Worth Watching: Battle Creek (CBS, 13 Episodes)

The graveyard of excellent but cancelled shows garners new headstones every season and, for some, the sight gets a little more depressing each year. The graveyard's most recent arrival reads

The dirt hasn't settled yet. The fans are still in denial. Fans like me.

So let's talk about it.

Is It Even Worth Starting?

The first thing anybody asks about a cancelled show that's being pushed on them is "If I already know this show is cancelled, why bother starting it? Is it really worth it?"

The answer is YES.

ABSO-BLOODY-LUTELY. 

Battle Creek's nuanced characters, brilliant actors, wonderful and subtle script writing, and original and genuine feel quickly made it my favorite new show of 2015. (Surpassing my then favorite Scorpion, I might add.)

Bonus? The show does not end on a cliffhanger. You aren't left with a burning question like "Who are the two by twos with hands of blue?" (Firefly) or "IS JIM DEAD AND WHO SHOT HIM?" (The Glades). While there are still questions you'd like answered and things you'd like to know, they aren't game-changing, nerve-crunching, fist-shaking questions that will keep you up at night and burn a hole through your chest.

Battle Creek ends with -if not complete resolution- a satisfactory note. You'll feel the bitter sweetness of not seeing how things unfold next, but what you do get in those thirteen episodes makes it worthwhile. At the end, the characters and story lines are all in a good place.

Reason #3: There is a #SaveBattleCreek movement under way. I told you the fans weren't ready to let this gem go. Will it make a difference? To be determined. But our numbers are growing. Join us...

Why You Should Watch It

There's three major components that make this show so fantastic: Writing, Characters, and Actors.

Writing

From the creators of House, M.D. and Breaking Bad, you expect stellar quality, and David Shores and Vince Gilligan deliver.

Setting it in the small(ish) town of Battle Creek, MI, offers some interesting and quirky new facets to the traditional cop procedural you aren't going to see in metropolis set NCIS or CSI or Castle. Like Breakfast Day, a city-wide celebration of the breakfast cereal that provides income for the city. Like mob-controlled maple syrup distribution. Like a department so underfunded that its tasers don't tase and their 'surveillance' equipment is duct tape and a baby monitor.

It can't be identified merely as a drama or a comedy or even a strict cop procedural. It's more than that. It's a slice of life. It's hilarious, cynical, heart-warming, gut-wrenching, wry, realistic, and full of hope. All at the same time! It's both the world at its worst and the world at its best.

It's what we want to believe about the world but also what we dread about it.

And that's why this show has garnered a group of such loyal fans. Because it is everything. It's taken life and everything about it and infused it into brilliant characters, stories that give us both the worst and the best of people but manage to leave us with an overall feeling of hope.

Characters
All of the characters are well-crafted. There are no throw-away minor characters cluttering the background. From the get-go, each of them have distinct personalities, likes and dislikes, and this doesn't always happen until a show has been underway for a while. You're immediately drawn into these characters.

While Battle Creek is a cop show, that's only half the story. The other half is the characters, specifically hard-boiled Detective Russ Agnew and the FBI's own knight-in-shining-armor Milt Chamberlain. They are Cynicism and Optimism, which reminds me of another favorite cop duo [Dani Reese and Charlie Crews from Life]. Milt always sees the good even in the worst of people while Russ believes the worst of everyone. And you know what?

They're both right.

And that's one reason the show is compelling.

Russ and Milt don't just spend every hour arguing over who's right -though they occasionally do that with wit and charm- they're also challenging each other. Challenging their beliefs and the way they see the world and how they think. It's character development at its most subtle and satisfactory.

It is brilliant.

Actors
They did such a fantastic job casting the roles in Battle Creek, from our leads Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters with their spectacular on-screen chemistry, to the recurring Meredith Eaton as the saucy medical examiner, to the guest spots for Patton Oswalt as the town's unorthodox mayor and Candice Bergen as Russ' con-artist mother.

These are just the top marks. The entire cast works so well together and has such great chemistry. Even when they're not solving a crime, there's workplace banter and they play off each other so well. This is a group of talented and well-cast actors, and it's so much fun to just sit back and watch them interact.

If it's such a great show, why was it canceled?
Alas, merely because a show is good does not secure its place in next season's line-up.

