Television

Star power distracts from plot

By Hal Boedeker
The Orlando Sentinel
07-19-2004

At the outset, TNT’s The Grid seems everything a top-notch TV drama should be: topical, ambitious, smart. The six-hour series, starting tonight (ends Aug. 9), explores the war on terrorism in a vivid, ripped-from-the-headlines style. As it roams the globe introducing many characters, the program unfolds with a complexity rarely seen in U.S. crime dramas. With realistic punch, the show depicts terrorists’ planning and American officials’ squabbling. First-rate photography and editing enhance the series’ credibility. But The Grid eventually stumbles over miscasting and melodrama. Julianna Margulies and Dylan McDermott receive top billing as terrorism fighters, and their pairing should be a major coup. Unfortunately, their glamorous star performances blunt the gritty, modern story. The actors also are saddled with distracting love stories. McDermott’s hotheaded FBI agent must repeatedly invoke the terrorist attacks and brood over his relationship with the widow of a World Trade Center victim. As a counterterrorism director, Margulies enjoys sexy interludes with an energy executive (James Remar). The affair is designed too predictably to let Margulies suffer. The maddening flaws in tonight’s two-hour premiere don’t ruin The Grid, but they mar an otherwise impressive drama. This co-production from TNT and the BBC inadvertently reveals major differences in U.S. and British television. The glossy American style clashes with the blunter British approach. The British way and actors come off far better. Bernard Hill excels as a counterterrorism leader. Jemma Redgrave emerges as the most compelling figure, an MI6 official whose tart cynicism masks her tender nature. In a sharp scene, the prickly woman infuriates Maren Jackson (Margulies) of the National Security Council. Jackson guides a new U.S. approach to fighting terrorism that bypasses agency turf wars. She enlists FBI agent Max Canary (McDermott) and CIA analyst Raza Michaels (Piter Marek) for her team. Raza, an American Muslim, must contend with difficult relatives and a grasping boss (Tom Skerritt). The Grid deserves praise for offering nuanced portrayals of Muslims and for making the terrorists more than one-dimensional villains. The filmmakers consulted counterterrorism experts extensively, and their homework pays off in gripping situations. The program deftly uses Morocco, London and Toronto for its many backdrops. Writer Ken Friedman expertly juggles the sundry locales and characters. If he’s not as agile with the philosophical discussions, at least The Grid is discussing the world’s prominent issue. Director Mikael Salomon keeps the pace brisk and stages harrowing scenes to open and close tonight’s premiere. His scariest work comes early when a terrorist’s mistake with sarin devastates a London hotel. Despite jarring blemishes, The Grid still warrants a look. The series has many assets to deploy over the last four hours. Even if the stars aren’t aligned, The Grid could turn grand.