TVSquad

Back in January, I mentioned that I am going to give Harper's Island a shot. I've been a little antsy about getting involved in yet another continuing drama (and one that could be canceled at anytime), but this was filmed and is being marketed as a limited-run series. Somewhere between a mini-series and a regular season, and that makes me feel a little better about taking the time to watch it.

Of course, one could argue that shows like Kidnapped and Daybreak were also shows that were designed for a limited run, but NBC and ABC didn't market those shows the way that CBS is marketing this one. The ads for Harper's Island make it very clear that it's only going to be on for a short time. In the TV ads, they're very specific about the dates the show will run (April 9 to July 2), and the people behind the show are calling it "an event." It's a smart way to do it, and the TV ads have actually been clever and well-done.

I'm a big fan of mysteries, but it's hard to watch them on television. I'm talking about the onslaught of serial TV shows that we've seen the past couple of years. For every Lost or Heroes we've had, we've had an infinite number of shows that didn't make it, such as Daybreak and Kidnapped. It's easy to get frustrated and disillusioned when you start to watch a continuing drama and the show doesn't even get past its first 13 episodes. ABC pulled Daybreak after a handful of episodes and then put the rest online. NBC did the same with Kidnapped (it was also on Saturday nights, which didn't work out either).

But I'm going to give Harper's Island a shot.

OK, before you Moonlight fans come after me, I'm kidding with the post title ... mostly. The similarities are rather striking though. Remember when team Moonlight brought in former Angel producer David Greenwalt, and most of the original cast was sent packing? Well, now comes word that former Angel producer Jeffrey Bell has been brought in as the new showrunner for Harper's Island, and Elaine Cassidy is the only actor being held over from the pilot. Eeerie, isn't it?

I'm still not exactly bullish on the idea that serialized horror/drama is something that CBS can pull off, but you never know. That's what makes TV so fun. And I'm enough of a fan of things in the horror genre that I'll certainly be game to give this one a look. Bell, who also counts X-Files, Alias, and Day Break among his credits, will be sharing executive producer duties with Jericho's John Turteltaub. Here's hoping things go better for Mr. Bell than they did for Mr. Greenwalt. If you haven't seen the preview for Harper's Island yet, it's embedded, after the jump.