Late last year's "60 Minutes" issued a really interesting piece about a handful of people in the world who have hyperthymesia or superior autobiographical memory - a condition in which they can remember, literally, almost everything I've ever experienced .
The story offers both a look at the blessing / curse of being unable to forget anything and how it affects the lives of these people and a research idea who study with a prodigious memory. One person interviewed was the actress Marilu Henner.
Directly or indirectly, that "60 Minutes" piece could have helped CBS 'crime drama "Unforgettable", which premieres at 10 pm ET Tuesday (September 20), on the air. (Henner is working as consultant the program, in fact). However, although the idea of not being able to forget any thing remains fascinating for us, the show built around it is not. It is a fairly common crime that the hook does not really add much - and actually looks like it could be an obstacle on the road.
The series star Poppy Montgomery ("Without a Trace") as Carrie Wells, a former homicide detective from Syracuse, who left the force nine years ago when his memory became more a burden than a useful tool. He now lives in Queens, make money counting cards in casinos illegal and volunteers in a nursing home (three guesses as to the woman who spends time with the pilot).
This changes when a neighbor of his apartment building was killed, and she is the first person to see the body, making his return to the orbit of the police - and, as is the case, your ex, Al Burns (Dylan Walsh, "Nip / Tuck"), also in Queens, and is the lead detective on the case. Walsh and Montgomery to make credible exes, both personally and professionally, and their interaction - sometimes comfortable, sometimes thorny - is one of the best aspects of "unforgettable".
But the accumulation of coincidences in the lives of Carrie puts a strain on the credulity - like the fact that despite his gift, Carrie thing can not be taken into account is how his sister was killed when they were children ( that is his dark secret, and one of the reasons why he left Syracuse). The series also stars Michael Gaston ("Jericho"), Daya Vaidya and Kevin Rankin ("Friday Night Lights") as fellow detectives Al
As for the case itself, creators of the series, "Without a Trace" veteran Jim Ed Redlich and Bellucci, chose wisely in making the opening of Carrie knew someone (at least a little). The idea was to remember the small details of the victim's apartment, for example, is quite easy for a viewer to accept.
That can not be so easy to do in the future, however. Carrie can not have a personal relationship with each victim in Queens (pop. 2.3 million), so that writers have to find other ways to use your gift. Redlich and Bellucci has spoken of a possible history in which he wiped the crime scene shortly after Carrie looks, and the other detectives must rely on his memory - but that sounds like something "The Mentalist" or Shawn Spencer "Psych" could do, and they are very observant.
"Unforgettable" has come up with an interesting visual hook to represent memories of Carrie. Instead of only seeing his squint into the distance as you remember something, we'll see walking down the inside of her memory, sifting through the detail you need. Once she comes out of his head, however, is back in another product of the assembly line CBS crime show. There is a quality baseline for almost all network dramas, but "Unforgettable" does not rise far enough above that to be truly memorable.
The story offers both a look at the blessing / curse of being unable to forget anything and how it affects the lives of these people and a research idea who study with a prodigious memory. One person interviewed was the actress Marilu Henner.
Directly or indirectly, that "60 Minutes" piece could have helped CBS 'crime drama "Unforgettable", which premieres at 10 pm ET Tuesday (September 20), on the air. (Henner is working as consultant the program, in fact). However, although the idea of not being able to forget any thing remains fascinating for us, the show built around it is not. It is a fairly common crime that the hook does not really add much - and actually looks like it could be an obstacle on the road.
The series star Poppy Montgomery ("Without a Trace") as Carrie Wells, a former homicide detective from Syracuse, who left the force nine years ago when his memory became more a burden than a useful tool. He now lives in Queens, make money counting cards in casinos illegal and volunteers in a nursing home (three guesses as to the woman who spends time with the pilot).
This changes when a neighbor of his apartment building was killed, and she is the first person to see the body, making his return to the orbit of the police - and, as is the case, your ex, Al Burns (Dylan Walsh, "Nip / Tuck"), also in Queens, and is the lead detective on the case. Walsh and Montgomery to make credible exes, both personally and professionally, and their interaction - sometimes comfortable, sometimes thorny - is one of the best aspects of "unforgettable".
But the accumulation of coincidences in the lives of Carrie puts a strain on the credulity - like the fact that despite his gift, Carrie thing can not be taken into account is how his sister was killed when they were children ( that is his dark secret, and one of the reasons why he left Syracuse). The series also stars Michael Gaston ("Jericho"), Daya Vaidya and Kevin Rankin ("Friday Night Lights") as fellow detectives Al
As for the case itself, creators of the series, "Without a Trace" veteran Jim Ed Redlich and Bellucci, chose wisely in making the opening of Carrie knew someone (at least a little). The idea was to remember the small details of the victim's apartment, for example, is quite easy for a viewer to accept.
That can not be so easy to do in the future, however. Carrie can not have a personal relationship with each victim in Queens (pop. 2.3 million), so that writers have to find other ways to use your gift. Redlich and Bellucci has spoken of a possible history in which he wiped the crime scene shortly after Carrie looks, and the other detectives must rely on his memory - but that sounds like something "The Mentalist" or Shawn Spencer "Psych" could do, and they are very observant.
"Unforgettable" has come up with an interesting visual hook to represent memories of Carrie. Instead of only seeing his squint into the distance as you remember something, we'll see walking down the inside of her memory, sifting through the detail you need. Once she comes out of his head, however, is back in another product of the assembly line CBS crime show. There is a quality baseline for almost all network dramas, but "Unforgettable" does not rise far enough above that to be truly memorable.
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