2010 Fall TV Premiere Week: 10 Thoughts On…Lonestar Review

10 Thoughts, Reviews, Top Story

Another TV season has begun and Monday night was probably jammed pack with some of your old favorites and maybe a few new ones as well. Five new shows made their debut among the 5 major networks, and I will be watching all of them before this weekend is done. In addition, I have to decided to check out ALL of the new shows on all of the major networks for premiere week. I can’t guarantee I will do the same for future new shows, but at least for all of the new shows debuting this week, I will give you my quick 10 thoughts on the pilot episode for each.

We will start off with Lonestar on FOX. Here is the synopsis of the series straight from FOX:

LONESTAR is a provocative soap set against the backdrop of big Texas oil. ROBERT/BOB ALLEN (newcomer James Wolk) is a charismatic and brilliant schemer who has meticulously constructed two lives in two different parts of Texas. He’s juggling two identities and two women in two very different worlds – all under one mountain of lies. As “Bob,” he lives in Houston and is married to CAT (Adrianne Palicki, Friday Night Lights), the beautiful daughter of CLINT (Jon Voight, Midnight Cowboy), the patriarch of an ultra-wealthy Texas oil family. More than 400 miles away in the suburban west Texas town of Midland, he’s “Robert,” living a second life with his sweet, naive girlfriend, LINDSAY (Eloise Mumford, Mercy, Law & Order: SVU). In Midland, he plays the perfect boyfriend while secretly bilking local investors of their savings. In Houston, he’s a devoted husband, charming Cat and her family to cement his position in the rich family business he aims to clean out. Bob has lived both lives successfully for years without arousing any suspicions…so far. While one brother-in-law, DREW (Bryce Johnson, Popular, The Mentalist), admires Bob, his other brother-in-law, TRAMMELL (Mark Deklin, Nip/Tuck, Desperate Housewives), is suspicious of his motives. Bob begins to fear his secret lives may unravel. With the cons closing in on him, Bob is divided by his love for two women; his loyalty to his father and mentor, JOHN (David Keith, An Officer and a Gentleman, The Class); and his respect for his father-in-law, Clint. Now as he tries to hold his two lives together, while fending off angry investors and the suspicions of those around him, Bob puts it all on the line hoping he can beat the odds, leave the schemes behind and keep two separate relationships afloat.”

My First 10 Thoughts on the “Pilot” Episode of Lonestar:

1. This is NOT a Dallas copycat show.

2. Not nearly as “soapy” as expected.

3. The “con man” / “double life” premise is definitely not new, but it’s still interesting here.

4. The Dallas oil rig business is still the perfect background for this type of series.

5. James Wolk seems to be the perfect fit for the main character. He is very engaging.

6. Good to see Jon Voight in a television series.

7. Also good to see Adrianne Palicki return to television after her character Tyra ran its course on Friday Night Lights.

8. Not in the greatest timeslot with the second hour of Dancing with the Stars and Two and a Half Men still going to dominate, but could easily compete with another new series The Event on NBC for third place.

9. Biggest concern could be the potential for this series to steer away from the con man angle and just become a straight up typical “soap opera family drama”.

10. In the end, you can’t judge this show off of its description. It kept me intrigued throughout the entire hour, and so far the hype of it being the “best new drama” of the new TV season is justified.

I'm not embarrassed to say that my favorite television show of all-time is The O.C. I live by the motto "you can't fight fate!" More importantly, I watch WAY too much television, but I do so for the benefit of everyone reading this now. So to my mom and my wife, I say thanks for reading! To everyone else that might stumble across this, remember TiVo should be your best friend!