NBC's new comedy-drama, The Mysteries of Laura, got a double pre-season debut after the America's Got Talent finale Wednesday and The Biggest Loser season opener Thursday. The network, which is really high on the series, hoped to reach those viewers who just sort of hang around after big established shows.
I've always wondered if that strategy works. I mean, how many viewers are too lazy to reach for the remote? I can understand if you had to actually get up and walk 12 feet to change the channel (kids, ask your meemaw), but it has been a matter of simply pushing a button for decades now.
I suppose every little bit helps since the stampede of the new fall season begins Monday.
Here's the problem. The Mysteries of Laura doesn't have it's official premiere until its regularly scheduled time slot at 7 p.m. Wednesday. But that will be the second episode. If you missed the "special previews," you'll have to catch up.
Here's what you need to know from the official network synopsis.
"Debra Messing (Will & Grace) stars as Laura Diamond, a brilliant NYPD homicide detective who balances her professional day job with a crazy family life that includes rambunctious twin boys and a husband (Josh Lucas) who's reluctant to sign the divorce papers."
Rambunctious is being kind. These are the 6-year-olds from hell.
"Between cleaning up after her boys and cleaning up the streets, Laura would be the first to admit she has her 'hot mess' moments in this hilariously authentic look at what it really means to be a working mom today."
I'm sure all you working moms find your hot mess moments hilarious. Maybe you can laugh with Laura and not at her.
"Somehow, Laura makes it all work with the help of her sexy and understanding partner, Billy Soto (Laz Alonso, Avatar). For Laura, every day is a high-wire balancing act."
Also on board is Janina Gavankar (True Blood) as Detective Meredith Bose, a tightly-wound perfectionist who is Laura's rival.
I always look at the folks behind the scenes of a new show to get a feel for where it's coming from. This one has a good pedigree.
Writer Jeff Rake (Boston Legal) and director McG (Supernatural) serve as executive producers alongside Greg Berlanti (Brothers & Sisters), Aaron Kaplan (The Neighbors), Todd Lituchy and Sarah Schechter.
Based on a Spanish series Los Misterios de Laura, The Mysteries of Laura is rated TV-14.
Messing and several cast and crew members were on a panel at the recent Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour. They were asked why it was a big deal to have a "working mom" on TV these days.
"When I read the script, it didn't feel to me that this is a new standard [or] an extreme case," Messing is quoted by Deadline Hollywood. "I responded to something incredibly universal about the predicament."
Messing added, "It is the balance of the tone of drama and the comedy that is going to be the newest adventure and the newest challenge. That, we haven't seen on network TV before."
You also need to know that Laura's hunky husband Jake is a great cop, but a not-so-great husband. In his professional life, he becomes Laura's captain. That sets the stage for a good deal of the comedy-drama.
Most viewers will be familiar with Messing, but not so many with Lucas. It's time to fix that, since the actor has Arkansas roots.
The 43-year-old Lucas (whose full name is Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer) was born in Little Rock. His NBC biography describes his folks -- Michele (nee LeFevre), a nurse midwife, and Don Maurer, an emergency room doctor -- as "young, radical, politically active parents."
The family bounced around the South until they landed in Gig Harbor, Wash., where Lucas attended high school. At 19, he headed to Hollywood and the rest is showbiz history.
Style on 09/21/2014