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Primetime Show Reviews

"Men in Trees" Review by Suzanne 9/25/06

I watched the second episode of this show first because I missed the pilot episode.  I thought that it seemed like they were trying to copy "Northern Exposure" in the tone and quirkiness of the characters.  Many shows try this, but most fail.  This show has come the closest to NE than any show I've seen.  The trick is to make them quirky but still likable, or at least interesting, as well as have good story.  This one does seem to fit those requirements, although it remains to be seen whether it's as "special" as NE was.

Imagine my surprised when I did a little research and found out that the show even takes place in Alaska! I was very surprised since I did not notice any scenes of Alaska and I did not see any natives (both of which I was used to in NE).  I went to Anchorage once, and that is the biggest city in Alaska, I believe. There were many non-white people there, especially people that looked like they were of Asian- or Indian-descent.  Because of that one thing, I do not find this show to be very authentic. 

However, I do like Anne Heche quite a lot, and she does very well in this show as the transplanted New Yorker. Apparently in the pilot, she gets dumped by her fiance before the wedding and decides to settle there in the small Alaska town.  She's a romantic advice author, so I guess she can live anywhere as long as she has the internet.  That is one thing that poor Joel on NE did not have.

There are many other interesting and quirky characters that interest me. Some I recognize and some I do not.  The guy that plays "Jerry" on ER is one.  John Amos (most known from "Good Times") is another, as is Cynthia Stevenson (from Dead Like Me and many other shows). I like the hunky guy (James Tupper) who is Heche's love-interest, too.

I look forward to seeing how the show progresses. It is a pleasant show with fun characters and dialogue. If you liked "Northern Exposure", or if you like "The Gilmore Girls", you will probably like this one.

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