La Brea (2021–2024)
3/10
I gave it a chance, but... No
14 October 2021
I really like Natalie Zea as an actress, so I was looking forward to this.

I also really enjoyed a similar Fox show from several years ago, Terra Nova.

Consequently, I watched all three episodes of this wanting to give it a chance, but I am officially out.

There is simply too much going on.

I enjoy complex plots and scripted dramas with larger casts, but La Brea throws everything and the kitchen sink at you, all at once.

There isn't a lot of subtlety or mystery, just a lot of contrived drama tacked onto every character.

Making matters worse, it is all strung together by a concept that has in fact been explored far better by other shows.

Not to be unkind, but this is no Terra Nova; in fact, this isn't even a rival to Land of the Lost when it comes to entertainment value.

The other major flaw is that the dialog is painfully bad.

For example, you cannot forget the main character's name is Eve because they remind you every second.

This is so poorly written that you almost feel bad for the actors as they struggle with a script that was composed by someone incapable of creating even one exchange that doesn't come across as awkward and stilted.

While the fantastical can be a challenging genre to sell to an audience, the writers for La Brea make even mundane exchanges between the characters sound natural.

Instead, it seems as though the characters exist primarily to deliver exposition.

With so few scripted shows left on television, it is heartbreaking that they wasted such a large budget and such talented actors on such a poorly constructed and uninspired show.
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