NBC's "Awake" Review

NBC's highly anticipated new drama premieres tonight at 10pm. I have been lucky enough to see a screening of the pilot early, so will be able to review it in a moment. The show revolves around a man who has just been in a car crash. When he awakes, he finds his son has died. He and his wife are attempting to cope with the loss. When the man goes to bed later that night, he almost automatically awakes. He finds his wife is dead and his son survived the car crash. His mind has developed two realities, while being a cop in both of them. There are variations in each reality like different partners and everything.

The Positives:
The pilot begins with a grasping hook that really sucks the viewer in and prepares them for the next hour. You get a whole feeling of uncensored, realness every minute. The writing is very raw(in a good way). Luckily, there was not much obvious network interference. The plot is simple and easy to follow, which was something  that was potentially worrying from the trailer. The whole concept was unique and complex, but simple at the same time. You will experience solid acting throughout the whole first episode. It is very professional and you feel like the actors are actually going through what they are. Whenever the realities switch(wife is dead son is alive, son is dead wife is alive) the show feels fresh and new. The writing is consistent, and realistic. The whole show is an emotional journey, that will really tug on your heart strings.

The Mediocre: 
Although the writing is consistent and realistic, it is not very artistic or incredibly unique. Hannah(wife) and Michael(man) do not seem entirely shocked at the passing of their son. There was no real grieving process and Hannah and Michael were already trying for a baby in the first episode, right after their sons death. It sometimes wander into dangerous territory, and at times seems like a cop/procedural show. Not a great one at that. At times it can remind you of Law and Order.

The Negative:
The show is very fast paced, and moves too swiftly. Kind of going along with that, the drama jumps in very quickly with a lack of background. Sometimes it has a dull quality, and lacks an incredibly important spark that is required for such an edgy show. Without the background the validation of the show gets seems sometimes.

Thanks for continuing reading. Here is our scoring:

Success Grade: 55/100
Success Rate: 55.88%

55% may seem like a low success rate, but is pretty average or a just a little above average for a show on network television now. Awake premieres tonight at 10pm on NBC.

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