2 out of 5

Creator: David Wilcox

A cluttered mess of ABC-friendly drama and supernatural storylines gets paraded onscreen by an interesting mesh of actors who manage to bring some weight to thin characterizations…  This is an overly harsh and flippant description of 666, especially considering that the show is still enjoyable because it seems to be actually want to tell a story.  Many shows that follow the “big idea” path (here’s one big idea to sell my show, now all scripts will spring from that idea) tend to sooner rather than later reveal that they’re making it up as they go along.  666 has the opposite problem – with Terry O’Quinn and Vanessa Williams as the power couple who run expensive Manhattan high-rise 666 Park Ave, setting up – for mysterious reasons – naive couple Jane and Henry as new tenants – episode by episode creator/developer David Wilcox lets out a slather of details to let us know what may or may not be going on in the building.  It doesn’t feel made up on the spot, it just feels like a lack of certainty of what to throw at us to get the viewer to stay rooted.  So we open with a creepy, sorta non-sensical, sorta cheesy death where the house appears to “consume” a tenant, and thus the precedent is set with Terry promising the world to his tenants, in exchange for a price to be named.  Ratings problems and then cancellation didn’t help with the pacing, and the special effects were just beyond the means of the show.  And there’s blood and sex, but it lacks grit to really frighten or arouse, whatever the desire.  I appreciate that the show’s creative team managed to wrap things up despite the cancellation, and the shedding of excess to narrow down to a conclusion is a boon – the last few episodes are some of the best.  It really just couldn’t have it both ways – 666 wanted to be a mystery thriller, but also wanted to be episodic, focusing on different people’s involvement with the building.  It tried to do both and stumbled its way through.  There’s not really a moment that will have you scrambling to the edge of your seat for what happens next, but there are plenty of moments where you sort of nod in approval of the ideas, or acting, or direction.