TV Jots

Murder, Anyone?

A new series premieres tonight at 10pm ET on CBS, the midseason mystery drama Harper’s Island. With a gem of a premise for suspense buffs — 25 suspects and a mountain of dead bodies at a seemingly serene island wedding gathering — and a perfect season length — 13 weeks and it’s done — how can the show go wrong?

Things get off to a good start, too. Before I sat down to watch the premiere episode “Whap,” I dimmed the lights to get in the mood for a little macabre mayhem. Then it was off to Seattle, where we meet the members of the Henry Dunn (Ugly Betty‘s Christopher Gorham) and Trish Wellington (Katie Cassidy of Supernatural) wedding party, right before the group heads by boat to gorgeous Harper’s Island, an atmospheric setting that has served as either year-round or vacation home for all of the guests.

Henry, a nice guy of modest means, is totally in love with his filthy rich fiancée, who appears to be just as crazy about him. Unfortunately, her sullen businessman father Thomas Wellington (Richard Burgi, Desperate Housewives) disapproves of his daughter’s chosen future spouse and would like nothing more than to see the nuptials canceled.

Despite the wedding-centric plot, much attention is heaped on Elaine Cassidy‘s Abby Mills, Henry’s best friend, and for excellent reason. Not only was her mother one of six victims slaughtered by serial killer John Wakefield on the island seven years ago, but her estranged father, Sheriff Charlie Mills (Supernatural‘s Jim Beaver), was the lawman who took the murderer out after the deed was done. Returning to her hometown for the first time since that vicious killing spree, clearly reluctant Abby provides a bridge to the local community that she grew up in, and its members are a colorful bunch.

Yet, more interesting than all of the adults combined is spooky flower girl Madison (Cassandra Sawtell, Psych), the child of Trish’s weary older sister Shea Allen (Blood Ties and Flash Gordon‘s Gina Holden) and her emasculated — by daddy Thomas, of course — husband Richard Allen (David Lewis, Smallville).

Madison is one of those kids who does questionable things when nobody is looking and who knows way too much for someone her age. She’d be right at home in a traditional scary flick, and Sawtell’s creepy performance gives Harper’s Island an added dose of eeriness that’s really needed. Without her, the opening episode would have a blander, more soap opera-ish feel.

The earlier scenes of “Whap” focus on giving a bit of screen time to as many characters as possible, and with 25 suspects/potential corpses, that can add up. So, don’t sweat the small stuff because the plot does become considerably more intense by the end.

We also have twelve weeks left after the premiere to get more acquainted with the assorted characters. The good part is their number will consistently decrease as the season wears on and one or more people meet an early end each episode.

All in all, Harper’s Island seems lighter weight than straight-up horror or slasher fare. But, to the series’ credit, the acting is good and the ominous hand of death doesn’t strike as predictably or tidily as it could given the broadcast television medium.

There’s definitely room for lots of guessing, speculation, and being dead wrong, which translates to lots of fun as viewers count down to learning who the killer is, starting tonight until the season finale on July 2. I just hope the show manages to last long enough to deliver the payoff of the Big Reveal. If it does, the time investment watching Harper’s Island each week will be worth it.

Learn more about Harper’s Island and get actively involved in each week’s developments at the murder mystery’s official website Harper’s Globe. The extended two-minute trailer also follows below.