Apr 10 2009 08:05 AM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 20 2009 08:34 AM
Anyone else watch this new CBS show Thursday night? After reading this review from David Hinckley in the Snooze yesterday I tuned in for the premiere. 
Dean Chekvala and Elaine Cassidy play wedding guests in 'Harpers Island,' and it could be till death do they part.
'Harper's Island' an elaborate horror movie
| ] The first clue that all may not be idyllic on Harper's Island comes when the yacht ferrying a happy, elegant wedding party to the island turns out to have one of the wedding guests strapped to its propeller, underwater. When the captain fires up the engines and the propeller blades whirl, well, let's just say the slicing and dicing here starts well before the wedding caterers go to work on the hors d'oeuvres. "Harper's Island" is an elaborate horror movie, a twentysomething slasher flick with a really good wardrobe, a first-rate cast and 13 weeks worth of twists and subplots. Based on tonight's premiere, all those subplots give "Harper's Island" enough dramatic heft to appeal to fans of classic murder mysteries as well as those who simply enjoy great showers of blood. Fair warning, however: The starter death in tonight's episode is grisly enough to make it safe to assume that future deaths, at the rate of at least one per week, are unlikely to be tidy or polite. It also would be advisable not to get too attached to any characters. The show starts with an unusually large cast for the same reason as "American Idol": It needs enough bodies so at least one will remain vertical when all or most of the rest have been, one way or another, voted off. The premise of "Harper's Island," set in the Puget Sound area, is all the more chilling for its everyday simplicity. Patricia Wellington (Katie Cassidy), daughter of wealthy real estate man Thomas Wellington (Richard Burgi), is marrying Henry Dunn (Christopher Gorham), a personable blue-collar kid who used to be Thomas Wellington's boat boy and, Henry to Thomas' chagrin, has won his daughter's heart. The Wellingtons and their friends comprise most of the wedding party. Henry's squirrely Uncle Marty (Harry Hamlin) is also in the mix, however, and so is Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy), Henry's best friend forever. Abby grew up on the island, but hasn't returned since her mother and five others were murdered seven years ago. Her father, the sheriff, shot the killer, but for reasons not immediately clear, Abby became estranged from him as well. Other friends have secrets and agendas, including insufferable rich guy Hunter Jennings (Victor Webster), who thinks Trish should marry him, instead of penniless loser Henry. Adding to the fun, "Harper's Island" has dark scary woods, dark scary waters and the mandatory spooky-scary little girl. Since it plans to wrap everything up in 13 weeks, "Harper's Island" should provide a good test for the viability of a short-run series on broadcast TV. Meanwhile, it should also deliver a bloody good time. dhinckley@nydailynews.com |
Overall we enjoyed it and will tune in again , looks like it has some promise.
Has a fat guy like the guy in Lost , I suppose all these shows do now.