serialized suspense could work for them too.
Last year, the second successful serial suspense show launched--that was the excellent if propesterous Prison Break, and then 24 achieves some kind of Hollywood nirvana by being the most nominated show at this year's Emmys. It's not such a surprising thing in context. Television has been bombarded in recent years with procedural after procedural, and while some of them are great, there is the boredom factor. Most of the procedurals like the numerous Law and Orders and CSIs are interesting mysteries, but they can be wholly predictable. Audience's crave surprise, and shows like 24 manage to surprise not just week after week, but sometimes 10 or 12 times per episode.
Now NBC is trying to cash in on the serialized suspense genre with their well-produced Kidnapped. The premise is simple. A rich New York couple has a son kidnapped. Instead of dealing directly with the FBI, they hire a young troubleshooter, experienced in the ways of Kidnap and Ransom, to find their son before the situation becomes fatal. I don't have access to the shows bible or NBC's press on the show, so I don't know if this story is supposed to last the whole season or if once this arc plays out, the characters will move on to something new. I am going to assume the latter considering the heavy named cast involved in the project, but it does beg my imagination as to what would happen during season two. Would this same family suffer yet another abduction that has to be resolved? Fortunately I am not a writer, producer or show runner, and I have the privilege of just sitting back and watching things unfold.
Kidnapped is a well produced show by any means. The episode opens in the swanky digs of the the Cain family as they prepare for a day in the life of Manhattan's well-heeled. The accessory du jour it seems is a body guard for the family's youngest members, a son and a daughter. The mom and pop of the family are played by Timothy Hutton and Dana Delaney, and the body guard is played with incredible grace by Mykelti Williams of the much lamented Boomtown. The show's most interesting set piece comes at the beginning when Williams quickly discerns that his young ward is in trouble and valiantly tries to stem the kidnapping. He fails, but not for lack of trying. The scene is well choreographed, and even with the limited exposure to the characters, heartbreaking.
The Cain's are quickly sent a note informing them not to involve the authorities, and welcome thesp Ricky Jay, as their attorney, offers up an alternative to normal police or federal involvement. His suggestion is kidnap expert, the unfortunately named Knapp. Sorry I didn't catch his first name, and I am making an assumption with the spelling. Knapp, as played by Jeremy Sisto, is very much a man in the Jack Bauer mold of heroism. He's smart, sensitive and has that itchy trigger finger and dense knuckly flesh of someone who loves to throw punches. Knapp begins the investigation into the disappearance of the Cain boy, and along the way several subplotted mysteries begin to unfold. Also added into the mix is Delroy Lindo, father-in-law to William's bodyguard character. Lindo plays a soon to be retired FBI Kidnap and Ransom man.
The episode is well executed, but it lacks the energy and shear ridiculousness of 24. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but for fans of serialized suspense like myself, it would be nice if they turned the screws on the audience more. The other thing weighing the show down is that even after one episode it's going to be a fairly predictable ride. For instance, I just know the sassy Mexican maid's husband is going to somehow be involved, and that Timothy Hutton's character is going to end up being incredibly sleazy. None of these things will matter if the producers can put the audience through the ringer, but that's hard to determine from just this episode.
The best thing about the episode is Sisto. The guy is just nice to watch, and he has the voice of both a devil and an angel. Someone else in the role, might get lost among all the calamity, but he manages a galvanizing presence... one who you want to succeed. If I had one suggestion for NBC, it would be to play up Sisto as the heroic John McClane in the making and not be afraid to plunge him into the same ridiculous quagmires that Jack Bauer faces week after week.
Overall, it's not a bad show, but it's not terrible riveting either.
