In addition to Hellcats, the folks at The CW were kind enough to send me a screener of their other new series, Nikita.
The show resolves around Nikita, a former assassin who used to be part of Division, one of the government’s top secret, um, divisions. When she falls in love with a civilian, she flees the organization and her lover is killed. She spends 3 years in hiding before resurfacing with the goal of destroying Division.
Like Hellcats, Nikita opens with the title character, played by Maggie Q, narrating. The exposition continues in another scene, where Nikita reveals to her foster dad what she’s been up to since she last saw him. I’m big on flashbacks and I love that it allowed us to see Nikita in a vulnerable state, since she’s pretty much kicking ass and taking names the rest of the time. Which is something I don’t quite understand. She wants to stop Division, stop them from killing people, but to do so…she has to kill people.
The biggest bright spot for me was the cast. Maggie Q is not only stunning but talented, both of which were made clear during her brief appearance at The CW Upfront. I had never seen Lyndsy Fonesca in anything before and she blew me away. Shane West is as handsome as ever. I could watch him in anything. And Melinda Clarke (Julie, The O.C.) seems to be channeling Mrs. Cooper-Nichol a little bit, which is a win in my book. (Check out my interview with Clarke for her thoughts on the show.)
Throughout the pilot, though, I felt like I was watching a FOX show. Perhaps a female-driven version of 24.
Nikita is part action drama, part psychological thriller. Neither appeal to me.
I’m not big on violence. I’m not big on mind games.
And then the twist came.
At the end.
And while I won’t reveal it, I will say it left me intrigued. Intrigued enough to check out episode two when the time comes?
I don’t know yet. I’m still processing.
A premiere date for Nikita hasn’t been announced yet but it will air Thursdays in the fall after The Vampire Diaries.
I have to note, though, that Nikita won’t be covered extensively on this site since it is not a teen drama. I will continue to include it as I have thus far: when there’s something relevant to Clarke or executive producer McG (executive producer, The O.C.) or when there’s some other teen drama connection.
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