Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2006 > December > 03
Sunday, December 3, 2006
Up-side of December reruns
It’s December, and many prime-time series, exhausted from running “all-new” episodes during the November sweeps, have fainted away into reruns.
But there’s an up-side to repeats, especially on nights when too many good shows are scheduled opposite each other.
Last night, with ABC shows taking a little holiday break, I checked in on a couple of former favorites on CBS — “Cold Case” and “Without a Trace.” OK, they’re old-fashioned procedural dramas, but they’re both first-rate shows with terrific actors. If you’ve never seen them, take a mini-break from “Desperate Housewives” and “Brothers & Sisters” and check ‘em out.
“Cold Case” is possibly the most underrated show on TV. It’s incredibly ambitious — going back in time every week to show an original crime and flashing back and forth to the present. Some of these old crime scenes are fantastic period pieces, set in the 1930s or ’40s, with costumes and sets to fit. And how they find all those look-alike actors to play “then-and-now” roles is nothing short of unbelievable.
The other thing “Cold Case” has going for it is Kathryn Morris. Why hasn’t she ever been nominated for an Emmy? Because neither she nor the show is cool or edgy.
“Without a Trace,” starring Anthony LaPaglia, has gotten a bit more attention. He’s been in lots of movies and is perceived as semi-cool. Reruns of this show are all over cable, so more people have probably seen it. I was pleasantly surprised that the new episodes — about missing persons cases dealt with by the FBI — still hold up well. The only negative? The swooping aerial shots of New York from a helicopter can give you motion sickness!
So as December wears on — and all those Santa specials start to grate on your nerves — take a look at shows you meant to watch in the fall but never got around to. You might find something new to like in a rerun.
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