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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Review: I’ve fallen for Eli Stone

Eli Stone
Airs: Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC


by Jennifer Squires Biller

I’ve got a new TV addiction. His name is Eli Stone, and he’s stolen my heart.

I wish I’d taken time to write about this show before the night of its season finale, but real life lately has seriously interfered with my blogging time. (More on that later.) To ABC and to Eli, my sincerest apologies. You deserve better.

The fact is, I have a stack of screeners of mid-season shows that I have no inclination to watch (mostly reality TV) and a stack that I wanted to watch, but just never found the time (New Amsterdam and Canterbury’s Law.)

Then, there’s Eli Stone. I’ve watched the show from the very beginning, and each episode entertains more than the last. From the first time Eli had a vision of George Michael singing “Faith,” I was hooked.

For those of you who haven’t found Eli Stone, here’s what you need to know and how you can get caught up. Eli has an inoperable brain aneurysm that causes him to have hallucinations. These visions have caused Eli trouble at his elite law firm, especially when he dives under tables during staff meetings or when he sings and dances in the lobby at what he thinks is a George Michael concert. Those scenes are as funny and delightful as they sound, followed by a heart-tugging sadness that envelopes Eli as he slowly begins to accept his fate.

As Eli’s visions have continued, he’s turned him from a cutthroat corporate lawyer to the guy who takes cases to help the little guy. He also seems to have a knack for predicting the future, based on his visions. He recently became the laughing stock of his San Francisco firm when he warned them of a deadly earthquake. It turned out, he was correct.

The cast of the Eli Stone is solid. Johnny Lee Miller is charming and earnest, and despite his good looks is very believable as the Everyman. The other cast members are a delight, too, from Victor Garber to Natasha Henstridge to Sam Jaeger and Loretta Devine. They’re all employees at Eli’s firm, who from time to time, break out in song in one of Eli’s hallucinations.

Eli Stone is a funny, solid piece of storytelling, one of the best I’ve seen this year that never fails to entertain. Please join him tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC, as he struggles with his new role as a modern-day prophet and has to decide whether to have his aneurysm removed.

Those of you who’ve missed the past episodes, you can watch them at ABC. com for free. And don’t worry if you’ve missed a couple episodes. This isn’t Lost. You can easily catch up, even if you’ve missed a few episodes.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It really is a great show. I missed the first couple episodes but have been getting caught up at ABC. Thanks for giving it some press.

Anonymous said...

I love Eli too! Great show and great cast.

Anonymous said...

This is the best new show ABC has had this year. Sorry Samantha Who. Eli rocks. Please bring it back, ABC!

Anonymous said...

I tuned in for the pilot, thinking it would be cheesy with all the George Michael stuff, but before I knew it, I was hooked. You're right Tube Talk Girl, every episode is better than the next. I LOVE it.

Anonymous said...

Folks, if you really love Eli Stone and you want to SAVE Eli Stone, go to www.abc.om. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and click on the Contact ABC link. Fill in the blanks with your name etc., go to the pull-down menu and select Eli Stone and then tell ABC in the comment box that you want the show to come back a second season (or longer). Send in your comments soon before decisions are made. I've already submitted my comment. You do the same (and enlist others too). Hopefully we will all enjoy this show for at least another season.

tube talk girl said...

Thanks anonymous for directing fans of the show on what they can do to get ABC to give us more Eli!

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