Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Furious_Fenner Boomtown, a masterclass in story telling and character driven narrative lasted just over one season, and is perhaps the greatest case of a show destroyed because of it's nature rather than it's quality.In an ambitious take on the well covered cop/crime show niche, Boomtown aimed to show the story behind a crime from every angle; the beat cops, the detectives, the politicians, the paramedics, the victims, and the suspects. Whereas this could have ended up being a gimmick wasted on an audience not excited by such originality, creator Graham Yost managed to mould a brilliant series of stories that always kept the people at the fore-front of the drama, and never gave in to spectacle. The episodes would veer from comic to dark and disturbing from week to week, going from a corpse fired out of a cannon to betrayed police officers and S&M Murderous Psychopaths. All the time the principal cast, and the creditable guest characters, were given the most attention and the stories usually explored the why of a crime rather than the how and who.The main characters were a mixed batch, all of whom were memorable in their own right. There was the two detectives, the earnest and dignified Joel Stevens (Donnie Wahlberg, displaying his acting chops in a rare chance to prove that he's far more than Marky Mark's brother) and his partner, the flamboyant and tongue in cheek though on the mark Bobby 'Fearless Smith (Mykelti Williamson). The street officers were the chatterbox veteran, Ray Hechler (Gary Basaraba), and youngish Italian bull Tom Turcotte (Jason Gedrick), who is forever his legendary father's shadow. Then there was the strong willed yet vulnerable paramedic, Teresa Ortiz (Lana Parilla), who cares for nothing but the well being of others, and the usually hell bent and cold reporter, Andrea Little (Nina Garbiras), who has questions she should ask herself. However, the real showpiece of the show was reserved for the fast talking, faster switching Deputy D.A David McNorris (Neal McDonough), a brilliant lawyer who trips himself up on account of his demons. All of these characters were fleshed out well and played to a tee by a fine cast.The show combined breathless showpieces of action and suspense with the occasional injection of humour, plus managed to incorporate a heart and emotional edge that in so many similar mediums seems tacked on. None of the characters are free from this, with each one suffering from their problems, some facing them better than others. Moments brought gasps and tears in equal measure but their was always enough entertainment abound to ensure the show kept on an even keel. The second series, although beginning shakily, got into stride and the series seemed destined for greatness before the networks pulled the plug. It was a sad end, brought about by a general lack of popularity and a view that the show would not provide the means by which to finance it's ambition. Whether Boomtown would have become a household name over time is not clear, but it's obvious that it's loss was felt by those who appreciated it's sublime nature, and it's cancellation represented a defeat in the battle for quality television.Ultimately, a brilliant show that died young.

JackBauerPowerHour So many words to describe how great BOOMTOWN is. The 1st Season was truly Brilliant with great writting on every episode, amazing directing, wonderful characters, a beautiful theme song and top notch acting by all the actors. Seeing this show for the first time, I couldn't believe what I was watching. Neal McDonough performance as the Deputy DA David McNorris is nothing but Astonishing . Episode by Episode this show got more smarter and more addictive. This was the best show on TV in 2001-2002 and also the best I have seen in years, this also should of been nominated for every EMMY nomination there is but it wasn't. The 2nd Season of Boomtown was not better than season one but it was just as great. Nina Garbiras was not in the show any more, she was replace with Vanessa Williams who played the sometimes tough Katherine Pierce. The writting was just intelligent as ever, you still cared about the characters deeply, in the second episode you see David McNorris fighting his inner demons. When NBC put this show on hiatus because poor ratings(even tough NBC didn't promote at all). In November NBC cancelled the show, me and every other fan were very p**sed about this but in mid december I heard that they were gonna air the four remaining episodes of the series. I was very happy, I loved the little marathon they had on saturday and was very sad to see the final Boomtown episode. This was the type of show you could use the word "Great", even tough is not on no more this will never be forgotten by real TV viewers.(1st Season=A+)(2nd Season=A-).

warderjeffrey This might not be the most insightful comment ever posted on this site, but it HAS to rank among the most heart-felt. Boomtown is my absolute favorite cop show since Hill Street Blues. Admittedly, it's undergone some changes over the course of its first season, but they appeared to be "bowing" to the ratings in attempting to make the show more universally accessible. The show HASN'T been cancelled (yet), and I look forward to each episode while they last. I LOVED the "multiple perspective" gimmick, which has since gone by the wayside, but the show remains one of the best written and acted on television today.

markymarky I'm not big into watching TV shows in general but this one intrigued me. The billboard ads and the fact that Donnie Wahlberg (ex NKOTB and The Sixth Sense) was in it pushed me to watch the pilot. I must say it was fantastic. The quality of the acting, the storyline, the sub-plots, the whole premise itself was great. That first show got me hooked and I made a conscious decision to keep watching the series.But then it all started to go wrong..... Admittedly, here in Ireland, we are a little behind our US counterparts and I have only seen six episodes so far but the freshness and quality of the initial show has been ditched for a more mundane, run-of-the-mill, cops/robbers show which makes you think why they bothered to be different in the first place.The episode where Fearless goes on a mad Rambo-like rampage killing off, what seemed like, the entire Russian mafia and destroying a motel into the bargain to "save" a little girl was the most embarrassing piece of television I have seen in a long time. That particular episode was topped and tailed but a ridiculous sub-plot where a dead body gets fired from a circus cannon !!! Come on !!!!Wahlberg, in particular, is superb in this. His gritty style and not-so-pretty-boy looks makes him a more believable character. Better than his whispering brother by miles.However the cast do as best they can with a deteriorating script which seems to get worse week after week. Less of the theatric cop stuff and more of the characters private lives might rescue this show yet. I hope it does because this is the only show I watch regularly on TV and I don't want to ditch it......