See It or Free It: 'Killer Women'

ABC was smart to only produce "Killer Women" for 8 episodes. There is no way it could last any longer. The current order is pushing credulity. “Killer Women” stars “Battlestar Galactica” alum Tricia Helfer as a guns blazing, Texas Ranger out for justice. Well, this show is about twenty years too late.

If it was 1990, when series like “Walker, Texas Ranger” were ruling the airwaves, this would have been a smash. Sadly for “Killer Women” audiences are expecting more from their television series.

Formulaic procedurals already have their place amongst the TV market. “Law & Order” and the recent cult hit “Castle” have both been successful, not to mention the sensation that is the “CSI” franchise. The key for “Castle”, at least, is having a quirky character at its center.

For “Killer Women” the lead character is neither, interesting nor compelling. Helfer does a respectable job in the role and brings a certain, je ne sais quoi, to the role. She comes across strong and realistically intimidating. In a landscape that typically sports females of waifish proportions performing the physically impossible as they thrash away attackers, Helfer is authentically capable.

That is where the positivity ends. The pilot’s opening mystery was explained to audiences in a manner that reeked of self-astonishment. As if this story were so fantastical that it needed to be stripped down to its lowest common denominator and spoon-fed to its audience, untangling a web of incredible complexity.

While the twist was intriguing, it was poorly explained how Helfer’s character honed in on the ulterior crime, within seconds and with no real evidence to support her outlandish hypothesis. At this juncture, the show has both dumbed down its reveal and overextended the ingenuity of its lead, in a nonsensical fashion.

Also of note, the series, to this point, negates the use of DNA or any crime scene clues. It relies solely on circumstantial proof. An evidentiary support that when implemented in real life; can have gossipy and shallow roots. That is a dangerous notion to promulgate. In a different time, the show might’ve been impressive, in 2014, it has all been done before and better.

Episodes Aired: 1

See It or Free It: Free It, a mid-season replacement not worth its salt or heavy advertising.