User Reviews

Alright! This was a solid pilot. I knew that the cast was great, but it actually has decent writing and fantastic music.

And maybe somebody else knew Jason Lee could sing, but I didn't. He's no Elvis, but nobody is and he did alright.

Yes, the Elvis songs were there. But the episode also had Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," Rufus Thomas' "Walking the Dog," Booker T.'s "Time Is Tight" and others. Going to be a heck of an album.

Yes, it is a crime procedural. But elderly abuse is an unusual subject for any such show and it is a growing problem in this country. It was a solid initial subject for what is sure to be a different take on the crime procedural.

I'm looking forward to the show gaining rhythm as the actors and writers get comfortable with the characters and settings. Also I'm curious about the purposing of "the mothers" within the show.

As you can see, I was impressed with this pilot, one of the better ones in the last two years with a good story arc and without trying to overwhelm viewers with all the details and back story of the five or six principle characters in an hour.

It's was entertaining, my whole family enjoyed it. Jason Lee was serious and funny and I loved his banter back and forth with Alfre Woodard.

I thought it was a great pilot episode and hope that the network doesn't drop it, like they seem to do with every other great show.

While the show is "set in Memphis" and shows some of Memphis, that is not the main topic of the show, it's the southern police drama. Though it does have the southern family roots that are tradition when you grow up in the south.

It's a must watch, regardless of other reviews, give it a try and see for yourselves..

...but not hard enough.

I was really looking forward to seeing the pilot episode, hoping that they would "get" Memphis--at least a little. And it ended up being too little.

The Booker T & the MG's interlaced throughout is a nice touch. The bridge shots are good. I like the situation that was set up, and the resolution isn't too bad. Props for WHER & Gus's Fried Chicken.

That said, the accents are, to put it kindly, inauthentic. It's almost like someone just said, "give me your best 'Gone With the Wind' accent". Memphis contains many different accents, and many in Memphis have no accent at all. The neighborhood scenes are obviously not Memphis. Things grow here. A lot.

If I didn't live here, the show would give me a stereotypical view of Memphis--sort of a surface view, one that a tourist might see. I hope that as the show progresses, it dives a little deeper. Since it's shot in New Orleans, it may not have that chance. I love NOLA, but though the demographics are similar, there's a whole different vibe.

And the vibe is what "Memphis Beat" lacks. I hope it finds it.