What I Watched - ‘Six Degrees’ Revived…For Now
Posted by kittson on 25 Mar 2007 at 3:21 pm | Tagged as: Television, Review, What I Watched
What’s In the Spotlight
Six Degrees
There’s been a miracle; a television drama has risen from the dead. Six Degrees premiered last fall on ABC, but when it earned mediocre ratings, it was yanked from the schedule after only six episodes and replaced by the more successful Men In Trees (which is now on hiatus while October Road runs its course). In a surprising move, ABC is now airing the remaining seven episodes on Friday nights, and there is serious talk about the show being renewed for a second season. Although I’m not sure why.
The story of six New Yorkers whose lives are linked by happenstance and fate, this unexceptional show professes to illustrate how random people from different backgrounds can be connected. Instead there seems to be a definite class division, with only a tiny thread in the form of Mae (Erika Christensen) who works as a nanny for Laura (Hope Davis) tying the educated elite characters to the working-class characters.
The show claims to be about the random and chaotic nature of life, but ultimately it feels very clinical, like The L Word without the soft-porn element. The script is smart, and it features a powerful cast that includes acting heavies like Hope Davis and Campbell Scott. However, with all the high-tension shows (Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, Lost) and over-the-top dramedies (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) out there right now, this cold, neat, and quiet drama is one you’ll turn on when you have nothing better to do, rather than one you’ll intentionally stay home for.
What They Said
We have two giant hamsters running on a massive wheel in our secret underground lair.”
Ben responding to Locke’s question about where the Others get electricity on Lost
What They Played
This week Ugly Betty revived a song from the first season of The O.C., and it’s the soundtrack pick of the week. “Orange Sky” by Alexi Murdoch is available on iTunes.
Primetime Index
With typically low scoring shows like The L Word and Scrubs earning fairly high ratings this week, the index average rises to a respectable 7.57.
