‘Fear Itself’ and ‘Swingtown’ Debut Tonight
Two New for TV
I’m looking forward to one rookie series a lot and the other not so much, or rather not at all. Guess which is which.
Both shows air at 10pm EST, with NBC bringing us the horror and suspense anthology series Fear Itself and CBS the free-love drama Swingtown.
NBC’s show is highly anticipated because it features the input of some of the biggest names in the horror industry, from An American Werewolf in London director John Landis to Amazing Stories writer and Fear Itself creator Mick Garris. The first episode is “The Sacrifice,” a spooky tale all about four criminals, three siren sisters, and a deserted wintry fort in the middle of nowhere. My perfect cup of tea!
On the other hand, CBS’ Swingtown could not sound less interesting to me, despite the involvement of Big Love and Rome director Mike Kelley. His creation takes place in 1976, America’s bicentennial, when married couple Susan and Bruce Miller (Molly Parker and Jack Davenport) move to an upscale Chicago neighborhood only to discover that one of the married couples who are their new neighbors likes to swap partners as a hobby.
I honestly, truly don’t know how that premise can be made engaging; this is relatively puritanical broadcast television, so it’s safe to assume the sex part isn’t going to go much of anywhere worth getting excited about. And without the sex gimmick in full working order, is there anything else left to appeal to the audience? Will they care about a family moving to a new town and trying to discover themselves thirty-two years ago with nothing “edgy” to propel the plot along?
I think probably not. And as I’ve said before, I will join scores of shocked people if Swingtown manages to swing it in the ratings for its entire thirteen-episode summer run.
Swingtown photo courtesy of CBS
