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A TV show about a mysterious serial killer? It was
bound to happen on network TV sooner or later particularly
after the success of “Dexter” where the serial killer is
the anti-hero. “Harper’s Island” basically was a B-movie
slasher flick extended over the course of a season. Don’t
fall in love with any characters because next week they
might be chum. ***
Sadly “Harper’s Island” about a group of friends and
family who meet on an island where a serial murderer picked
off unsuspecting tourists and residents seven years ago.
Is it the original killer or is it someone attending the
wedding? Either way property values are going to plummet.
***
When the families and friends of Trish Wellington (Katie
Cassidy) and Henry Dunn (Christopher Gorham) decide to have
a wedding in the area of Puget Sound (off the coast of Seattle)and
the beautiful Candlewick Inn their friends/family expect
to have a grand old time. Enter a survivor of the serial
killer’s slaughter (Elaine Cassidy) also the daughter of
the local sheriff (Jim Beaver) who supposedly killed the
serial killer back in the day. Throw in a little soap opera,
spice it with TV gore and you have a deadly 13 episode soufflé
for Saturday night consumption. Luckily, the producers were
allowed to resolve the series (the show was supposed to
have a series of murderers/situations that would allow for
an ongoing show). ***
You knew that CBS was going to**ahem**kill this show
off didn’t you? If you believe the show’s star and his Twitter
updates, the show was always planned to last only 13 episodes
but we’re talking CBS which even at the best of times was
conservative when it comes to TV shows. So what does the
network do with a show that has the potential to reach the
audience that flocks to Rob Zombie’s remake of “Halloween”
and the “Final Destination” flicks? They bury it alive on
Saturday night. The dead zone for TV series wasn’t kind
to “Harper’s Island” as Saturday nights are traditionally
the one evening when old folks are watching TV that is if
they aren’t in bed by 9pm. The young folks are, of course,
out and about until they return long enough to find out
if the latest episode of “Saturday Night Live” is lame or
not. ---
Image & Sound:
The show looks as sharp as the edge of a knife for most
episodes. Audio sounds pretty good throughout with a healthy
mix of “bump in the night” sounds to keep you on your toes.
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