ABC is welcoming some new programming to its weekly lineup this week. Among the new series is the island-based crime drama Reef Break, which premiered last night on the network.
Reef Break follows Cat Chambers a former thief-turned-fixer with a mysterious past and enough confidence to excel in any situation. It’s certainly a fast-paced, action-packed new series.
Reef Break starts off with a rushed introduction to the crime we’ll see being solved in the episode. In other words, it starts off like just about any other crime drama. Then we meet Cat, who wastes no time showing off her Sherlock-esque talents by foiling an armed robber as he gets off a plane. The introduction is interesting until it turns into musical display of her increasingly harder-to-believe talents set to a vague pop beat. The show unravels from there.
Reef Break features the breakneck pace of a Fast & Furious movie, the character development of a recent DC movie and the believability of both. It’s a cookie-cutter network drama with just enough comedy to keep it from getting too dark and more pop songs than a “Now That’s What I Call Music” CD. And don’t forget the fly-by shots of beautiful scenery every minute or so.
Up to this moment, I had never thought I could get motion sickness from a TV series. But this show moves so quickly, it may have actually accomplished that. At one point, I began to time the scenes. There were four consecutive scenes under 35 seconds, with almost every one of them introducing a new character. By the end of the episode I was lucky I could remember Cat’s name, let alone anyone else’s.
It’s not all bad though. If you’re really willing to shut off your mind and fully buy into the suspension of disbelief, it can be pretty fun. There’s a fair amount of heist elements that can be entertaining, a boat explosion and even a shootout on a beach. At one point a guy even takes a break from a firefight to fling a knife over what seems to be about 100+ feet right into his victim’s chest. Like I said, suspension of disbelief.
I also think some of the cast did a pretty good job given the minimal amount of time with which they were given to work. It seems like this group could really build some chemistry. You know, if they ever talked for more than 30 seconds at a time.
If you’re looking for a new series to watch without really having to pay attention to it, or care about the characters, Reef Break is probably what you’re looking for. You’ll get plenty of action and not much else. Personally though, I wouldn’t get too attached to this new series.
Reef Break airs Thursdays at 10 PM on ABC.