One of the Best Shows You May Not Be Watching

So I have been shirking my responsibilities to this blog lately and for that I say, I am sorry. In my defense it is the slowest month of the year for game news and summer TV shows are just getting rolling. That's my defense, but it's not the reason I haven't been keeping up. I have been watching every episode of In Plain Sight I could get my hands on.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show its a buddy cop show. I know, done a million times. What has hooked me so completely is the slightly overwritten main characters, who still manage to be extremely endearing and the true issues of human weakness the show manages to delve into.

So the basic setup is Mary (Mary McComack) and Marshall (Frederick Weller) are US Marshals who work in witness protection. The basic outline for the show is that each episode follows one person or group of people that are placed into WitSec. Although Mary is by far the main character here, the roles of Marshal, Stan (Paul Ben-Victor), Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren) and Brandi (Nicole Hiltz) are all important in understanding her character motivation. And the very strong performances of them all only help to cement this show on my must watch list.

Mary McCormack is brilliant in this role. She is adept at playing the snarkiness the role requires with just right pinch of disdain. She pulls it off with perfectly timed humor and off the cuff one liners that truly brings the audience closer. While Weller brings a level headed straight man to balance McCormacks antics spouting literary quotes and useless facts as he goes . Warren who plays Marys' mother and Hiltz who plays her sister manage to help explain the antics in the first place. Which brings us to Ben-Victor who manages to play a father figure to all while still managing to bring a playfulness to the part. Overall the casting and writing for each is spot on and I enjoy every minute of banter between them.

Now, if you've ever watched a show on USA you know that their “Characters Welcome” tag line isn't just a tag line. They pride themselves on over the top characters and over the top story lines. I watch Psych for exactly that reason. But In Plain Sight brings something to the table I have not noticed on the network before. Through, what I now consider, some of the best writing on television, they manage to bring the viewer into a new life with new people that I genuinely become engaged with each and every episode. Each show brings with it a new witness and the ingenious part is they all bring very different outlooks and baggage into the program. It is those differences that make each episode different with all new emotions and motivations at play. My hat is off the writing team for managing to make the witnesses just as big a part of the show as any other character despite the fact we see them for an hour and then they are gone.

So, in short, I wasn't watching In Plain Sight, and I am trying to make sure that no one else is making that mistake. It may turn out to not be your thing, but please just give it a shot. The first three seasons can be found on Netflix streaming service and the current season is available on Hulu Plus.

One more time, I am sorry for the time away. I hope you will post this to your Facebooks or Twitters or that new Google Plus thing that I still don't have an invite to (hint). As always you can follow me on Twitter @Jlove89. Thanks again for reading!