CBS says the show failed to connect to viewers, while fans protest that Battle Creek had an unfortunate time slot and not a lot of push in advertising.

As far as quality is concerned, Battle Creek was listed #17 on IMDb's 25 Best New TV Series 2014-2015, higher in both listing and rating than CBS' CSI: Cyber and The Odd Couple, both of which the network renewed. It also made #7 on Trending Top Lists' Best 10 TV Series In Season Right Now. Online reviewer and viewer ratings of Battle Creek both averaged about 7/10 (again, higher than CSI: Cyber's 5/10).

The show received many positive reviews, but the sad truth was the numbers just weren't up to snuff. It's a game of odds, and they aren't always in your favor. Always remember:

Just because a show is cancelled, doesn't mean it's not good.

Where You Can Watch It
Convinced? Want to give it a try?

CBS.com still has the last five episodes available for viewing. There's no word yet on a DVD or Blu-Ray release, but you can download the entire season from iTunes and Amazon for $19.99.
EDIT: Amazon now has the DVD available on demand and it is currently streaming on Netflix.

Trust me. It's totally worth it.

SHOW REVIEW: The Musketeers (BBC, 2014)

The Musketeers (BBC)
Created by Adrian Hodges
Based on the novel by Alexander Dumas
Cast: Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Peter Capaldi, Howard Charles, Alexandra Dowling, Ryan Gage, Tamla Kari, Maimie McCoy, Luke Pasqualino, Hugo Speer

Who doesn't love The Three Musketeers, in some form or other? Dumas' classic adventure novel is famed in song and story, with several TV serials, at least four major motion picture adaptations, and apparently a musical (written by none other than P.G. Wodehouse) to its name. (A musical? How have I never heard of this before?!) 

I myself spent my childhood with the 1993 Disney version with a star-studded cast, not the least of which was Tim Curry as Cardinal Richelieu. While this version will always be my favorite, I also love The Musketeer with Tim Roth (2001) and most recently The Three Musketeers starring Orlando Bloom and Logan Lerman (2011).

You might be asking "With so many adaptations out there, do we really need another one?"

Let's just say we definitely need this one.

So settle in, put on this excellent opening theme by Murray Gold (of Doctor Who music fame) that can show you the kind of awesomeness you can expect from this series, and I'll give you a few other reasons why this could be my favorite adaptation of The Three Musketeers yet.

   

Characters

Because Adrian Hodges' brainchild is a television series, there is a lot more room to explore events of the novel. Instead of just a new movie boasting new angles, a television format gives us the opportunity to witness more and different facets of these classic characters. We get more depth for each of the Musketeers, and the chance to become better acquainted with them individually. We don't just see Athos of the tortured soul, the scallywag Aramis who's really such a softie, and Porthos with the heart of a soldier, but what made them this way and where they go from here. That is exactly why we need this adaptation.

One thing explored in nearly every single version is the tortured soul of Athos, husband of the now-murderess Milady De Winter. And who doesn't love a good tortured soul story? Anyone who knows anything about the Musketeers knows about Athos' self-loathing and secret history. This show doesn't shy away from the Athos history everyone expects, but but! We also get the chance to see him maybe move past it. Without spoilers, Athos' character believably and beautifully develops throughout the show and I cannot wait to see what the second season will bring for him. I have never imagined a version of this story where Athos gets to be happy again because no version has ever lasted long enough for us to find out.

Everyone's on the lookout for strong female characters so I'm pleased to tell you that Constance, D'Artagnan's love interest, is wonderfully round and developed. She's tough, but in the no-nonsense housewife kind of way. I love her determination and personality. She's fiery and opinionated, but I also love that she has no qualms about being a woman. Too often 'strong female' characters come across as incredibly masculine, so I love it when I find the leading ladies who are feminine and not ashamed of it. Now, this doesn't stop her from asking D'Artangan to teach her shooting and fencing, but she never complains about petticoats...



In addition, I absolutely love that Treville, Captain of the Musketeers, is involved so much in the show. Many versions I've seen gloss over his involvement or leave him out completely, and he is one of my favorite characters from the book.

