4 out of 5

Created by: Rand Ravich

When the posters first started popping up for ‘Crisis,’ I expected the worst.  The cluttered composition and bright colors screamed confusion on the part of the network, already confused how to pitch the show, and the dramatic gazes of our leads (Rachel Taylor and Lance Goss) promised much melodrama.  But I’m an open-eyed TV watcher, and I’m intrigued by ‘event’ type shows… and I was happy to see Rachel bounce back from something after ‘666 Park Ave.’  So why not give it a shot.  And while the grandiose setup of the series – children of Washington’s most powerful families, including the President – are kidnapped, the hostage-takers forcing the parents to perform mysterious tasks in exchange for potential release of their kids – I realized the first episode had the desired effect of any TV series: it made me want to tune in next week.  And I didn’t feel cheated by this – it wasn’t just because there was a forced cliffhanger, or a million dangling mysteries (although there are, of course, cliffhangers, and a nicely paced mystery in the ‘Why’ of events) – it was because I realized I had been engaged for the entire hour.  A lot of TV is a waiting game.  You can tune in, and tune out for most of an episode save one or two details that will be required for next week and get the general gist.  Maybe eventually there’s a payoff to this collection of details.  Maybe not.  But week to week, Crisis consistently fed me puzzle pieces that kept things entertaining.  And everything that is pursued in tracking down the terrorists is, in some way, tied to an overall plan of the ringleader’s, so even the, essentially, red herrings we spend chasing for some episodes actually have some relevance.  Furthermore, creator Ravich found a pretty perfect balance for all of the principles.  FBI agent Dunn (Taylor) and Secret Service guy Finley (Goss) have some typical snippy who’s-in-charge banter initially, but it’s ditched early on thanks to Goss’ reminder that they’re now partners, and from there on out, we don’t have to worry about stupid subplots of backstabbing or sexual tension.  They just do their jobs.  Similarly, concerned parents Francis Gibson (Dermot Mulroney) and Meg Fitch (Gillian Anderson) are pitched to us mostly honestly from the start – meaning that while we might not know exactly what they’re up to, we’re not faced with any last minute turnarounds that render previous actions pointless.  So you have focused plotting and scripting with actors who pull it off, and effectively doled out tension to keep us on the edge of our seats week to week.  But it’s still mostly popcorn.  What pushes it into an upper-tier show?  The stakes.  Ravich kept the stakes real.  Threats are made, and followed through.  The show has a somewhat “friendly” feeling to it – not too much language or violence, very little sex – but it doesn’t flinch when it’s important.  There were several moments I was dreading some type of “oh we fooled you and everyone is okay” reveal, but ‘Crisis’ never did that.  They kept it legit.

Ravich stated that, had there been a season 2, it would have focused on another ‘Crisis.’  I’m glad that series like ‘American Horror’ have given show creators the comfort to structure things a bit more liberally as such, but it’s still probably best that ‘Crisis’ was isolated to this one, concise season.  It was a solid viewing experience from start to finish and exciting almost at every moment.  I’m glad I don’t have to worry about a second season diminishing that sense of quality.