OK, so it’s not nearly as exciting or empowering that makes it sound, but “Women’s Murder Club”—based on James Patterson’s bestselling novels—does have all the elements of a supremely watchable show. Following a homicide detective, an assistant D.A., a medical examiner and a crime reporter, who all just so happen to be friends, the series takes the best from all of those careers, offering everyone’s respective angles on the crimes they’re investigating. The biggest glitch? The angles don’t seem all that realistic. Last time we checked, sharing classified police information with a reporter was a big no-no…
Who’s that?: Angie Harmon (“Law & Order”) returns to TV to play homicide detective Lindsay Boxer; Laura Harris (“Dead Like Me”) is Assistant D.A. Jill Bernhardt; Paula Newsome (she was the hilarious bereavement liaison in “Little Miss Sunshine”) plays Medical Examiner Claire Washburn; and Aubrey Dollar (“Point Pleasant”) plays scrappy crime reporter Cindy Thomas. The supporting cast is anchored by Tyrees Allen (“Alias”), Linda Park (of last fall’s “Raines”) and Rob Estes (“Melrose Place”).
Buzzed about: Tucked away in the Friday night lineup, ABC is hoping this show has a chance to build an audience and truly shine without much competition. Yes, Friday is not the end-all, be-all of stellar timeslots, but “CSI” started there, and look where they are now.
The “ooh” factor: Thankfully, these women are not one-note, feminist ball-busters—there are tinges of “Grey’s Anatomy”-style emotional quirkiness here that we’d love to see more of. Also, the fact that they’re all in this “not a club” club means that they can explore less traditional investigative leads. Like how a woman with a skimpy, sexy bikini wax is most certainly in either a fairly new or secret romantic relationship. You don’t see that kind of deductive reasoning on “Law & Order”!
The “eh” factor: The list of executive producers includes both Brett Ratner (he of “Rush Hour” fame…or infamy) and—drumroll, please!—Joe Simpson, father and super-manager to daughters Jessica and Ashlee. Ick. Let’s just hope he doesn’t push to get either one of them a cameo role.
The verdict: Not must-see TV quite yet, but it’s certainly above-average viewing for a Friday night.
“Women’s Murder Club” premieres Friday, Oct. 12 at 9 p.m./8c on ABC.
