Review: ‘Revolution’ over-sold and over-played

Tracy Spiridakos stars as Charlie Matheson, left, and Billy Burke as Miles Matheson in the new series ‘Revolution.’ (AP Photo/NBC, Trae Patton)

A new, much-hyped dramatic TV series, set in the near future, called “Revolution,” premiered this week.

The gimmick behind “Revolution” is that it’s set in a world that’s in effect gone dark, after the electrical grid shuts down all over the world.

In addition to this intriguing premise, the fact that it’s being executive-produced by J. J. Abrams of “Lost,” and directed by “Iron Man” film director Jon Favreau, explains its hype.

But like a lot of hype, if the pilot is any indication, “Revolution” is over-sold and over-played.

Set in a kind of post-apocalyptic world where guerrilla militias run the world, “Revolution” revolves around one particular family, the father of whom is suspected of knowing why the electricity suddenly went missing. He’s murdered by one of the militia and his son is kidnapped. It’s up to the beautiful teenage daughter and her very good-looking step-mom, along with an overweight former computer nerd, to track down an uncle who can help them track down the missing son.

This is the kind of show that has its star teenager trekking through the woods for days with perfectly applied makeup and stunning hair. She even picks up a love interest along the way. This is also the kind of show that when this uncle is confronted by 15 militia members, he can slay them all, one by one, with his trusty sword.

This show is so busy having adventures that no effort is given to establish the grittiness of the world they’re living in. It apparently can’t be bothered grounding the environment in any kind of reality. Despite a superficial resemblance, this is no “Hunger Games.”

The mystery behind why the lights went down is meant to be the draw but the show is so bland, I don’t care in the least.

By TOM TANGNEY