An Unforgettable Gifted Man

So CBS has a couple of new dramas on the docket this season. One, featuring Poppy Montgomery, is in their semi-dark procedural vein, the other, A Gifted Man...well, it's about a snotty doctor who is haunted by his dead wife. The latter, I believe, filling their ghost quota, necessary following the demise of Medium and that Jennifer Love Hewitt show. There is also the J.J. Abrams show, Person of Interest, which I'll get to in another post.

Unforgettable is about a former cop (Montgomery) who is blessed/cursed with the perfect memory. We see her in the pilot volunteering in a home where she entertains with her ability to perfectly recall details about particular days. Later her neighbor is murdered (of course) bringing the cops and her ex-boyfriend/partner from her police days. She's (no shockingly) sucked into the case and helps solve it with her remarkable recall and I'm certain soon to rejoin the force either as a cop or consultant (hello Mentalist).  She's a solid, interesting character, but the show seems really familiar and formulaic.... on the other hand, that seems to work really well for CBS and I wouldn't be surprised to see that continue with this show.

A Gifted Man stars Patrick Wilson and also (recent Emmy winner) Margo Martindale. Wilson plays a very wealthy, self-absorbed high end doctor who has recently lost his wife. He seems pretty much ok with it, going about his business until, his dead wife shows up and starts talking to him. He freaks out (as I suspect we all would), gets himself an MRI, goes to see someone who is an expert in dealing with spirits and even does what she asks him to do. This is the crux of the show. While he's helping out the wealthy and famous, his wife working working a free clinic. She asked him to go and throw her password on her computer so the clinic would be able to do their work. He does, it works and he even helps a poor kid get an MRI and then surgery, saving his life. We see some of the set up there and from Martindale who is the woman trying to keep his high end business high end and keeping the riff raft out. She gives him an earful about helping the poor. Then he goes and tries to have his wife's spirit extracted... except she refuses to go. So... not really a procedural.... not really sure how to classify it yet, but at least it's different and somewhat interesting. I like the concept a lot, just wonder how they work it on a day to day basis without it slipping into that procedural where he helps a rich person and a poor person at the behest of his wife. I'd say give it a try if you haven't.