Lloyd Owen

I wanted to like Viva Laughlin. I really did. I had heard great things about its forefather, the BBC's Viva Blackpool, and I wasn't about to say no to anything that had Hugh Jackman spontaneously breaking into song. So the idea of cops and corrupt casino owners occasionally singing instead of talking sounded a little weird (or a little Cop Rock). So what? I thought this would be a risk sure to pay off for CBS.

And then I saw the first episode.

There are a couple of great minutes in the episode, which airs tonight after CSI (the series will air another new episode this week in the show's regular Sunday night time slot). They're the ones when Jackman is singing. Everything else varies from thoroughly "meh" (the majority of the plot) to kind of painful (the majority of the scenes with Melanie Griffith). One critic even went so far as to compare it to Showgirls — though I still think Showgirls is way funnier.

I'm glad CBS is trying to break out of its victim-of-the-week procedural box this year; I just wish this show could have been more fun. Are you game for giving it a shot? I'll still check out Sunday's episode, just in case. You can check out a couple of preview clips for tonight's episode if you read more

The networks have announced their fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? Throughout the summer, as I watch the pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air, so these aren't comprehensive reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: "Viva Laughlin," a musical drama — yes, you read that right — from CBS.

What's it about? A Nevada casino owner battles rivals and tries to support his family, all while spontaneously breaking into song.

Who's in it? Lloyd Owen, Madchen Amick, DB Woodside, Eric Winter, Melanie Griffith, Hugh Jackman (guest star)

The good: The show is based on the British series "Viva Blackpool," and while I've never seen it, I've heard mostly positive things about it — so the concept, at least, is a good one. Jackman has a nice touch with the bizarre singing bits, even though his screen time is limited.

The bad: This show is seriously confused. Is it a campy, fun musical, or is it a murder mystery? The song-and-dance numbers seem half-hearted and poorly placed, but the parts of the show that aren't set to music are even worse. Owen plays off Jackman just fine, but he doesn't command attention on his own — and that's bad, because it's not known how much Jackman will actually be on the show going forward.

Will I watch? I really, really wanted to, but in the end, this isn't even "so bad it's good." It's just "eh." And I'm not sure there's room for "eh" on my schedule this fall.

To watch a couple of preview clips and see a gallery of photos, read more