‘Intelligence’ premiere review: Is CBS’ new Josh Holloway drama intelligent at all?
We have been of mixed minds about “Intelligence” the moment that we first heard about it. “Lost” is one of our top ten favorite shows of all time, and we celebrate any time that we see someone from it land another TV gig. Tonight, that man was Josh Holloway, who has not been seen on network TV since a guest spot on “Community” years ago. Add to this Meghan Ory, who was great on “Once Upon a Time,” and you have promise.
Unfortunately, two actors with a good TV history does not make for a good show, and the problem with “Intelligence” is that there is absolutely nothing about it that feels altogether new or exciting. The entire premise of a guy with a computer chip in his brain was more or less borrowed from “Chuck,” and he even has a female partner looking after him along with a female with red hair overseeing the operation. The only difference is that Holloway’s Gabriel has a wife, but this was no surprise given that this wife’s casting was revealed a while ago.
Maybe part of our problem here is that “Chuck” is also one of our favorite series of all time, and we have a hard time buying into another show like this that is not so tongue-in-cheek. Holloway is strong enough as the leading man, but it feels too much like “Sawyer the Agent” thanks to the writing. Also, it took us most of the premiere to really buy Ory in the part. She seems much better suited for roles on shows like “Once Upon a Time” or “Supernatural” than as some sort of jaded secret service agent. Even some of these character notes (Gabriel’s dead wife, her history of mischief as a minor) are straight out of the book of TV cliches.
The best thing that we can say about “Intelligence”? Ory and Holloway at least have some chemistry, and the setting (the show was filmed in Vancouver) is gorgeous. Unfortunately, we were pretty bored by the rest of the pilot. This is the sort of show that we’d give another couple of watches out of respect for the people in it, but after that, we’d be sure to bail and find something better to watch. Grade: C-.
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