 
Plot

While there are several story lines and elements that stretch through the entire season, this is much more an episodic adventure. Each episode sees a new thrilling adventure for the Musketeers, political drama/intrigue unfolding at the French palace, and all the while sneaky CapaldiCardinal makes his plays in the shadows. I prefer this format for the show, where the episode's plot takes priority to the season plot, because it has a lighter, funner feel that's appropriate for the (mostly) action comedy.

Now don't get the wrong impression. This show is not all fluff and frivolity. There are several episodes dealing with major social issues and events of the day, like women's rights and education (The Rebellious Woman), slavery (Commodities), revolutions (Sleight of Hand), the frightening power of the Catholic Church (The Rebellious Woman), and all the joys of royalty, like back-stabbing family members and political upheavals (The Good Soldier, The Exiles, Knight Takes Queen). Plus, there's that mind-blowing thing with Aramis and you-know-who in the finale. Like, what the what?!

...it's actually kind of brilliant...

Truer Adaptation

Though there have been many additions and creative differences in this show (and let's face it -that's what makes it fresh and so exciting!), I still feel this series holds to a truer sense of the book.

• Constance, D'Artangan's one true love, is married. While I don't love that an affair is a major part of the storyline, and it would probably be a turn off for some of the other more conservative watchers like myself, it is originally in the novel and it's also historically accurate. I mean, they're French. It also happens to be another one of those things that hasn't been carried over so much into other adaptations.
• King Louis is more like a spoiled brat than the young noble wrestling with the best choices for his people. He has his moments, sure, but he delegates most things to Cardinal Richelieu. That's what makes the Cardinal so dangerous.
• King Louis and Queen Anne have no love story. Unlike the '11 and '93 movies, the royal couple are not portrayed as uncertain budding lovebirds, but more realistically as subjects of an arranged marriage who manage to tolerate one another.
• A possible Man in the Iron Mask reference. (???) So, you know, maybe they're planning way, way ahead for the show's future. I like the optimism!

My favorite by far has to be the relationship and constant rivalry of Cardinal Richelieu and Captain Treville. This is another thing rarely shown in any version that I've seen. As opposed to the all-out war often depicted between the Red Guard and the King's Musketeers, the novel described what can only be called a constant 'one-upping' on both sides, a rivalry far from innocent as it often involves duels and bloodshed but nonetheless something of a sport to be enjoyed if not downright encouraged by the King of France. The Captain and Cardinal are constantly trying to outdo the other in the hopes of winning the King's favor. Though bitter, this rivalry is often rife with jokes and banter, and this series just flows with it.

Cast

Okay, I'm not usually the person who points this out -there are so many better ways to judge a good show! -but a fact that can't be ignored is the decent amount of eye-candy here. There. I said it. And I am not ashamed!

There is great chemistry and charisma with the four musketeers and -judging from behind-the-scenes features- they have way too much fun with this show. All this bleeds through into the performance, so yeah. These guys embody the musketeer bond.

Peter Capaldi makes such an incredible Cardinal Richelieu, I'm a little scared to see him as the Doctor when I finally get the chance. *chants DVD release date* He's an amazing actor, but he pulls off the plotting, dastardly man of the robe with such conviction and sass it gives me goosebumps. Speaking of DW, his role as 12 has the unfortunate drawback of not allowing him to reprise his role next season on The Musketeers. *sob* So savor these 10 episodes well, dear reader.

I personally love Hugo Speer as Captain Treville. Father Brown introduced me to this actor in his role of Inspector Valentine, which I always felt lacked in character depth. I had a feeling Speer could really do a character much better justice, given the chance, and his work as Treville proves me right.

Plus, the list of guest stars is stunning, with James Callis, Vincent Regan, Ashley Walters, and Sean Pertwee, to name a few.

Add it to your To Watch List RIGHT NOW

You have no reason not to. It's already been slated for a second season and, while they'll have to work some Hollywood* magic to get around Capaldi's absence, we will get to see the Man in Black aka Rochefort finally enter the mix. *squee!* As far as characters, I feel like this next series is going to give us something incredibly unique in really going beyond what we know and taking the opportunity to explore new facets and development for the characters. I'm talking Athos, Athos, ATHOS!



So those are the reasons. Welcome to The Musketeers.


-Also see BuzzFeed's '12 Reasons Why BBC's The Musketeers is Fantastic'.
*Can you really say 'Hollywood' magic when it's a BBC?