Fox's new combination science fiction/police procedural Second Chance hits TV screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday. That's the third title for the project.
Originally named The Frankenstein Code, that was changed to Lookinglass when the powers that be thought Frankenstein might scare away audiences by being too, well, monster-ish.
Then I suppose focus groups were puzzled over the confusing Lewis Carroll metaphor with Lookinglass, so Fox finally opted for a straightforward title that went directly to the core of what the whole thing is all about: What would you do with your life if you got a chance to live it over?
The series comes from executive producer/writer Rand Ravich (Life, Crisis) and executive producer Howard Gordon (Homeland, 24) and deals with a man brought back to life by two billionaires playing God in the hope of saving one of their own lives.
In the pilot, veteran character actor Philip Baker Hall plays 75-year-old Jimmy Pritchard, a boozer, womanizer and father who always put his work ahead of his family.
Set in the near-future in the high-tech world of Seattle, the series begins showing how Jimmy was forced to resign as sheriff on charges that he planted evidence 15 years before.
Jimmy had always lived his life following one rule -- that only he knew best. He knew best as sheriff and he knew best with his wife and two children. If he had to break the law to get things done, well, so be it.
As the action unfolds, we see that Jimmy is widowed, alone, estranged from his family and dabbling in the unsolved cases being worked by his son, FBI Special Agent Duval Pritchard (Tim DeKay, White Collar).
Then, while trying to play the tough guy one more time, Jimmy stumbles upon a break-in, gets himself knocked out, then tossed off a bridge and killed.
But he doesn't stay dead for long.
Jimmy opens his eyes and finds himself brought back to life and a prisoner at the estate of billionaire genius twins Mary (Dilshad Vadsaria, Revenge) and Otto (Adhir Kalyan, Rules of Engagement) Goodwin, founders of a vast social networking empire named Lookinglass (hence, the second title), and heads of Lookinglass Technologies, where Otto dabbles in scientific stuff.
Bringing Jimmy back from the dead is the Frankenstein connection.
Why bring Jimmy back to life? Mary is dying of a rare cancer and she and Otto believe that transfusions of Jimmy's blood hold the secret to her survival as well.
Now Jimmy is a younger, better version of himself, with abilities of which he never dreamed. He has strength and stamina five times greater than the average adult male.
The 35-year-old re-animated Jimmy is played by Rob Kazinsky (True Blood). Now that he has been given a second chance at life, he faces two immediate challenges -- solve his own murder and save the life of son Duval, who is in danger and doesn't realize it.
After that, what will Jimmy do with his new life? Will he try to repair the damage he did to his family? Will he embrace a new sense of purpose or fall prey to old temptations?
There is a lot going on with this ambitious series that I found appealing. There is the usual police procedural aspect that's everywhere on television, but there's also an unexpected and refreshing layer of humor to the sci-fi elements.
And there are two fascinating and complex family dynamics at work -- the Goodwins and the Pritchards.
The Pritchard father-son relationship becomes the emotional heart of the show, even though the son is a 50-year-old family man and the father is a 35-year-old ladies man with an appetite for scotch and fast cars. Watching them deal with this baggage should be fascinating.
With the Goodwins, the relationship is equally compelling. Mary has spent her life living for and caring for her socially challenged brother. She can't help but be attracted to the young, energetic Jimmy. How will this affect Otto and how will he react to the changes in his life?
Amanda Detmer (Necessary Roughness) plays Jimmy's free-spirited daughter, Helen, and Ciara Bravo (Red Band Society) plays Gracie Pritchard, Jimmy's granddaughter. Vanessa Lengies (Mixology) plays Alexa, Mary's loyal assistant. Perhaps too loyal.
Fox has reduced the episode order to 11 from the original 13 due to a surfeit of worthy dramas on the horizon, including The X-Files six-episode miniseries (due to premiere Jan. 24) and Lucifer (set for Jan. 25) for 11 episodes.
Second Chance is rated TV-14 DLV for adult dialogue, language and violence.
Style on 01/10/2016