With some critics saying that Alex O’Loughlin’s Three Rivers will be a prime candidate for an early cancellation, it’s good to keep in mind that their opinion is based on the original pilot shot in Pittsburgh. That pilot will not be aired, although some scenes will be used in upcoming episodes. Another first episode is being worked on in the brand-new, hi-tech hospital set in Hollywood at Paramount Studios.
Rob Owen at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives his take on the recent poor reviews of the show in a TV Q&A that was posted today:
Q: I have been reading many, many poor review of CBS’s upcoming “Three Rivers.” Most of the comments I read predicted it to be the first cancelation of the new season. I was just wondering what you thought of it. It is a very depressing subject, that I do not see how a person can watch week after week.
– Laura, West Babylon, N.Y.
Rob: Critics have not been kind to this Pittsburgh-set medical drama, as noted in our Aug. 5 story on the series. But having seen the three medical shows on the fall schedule — “Rivers,” NBC’s “Trauma” and “Mercy” — it’s certainly not the worst. That dubious distinction goes to “Mercy,” an awful show focused on nurses. And it should be noted that none of the medical shows ranks as fall’s best new series.
Let’s not forget, critics have only seen the initial “Rivers” pilot, which is no longer airing as the first episode, so there’s time for producers to create a better, new first episode. My take on that first “Three Rivers” pilot was that it was unremarkable. The supporting cast, by virtue of being largely newcomers, was intriguing. But there was some clunky-groaner dialogue with the mother of a heart donor wanting to listen to her dead daughter’s heart beat in the recipient’s chest.
As for the subject matter, executive producer Carol Barbee told me the show will also include living donor cases, so it won’t be necessary for someone to die every week. Also, that first pilot had little set in the hospital emergency room, but the set they’ve built in Hollywood has an extensive ER, an effort to expand medical stories somewhat beyond the transplant realm.
As for the potential for “Three Rivers” to be the first cancellation of the season, that’s certainly possible given the tough competition from ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” in the 9 p.m. Sunday time slot, but that show is aging. Granted, there were not enough rabid fans of “Rivers” star Alex O’Loughlin to keep “Moonlight” on the air, but CBS, by virtue of its position as the top-rated network, can afford to be somewhat patient. But that doesn’t mean they will be.
Read the full article:
[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, three rivers, andy yablonski, cbs[/tags]
Well, I just have to believe that the negative comments about Three Rivers are wrong. Desperate Housewives IS old, and I know that Alex alone is going to make people want to watch. Sunday at 9 pm is a great time slot, and if CBS keeps up the advertising that they have been doing so far, I think Three Rivers is going to be a huge success.
With or without it, Alex is STILL going to be a huge star – and if the show (God forbid) doesn’t make it – then it will be CBS’s fault – AGAIN.
I will be watching anything that Alex does, of course, but wouldn’t it have been nice if CBS had put MOONLIGHT on Sundays at 9 pm? The ratings would have been awesome.
I think that Three Rivers will do just fine though.
Thanks MizzoH for this post. I do not believe any of the negative press about the future of Three Rivers. I believe that the brilliant and young cast in Three Rivers will surprise all the critics and the executives at CBS, win many new viewers around the world and gain back all the old Moonlight viewers/fans.