The Red Band Society pilot was pretty good but its clear that this show has quite a fair way to go.
The pilot did a lot right:
but it needs to improve on this:
Overall, it's clear that, with the right amount of time and the adequate honing of acting and scripts, Red Band Society could well be one of the best dramedies on TV. It's definitely not there yet, but you can feel that it's not too far away.
Rating = 7.5/10 (rounded to 8 - although that 8 may be a smidge overgenerous)
The pilot did a lot right:
- The pace (quiet and slow) was appropriate for this type of series
- An adequate amount of humor injected throughout
- Competent performances by the cast
but it needs to improve on this:
- The coma narration needs to be less cheesy
- The characters need to stop trying so hard to be "hip" or "anti- establishment"
- The show can be pretty cheesy at its attempts at drama (but this is forgivable as a show of this nature will more often than not lend itself to cheesiness)
Overall, it's clear that, with the right amount of time and the adequate honing of acting and scripts, Red Band Society could well be one of the best dramedies on TV. It's definitely not there yet, but you can feel that it's not too far away.
Rating = 7.5/10 (rounded to 8 - although that 8 may be a smidge overgenerous)