This has become a TV habit: The regular shows debut in the fall; the special ones -- fresh, odd, distinctive -- arrive in mid-season, when people are paying more attention.
We'll see signs of that this week, from Fox. The second "Alcatraz" is tonight (Monday, Jan. 23), a "Touch" sneak preview is Wednesday; in between, the season's second "Justified" is on cable's FX.
And yes,there'smuch more coming -- NBC's "Smash," "Bent" and "Awake" ;ABC's "Scanndal," "GCB" and "Don't Trust the B in Apt. 23; cable gems ranging from next month's "Life's Too Short" to this summer's "Perception" and "Dallas" and "Longmire" and more.
It all starts now. Here's the "Touch" story I sent to papers:
By MIKE HUGHES
For nine stoic seasons, Kiefer
Sutherland kept his emotions semi-hidden.
He was Jack Bauer on “24,” always
with limited time (24 hours, to be exact) and a world to save. He
wasted none of that time getting in touch with his feelings.
Now Sutherland is back on Fox in
“Touch,” which gets a sneak preview Wednesday. “The tone of the
piece is so vastly different, that was part of its appeal,” he
said.
This time, he's no world-savior; he's
Martin Bohm, on ordinary guy whose life crumbled with the Sept. 11
attacks. Now he's a widower whose son Jake doesn't talk, but keeps
scribbling numbers.
Is Jake autistic? Or is he – as one
man (Danny Glover) claims – tied into a worldwide consciousness,
predicting things that standard minds can't detect?
You can bet on the latter, because Tim
Kring created the show. “We are more connected to one another than
we ever thought,” Kring said.
That was one theme of his “Heroes”
series. Now “Touch” – less serialized, not quite as much of a
fantasy – has one boy grasp all this.
The idea was basic, Kring said:
“Wouldn't it be interesting if that character who has this very
profound gift was ... the most disenfranchised person on the planet?
He's small? He's unable to communicate.”
He's played by David Mazouz, a relative
unknown who survived six auditions. A likable lad with Greek, French
and Tunisian roots, he's given to serious acting. “I don't want to
do Disney (Channel comedies),” he said. “They're way over-acted”
That makes him a kindred spirit of
Sutherland, who has always avoided overacting. “The opportunity
that I had in '24' – to have to repress all of this stuff and carry
that with me – informed the character beautifully for me,”
Sutherland said.
Now that era is over. Jack Bauer is
gone … except that Sutherland still wants to do a “24” movie.
Martin Bohm – sort of a real guy, with real emotions – is here.
– “Touch,” Fox
– Sneak preview at 9 p.m. Wednesday,
(Jan. 25), after “American Idol”
– Then scheduled to wait until March
19, airing at 9 p.m. Mondays – the old “24” slot