September 25, 2009

TV: The Forgotten (ABC, Tue 10)

Can't remember the last time a series had such a self-fulfilling title. The Forgotten soon will be, and deservedly so.

Christian Slater stars as the head of the Chicago office of The Forgotten Project, teams of private citizens who take on the job of tracking down the identities of John and Jane Does when the police are forced to give up.

Slater's team in this episode alternates between slowly figuring out the obvious -- she wears black nail polish; maybe she's a Goth! -- and making spectacularly lucky guesses based on almost no evidence -- she paid a bill in ones, that must be tip money, so she must have been a waitress!

The team members have no personality whatsoever, beyond Slater's habitual young-Jack-Nicholson routine, and the decision to have the Doe-of-the-week provide voice-over narration is clunky and ponderous.

The Forgotten is dull on every level and in every way possible, a strong contender for the first cancellation of the season.

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