So far Thursday night's not impressing me

Kidnapped

Kidnapped starts off with the basic introductions - Leopold Cain ( Will Denton ) plays the son of a rich, NY couple ( Timothy Hutton and Dan Delaney ) who is kidnapped. His bodyguard is shot and left for dead. His parents are later notified and under advice from his attorney, Hutton hires a professional ( Jeremy Sisto ) to handle getting his son back. Of course, Sisto advises the parents they should not call the police or contact the FBI as their objective is to make an arrest as well as recover the kidnapped person. For a non-refundable fee, payable only if the person is returned, Sisto informs them he can get their son back.

Now it must also be mentioned that on the same day an aging FBI agent ( Delroy Lindo ), and close friend to Leopold's bodyguard ( Mykelti Williamson ), is retiring. He hears of the fact that the bodyguard has gone missing and involves himself with the case by questioning Hutton. Of course his suspicions grow and it isn't long before the FBI is involved long enough to screw things up and walk face first into a setup. And, as you might suspect, Sisto is close behind to let the FBI know how badly they've screwed things up. We're left to believe that the kidnappers, knowing that the FBI is involved, are going to rid themselve's of the baggage and disappear.

But wait!!! This is a pilot!! There's supposed to be another episode. That's where I have to be a little skeptical. So, every week we get to watch the FBI screw things up? The kidnappers decide to let this happen every week? Don't get me wrong, I think they've assembled a great cast. I'm not sure about Will Denton as he didn't get many lines in the pilot. However, I'm not convinced of the content. Maybe it's just me, but Kidnapped doesn't pass the believability test. I'm going to have a little trouble tuning in each week just to watch this kidnapping extend itself yet another week. I'm sure the writers will throw in a failed escape attempt, and there will be close calls. Will Sisto and the FBI quote Maxwell Smart, "Missed em' by that much?"

Jericho

So what would happen if one day, out of the blue, a mushroom cloud appeared on the horizon of a small, Midwestern town and all means of communication just up and failed? That seems to be the question asked. But does Jericho respond with a believable answer? As you might expect there will be instances where heroes emerge from unexpected places while others act with no discernible regard for humanity. Jericho seems to portray this as television would.

Skeet Ulrich plays one of those heroes who performs an emergency tracheotomy on a grade schooler whose bus crashes after the explosion. Now, mind you, he performs this only after surviving a head-on crash with another car and walking some distance on shaky legs. I can't say that I was overly-impressed with the characters. Of all of them, I was most drawn to the Mayor ( Gerald McRaney ) who tries to hold the town together after people start panicking in the street. I'm compelled to tune in next week and give it another shot and see if it can redeem itself. I only say that because I'm sure there will be significant improvements in the storyline.