Review: The Mysteries of Laura

It was 2006 when Will and Grace left the air after eight seasons and we no longer got to see the best of what Deborah Messing had to offer us in the way of comedy. We did get to see her in a six hour miniseries followed by a 10 episode series titled The Starter Wife which had its moments but overall wasn’t that great. We also got to see a dramatic side of her for two seasons of Smash. When I heard she was getting a new show on NBC I was really looking forward to it because I’ve always been a big fan.

In her new series The Mysteries of Laura which premiered on NBC this week, she plays police detective Laura Diamond who is recently divorced (her husband is dragging his feet signing the final papers). She’s raising twin 4-year-old boys who are the most rowdy undisciplined children you’ll ever see on television. In an opening action sequence she shoots the ear off a guy who is who is holding it hostage at gunpoint and then walks away casually. Her car and her desk and her clothes are always messy. In trying to find a new preschool for her boys she did background checks on the teachers to see which one had the most parking tickets so she could blackmail them into getting her interview with the principal. It’s pretty much just one silly cliché gimmick after another. And SPOILER: her ex-husband who is also a cop gets transferred to her precinct and gets promoted to be her boss. Like we didn’t see that coming.

Underneath it all she does solve a crime but it was a little bit too much of a Perry Mason moment when at the last minute she declares “I solved the case” and then proceeds to reveal that the killer was someone who has never been a suspect the entire show.

In a way it’s reminiscent of comedy cop shows such as Monk (although her messiness is opposite of Monk’s OCD) or perhaps Psych although not quite as over-the-top.

The opening action sequence was kind of fun. Deborah Messing is easy on the eyes even though a scene in a swimming suit highlighted her flat-chested figure. I will probably like it better than I did Brooklyn Nine-Nine which I stopped watching after about two or three episodes.

For now giving it “Could Be Watchable” under my rating system. Keep in mind I’m a huge Deborah Messing fan or I would probably be passing on this one completely. Once I get to know her character better and decide whether or not the silliness is really funny or just plain stupid then I will decide whether or not to keep watching. For now I’ll watch as long as I have DVR space and time but don’t be surprised if it’s one of the first that I cut from my list of watching.

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