Fall Preview: Cane

Hmm. On the one hand, Cane sports an outstanding cast and a compelling premise (and a great South Florida location). On the other hand, the pilot felt like it was three hours long, not one. And not really in a good way. The drama (and I don't use that word lightly) is about Cuban-American family with a rum and sugar cane empire. In the pilot, the Duque patriarch names Alex (played by the always-fantastic Jimmy Smits) head of the Duque operation over his brother Frank, who was born a Duque (Alex was adopted) and had different ideas about the direction he wanted the company to take. Besides a furious and potentially traitorous brother, Alex has murderous rival sugar cane growers to deal with, several difficult family situations, and, you know, an empire to run. I feel a migraine coming on already.

My main problem with Cane is the tone, I suppose. It's such a dramatic show, with so many crazy things going on even in the pilot, that it gets over-the-top at times. However, the tone is super-serious, which just makes it seem a little ridiculous. I mean, God, save some of the drama for the rest of the season, guys! I understand that pilots are usually a bit packed with exposition, but this takes it to a whole other level. And it's almost stressful to watch, with the unrelenting heaviness--a few moments of lightness could really go a long way. Just in terms of plot, there's way too much going on, with too many characters, for me to get into any one aspect. (Note to writers: Not every character needs a subplot in every episode--even the pilot.)

I guess I just don't know. Cane has such an amazing cast that I really want to give it the benefit of the doubt, but realistically I don't see myself watching it, especially not with so many other promising new shows this season. Why watch something you're not really enjoying, right? And this one seems like it may need to be weekly viewing in order to follow what's going on. At any rate, it's definitely not a bad show, and despite this somewhat negative review, the pilot was far from a universal turn-off. I just had higher expectations given the caliber of talent involved, I guess. See for yourself when it premieres September 25th on CBS, up against Boston Legal at 10.