UPN's "Legacy" needs some work. But if you're a fan of good, old-fashioned prime-time soap operas, you ought to tune in anyway.
It's a show with potential and possibilities."Legacy," which premieres Friday at 7 p.m. on Ch. 14, is sort of "Dallas" or "Dynasty" - only toned down and set a century earlier. The show, created and executive-produced by Utah native Chris Abbott, follows the lives of the Logan family, a wealthy bunch living in 1870s Kentucky.
The period setting gives the show a different look but not necessarily a different feel.
"I love the idea of doing a show about a family that contemporary audiences can relate to . . . but putting it into a timeless framework so that you can look at it, not in terms of what's going on today but what goes on with human beings throughout the course of time," Abbott said.
The fictional Logan family (which, by the way, was named after Logan, Utah) is headed by patriarch Ned Logan (Brett Cullen), a widower and wealthy horse breeder. And he's got a large and varied brood:
- Sean (Grayson McCouch) is passionate about life but not about his engagement to Vivian Winters (Lisa Sheridan).
- Clay (Jeremy Garrett), the second son, is a bit of a hothead.
- Alice (Lea Moreno), the teenage daughter, has been forced to be a surrogate mother to the family since their real mother died.
- Lexy (Sarah Rayne), a pre-pubescent, is both wise and willful.
- The new addition is Jeremy Bradford (Ron Melendez), a wily 17-year-old orphan Ned adopts.
In the pilot, Sean's engagement party is ruined, Clay is accused of theft and there's a disaster on the Logan estate.
"Legacy" is certainly beautiful to look at - and not just because of the attractive cast. The scenery is gorgeous (it's filmed in Richmond, Va.), and the series opens with a well-filmed horse race accompanied by haunting Loreena McKennit music.
But the hour never really catches fire. One hopes that's at least in part a product of the pilot introducing the characters and setting up the premises.
In some ways, "Legacy" may end up being a rather traditional soap opera. Abbott said that Vivian is "going to become the vixen that you love to hate."
And the period setting does add some fun to the whole thing.
"It's a more romantic period," Cullen said, "which I find, as an actor, is really lovely to play because you get to put on gloves and the hat and the coat and the high boots and you feel differently. . . . You're still dealing with contemporary themes, but it's a much more romantic, imaginative time."
Just don't expect "Legacy" to be a documentary of the 19th century.
"I would like to think that we're historically accurate as long as it doesn't get in the way of good storytelling and good drama," Abbott said with a laugh.
"Everything is much more about this family, these characters. What are their passions? What are their conflicts? How do they get through life? And so any historical event would only play insofar as it has impact on our family."
And, hopefully, Abbott and her writing team can find the spark that will make "Legacy" the show it wants to be - something really worth watching.
LOOK-ALIKES: On most TV shows, the actors playing brothers and sisters look no more alike than the average group of strangers you pull in off the street.
That's not the case in "Legacy," where the four actors who play the Logan siblings actually look like they could be related.
What's stunning, however, is the resemblence between Grayson McCouch and Jeremy Garrett, who play Sean and Clay Logan.
"They were separated at birth," Abbott said.
"She cloned us," Grayson added.