THE supernatural genre has become fertile ground for Hollywood’s creators. Now while there is an audience for these shows, delving into the paranormal remains a risky gambit.
Sure enough, shows like Sleepy Hollow, Grimm, Resurrection, Forever and, to an extent, The Strain have delved into the paranormal playground, making impressive strides along the way. However, the same cannot be said of Proof, which has left most critics somewhat jaded.
That’s partly because it has such high expectations attached to it.
For starters, it stars Kyra Sedgwick, who made a notable impression on the small screen when she helmed the hit series The Closer, and bagged Golden Globe and Emmy honours for it. And she owned her eccentric yet razor-sharp character, Brenda Leigh Johnson, until the series ended. With Proof, she is flexing her creative muscles – as well as channelling her years of experience – as one of the executive producers. And it is that very fact that incentivises fans to watch the show. It’s akin to the hype around Angelina Jolie’s In The Land of Blood and Honey.
Then there is Jennifer Beals as the protagonist, Dr Carolyn “Cat” Tyler, with Matthew Modine cast alongside her as Ivan Turing, a billionaire who made his fortune as an inventor and is, sadly, stricken with cancer.
At 51, this actress looks damn amazing. Talk about ageing beautifully. A household face to viewers around the globe, especially for The L Word, Beals has made a name for herself on the big screen.
While she has covered a wide gamut of roles, Proof definitely expands her repertoire.
For those trawling the Net, there are not many interviews on the TV series per se, but there are a few scattered mentions of it, like Sedgwick being immediately sold on Beals for the lead – they share a sort of kindred journey in that regard.
To put viewers in the picture, Proof unites two people through rather dire circumstances. Ivan is seeking evidence that death isn’t the end and needs Dr Carolyn Tyler to look into reincarnation, near-death experiences and hauntings to see if it leads anywhere. For her, it is a cathartic undertaking as she is grieving the loss of her teenage son. Her fractured relationship with her daughter doesn’t help the situation.
On paper, this series seems to have all the right ticking points. But it’s execution seems to have the converse effect.
Hopefully, Sedgwick will have better luck with her next outing.
THIS IS WHAT ONE CRITIC HAD TO SAY
“Proof explores the mother of all mysteries – what happens after we die? – in the most uninspired and banal of ways. Filled with clichés, the TNT series benefits from the casting of Jennifer Beals in the central role, but handcuffs her with a drag charcter and a dead-end (pardon the pun) concept, which as executed, demonstrates what would happen if a medical procedure and The X Files had a baby.
“In theory, there’s an interesting and provocative show here; it’s just not the one that’s been made.
Variety
l Proof airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 9.30pm from tomorrow.