Coming Soon: Breaking In
When Does It Start: Wednesday April 6th at 9.30pm / 8.30c on Fox
In A Nutshell: Christian Slater gets one more shot at TV stardom as the leader of a high tech firm that tests and sells security equipment – in rather unconventional ways…
What’s It About: Contra Security is the security firm that refuses to play by the rules – using some highly dubious methods to sell their protective systems. The firm is led by the mysterious Oz (Slater) and includes sexy bad girl Melanie (Odette Annable), queen of lock picking and safe opening and Cash (Alphonso McAuley), who specializes in ‘strategy and logistics’ and loves frat boy style hazing.
Enter new recruit Cameron (Bret Harrison) a computer hacking genius… but can he fit in at the new company and it’s decidedly un-corporate culture?
Check out the trailer here…
Plus Points: Well for starters Breaking In has pretty much the best launch spot on TV – straight after Wednesday’s American Idol, which will guarantee a 20 million viewer lead in. The slot worked wonders for Howie Mandel’s Mobbed last week – but hasn’t always delivered the Midas Touch – not even a revamped Idol could save Fox’s Traffic Light from certain cancellation.
Breaking In taps into a familiar source of comedy – the workplace comedy – and with The Office about to lose star Steve Carrell, maybe this could be the show’s spiritual successor. The show’s also produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions, which gives you an idea of the kind of tone you can expect from the series. It’s not my taste but I certainly can’t argue with Sandler’s record to date…
Then there’s Christian Slater, sure he’s notched up a couple of TV flops in the last two TV seasons (My Own Worst Enemy and the aptly titled The Forgotten) but Slater is still a big name and has shown a deft hand for black comedy in the past in movies like Heathers and the criminally underrated Very Bad Things. Could this be the show – finally – to rescue him from direct to DVD movie hell?
On The Downside: How far will Christian Slater’s name really carry Breaking In? Slater’s two previous TV flops have proven he’s not a huge TV draw and while I think it’s smart for him to turn to comedy Slater doesn’t feel like a big screen star that the TV world is lucky to have – a la Kate Winslet or Glenn Close – more like a past-his-peak actor just trying to keep working.
Then there’s the show itself. There are precious few laughs in the trailer and Breaking In has been on the shelf for a LONG time now (in previous incarnations it was called Titan Team and Security). The last Fox show dusted off and served up to viewers… Traffic Light!
Fox has also been having a tough time launching new comedies recently. Light is a disaster, the heavily hyped Running Wilde failed and Raising Hope is only just hanging on (I personally think the network jumped the gun on renewing the show). Plus with limited time slots available in the Fall (see my Keep or Cancel post for more) Breaking In is going to have to really go some to deliver…
Tonally the show reminds me of NBC’s Thursday night comedies like Parks and Recreation, Community and Outsourced. Those shows all skew young, but also deliver small audiences (around the 4 million mark). The only reason they’re still on the air is that NBC is in such a sorry state these days. Fox won’t be so forgiving.
Prediction: I’m rooting for Christian Slater but I’m just not feeling the buzz for Breaking In. I have a feeling he might be 0-3 by the time summer rolls around…
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Ratings Roundup: 23rd January 2012
about 3 months ago - 2 comments
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about 8 months ago - No comments
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about 1 year ago
I didn’t make it past the first segment of this show.
about 1 year ago
Initial ratings were good though… will be interesting to see how it holds in future weeks!
about 1 year ago
I never expect retention out of Glee to be stellar, because they are very different shows. One show is a musical dramedy, and the other one is just a comedy. I’m sure Fox isn’t over the moon about Raising Hope’s numbers, but the show has room for growth and consistent ratings.
Most of their new shows have been straight up flops this year.Running Wilde, Traffic Light, and The Chicago Code. One of the biggest flops was Lone Star. It had the critical acclaim, and the strong House lead-in but still performed horribly. I’m not really sure what you mean by snarky. How many episodes have you watched, because I’ve never really gotten a snarky vibe?
about 1 year ago
“Raising Hope is only just hanging on (I personally think the network jumped the gun on renewing the show).”
Lol, Raising Hope usually averages between a 2.5-2.7 that’s not “hanging on”. Those are numbers that justify a renewal, and Fox hasn’t had a successful live-action comedy in years that’s why they were so quick to renew it.
It’s a great show, and if you haven’t watched you should check it out!
about 1 year ago
Thanks Jenny – yep the demo numbers aren’t bad – but can Fox really be happy with a show that gets 6 million viewers a time, especially since it follows arguably the hottest 18-49 show on TV (Glee)
I’ve watched Raising Hope and think it’s okay but a tad too snarky for me. I think it’s a cult hit at best and think it will dip sharply in season 2