CASANOVA - Exiled from his beloved Venice, Giacomo Casanova flees to Paris at the dawn of the Enlightenment in hopes of putting his reputation as a playboy behind him. But old habits die hard, and temptation is everywhere as Casanova finds a wealth of new opportunity... and trouble.Writer: Stuart Zicherman. Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Cast: Diego Luna, Bojana Novakovic, Ben Daniels, Amelia Clarkson, Laure Marsac and Miranda Richardson.
Of the two pilots released today, Casanova is definitely more awkward and perhaps trying to establish too much too quickly for no good reason. And yet, it is a stunning achievement in the sheer scope of the project. This pilot looks amazing. Jean-Pierre Jeunet did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of the city and the people who live in it.
The storytelling of the piece had a rhythm that took awhile to get into fully - despite the high number of female nudity (and a shockingly low amount of male nudity). Diego Luna is compelling as Giacomo Casanova from the first moment he appears on the screen. He does dominate this pilot as well. But the pace at which the episode told its information and story was definitely something that one had to adjust to. The story was still intriguing. But one also had to become comfortable with how it was being told. One could easily label it as boring and just move on.
This isn't simply a story about Casanova as the world's most famous playboy in Venice. This is a saga about him trying to do and be more in his life following his escape from prison. He is attempting to start over in Paris but still falls into the same vices once more. Seeing all the sex and the manipulation of women could come across as so horribly wrong. The role of Casanova needed to be filled by an actor who was capable of making the internal dynamic of what this man wants in life the main thrust of the narrative. It is nice to know how well-versed Casanova was in many different things. But that also leads to a plot that has a lot on its mind. That includes his various exploits at French court, his attempt to help young women from both prostitution and marriage as well as enjoying the company of a woman just as intrigued by magic as he is. It's a very atmospheric show.
All the various plot threads don't come together in the end in a way that is exciting and screams a series needs to be made as quickly as possible. But enough of the elements work that would suggest a potential series would at least be intriguing. This is probably the best character Bojana Novakovic has ever been given to play - following weird roles on both Rake and Shameless. Ben Daniels and Miranda Richardson are always amusing to watch. The exploits regarding control of the French government was easily the most interesting story. That occurs because Luna and Novakovic have strong chemistry and a dynamic that really works. She is a character who is capable of being a strategic mind. That makes her a good match for Casanova's exploits. That dynamic should be the main thrust of the piece. It's just uncertain if it actually will be should a series be made.
SNEAKY PETE - After leaving prison, Marius takes cover from his past by assuming the identity of his cellmate, Pete. He moves in with Pete's long-estranged, unsuspecting family and is roped into the family's bail bond business. He's a criminal taking down other criminals and, in the process, he'll discover the family life he's never had.Writers: David Shore and Bryan Cranston. Director: Seth Gordon.
Cast: Giovanni Ribisi, Marin Ireland, Margo Martindale, Peter Gerety, Libe Barer, Shane McRae and Bryan Cranston.
The various online streaming services have certainly made a name for themselves in rescuing cancelled shows elsewhere in the TV landscape. Netflix did it with The Killing and Longmire. Yahoo Screen did it with Community. Hulu did it with The Mindy Project. Known brands certainly help add legitimacy to the operation. So far, Amazon hasn't been operating like that. It certainly has had opportunities to do so - the most recent example being Hannibal. But it hasn't come to the rescue of any cancelled shows yet.
But Amazon is the first of these online platforms to take a pilot developed at another network that didn't make the cut and turn it around for a potential series. Netflix, Hulu and Yahoo certainly haven't been looking through the trash bins of the broadcast networks for shows. None of these networks need to do that either. They are capable of attracting great talent on their own - that's much more relevant than what the broadcast networks are doing right now. But it's still nice to see a show such as Sneaky Pete be allowed a second chance at life after not being something that CBS was interested in doing more of.
It's easy to see why both CBS and Amazon were interested in this property. The name recognition of David Shore and Bryan Cranston is very nice. But the actual story of the drama is interesting. It's a setup that falls into the realm of the typical procedural while still finding its own fresh perspective. It easily could have worked on CBS for this upcoming season. I certainly enjoyed it much more than the dramas that the network actually picked up. But being at Amazon also gives the show more potential to actually dig deeper and be more than just a standard operating procedural. These characters are intriguing and the promise of more episodes would be worth exploring the connections between them.
Ribisi is easily the standout amongst the cast. He has the most screentime out of anyone. His conman character is allowed to be manipulative and mean to the people around him. But it's also compelling to peel back the layers and see who this man is underneath it all. That's a character dynamic that works because of how Ribisi portrays him. There also seems like there will be greatness just hiding under the surface with the Margo Martindale character as well. She is always delightful and this certainly seems like a better regular role for her. Marin Ireland is positioned as the female lead and she is perhaps a little bit more problematic. She wants to take over the family business but during the case she doesn't seem all that well skilled at the actual job. Perhaps that's just to allow Ribisi to shine. Or it could be an indicator of something much more troublesome.
This pilot isn't perfect. But it does enough right to merit a full season of episodes to fully explore this universe. Bryan Cranston's cameo appearance at the end certainly gives the series a strong direction to go in. And the lead's internal struggle over what he wants in life is a compelling plot thread as well.
