Reviews

I've been a fan of this show from Day One, as I was/am a big fan of the three primary actors, particularly Andre Braugher, as he was the fantastic, Emmy winning actor who played Det. Pembelton on NBC's "Homicide: Life On The Streets". But I also thought that Scott Bakula had been fantastic on the quirky but bold "Quantum Leap", and Ray Romano fairly solid on his hit show "Everybody Loves Raymond." However, potential personal biases aside, this show delivers episode after episode with its witty, dry, and even dark humor, the portrayals of the "everyday men" and their struggles, and just very solid writing in general. This show is quite bold (by 21st century standards anyway) with respect to delving into unpopular yet very real subject matter. Personally, I have been very impressed with Ray Romano's transformation, if you will, from a stand-up comedian to sit-com actor to now serious actor. His effortless portrayal of a newly divorced man who missed his dream of being a pro golfer and now has a gambling addiction - speaks volumes to me. (I am also divorced & had a gambling addiction.) I'm writing this review after watching the "A League of Their Owen" episode. Not only is this my favorite to date, but if you're thinking about watching this show and don't have the time to watch all of seasons one and two, my advice is to start from there and let these flawed yet wonderful middle-aged men into your lives and onto your TV schedule. Strong writing, great acting, and even the warm fuzzies you get after watching are few and far between on the TV screen nowadays, making this show a must-see.

It's really a shame that this great mini-series - as I have heard it advertised several times now - fell to the bumbling NBC, and then got moved from a "safer" 10:00 slot to a very early summer time of 8 eastern. Regardless, I've been trying to recruit as many friends and family as I can - particularly "24" and "LOST" fans - as Persons Unknown has given me at least one reason to look forward to Mondays.

Created by Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie), this show provides non-stop suspense while keeping you in the dark plenty enough as to WHO is watching these poor folks attempt to keep their sanity, among other things. As a couple of other posters alluded to, I also was worried after weeks one and two if the show would be able to keep providing adequate suspense. After watching episode 5 tonight, the answer is a resounding yes: one could almost argue that there is an overload of questions for the viewer. That is not a problem that I mind, and each week has built on the last, making the show stronger as it progresses.

If you have not checked out this show yet, it's not too late, but at the same time, catch up if you can. It'd definitely be worth your while to see why this bizarre town is about as creepy as the woods from The Blair Witch Project and the island of Lost combined into one.