My Cliffnotes on 4 new pilots:

Hawaii 5-0: This was a highly anticipated pilot, which I read beforehand and it actually delivers a few pleasant surprises that were not in the script, that only visuals and actors can add. I first watched an old episode of the original and was delighted to see it open with hippies protesting Viet Nam and then later see men in suits and ties solving crimes and a lot of tension around a man pulling out a gun. Ah, the high level of story, technology and suspense of crime dramas of the 60’s. Now, in this redux, we open with terrorism and have a plethora of explosions, technology that “The Wire” would envy and a guy in jeans and a tight tee solving murders. It’s fun and I am not into cop shows but I have to say Scott Caan is really good and adds some nice sensitivity. Papa James would be proud. Daniel Dae Kim (who I went to theater school for a semester with – only 30 of us) was underused in the pilot and I hope they punch up the depth of his role, but I loved the female. She is that nice combination of hot/cute who can really kick ass.

My worry: I’m not sure how a guy with a background in terrorism can work on one island in Hawaii season after season, but we’ll see. I give this an B+.

Mike & Molly: I wasn’t sure how I’d like this show about two heavy people meeting at OA and my fears were a little founded as I cringed at how many fat jokes peppered this pilot, but it also had some nice humor and sweet sensitivity. Strangely enough the heart came more from the male character than the female but both had great humor and pathos. I never heard of the male lead but I love me some Melissa McCarthy (who I was in a Groundlings class with and fondly remember being in her home, writing a sketch we acted in together- she was excellent) – and I hope this takes off. My Worry: Fat jokes make people uncomfortable, may not be enough of a premise, and besides that, these two make their first date in the pilot, so where’s the conflict and “Cheers” like ,“will they won’t they” sexual tension? I give it a B.

Lone Star: When I heard this was about a polygamist, I started thinking about “Big Love” and how incredible that show is, but this is very different- and equally intriguing. It had a lot of surprises, especially from the heart and abilities of the main actor, James Wolk. The main character is actually married in one Texas city, and has a girlfriend in the other. We assume he’s a sleazebag as it reveals he is a con man working with his sleazebag father, but as the pilot continues, a big surprise is how much the main character actually wishes he could go legit, is controlled by his father, loves two women and aches to make a home with one or both. The main actor is hot, slick, and by the end we actually sympathize with him and how much he just wants to be loved for who he is. I am also ashamed of myself for watching the whole pilot knowing I’d seen the wife before and then needing IMDB to tell me she was Tyra on one of my favorite shows, Friday Night Lights. Shame on me. My worry: I’m confused about it ending on him actually marrying a second woman- as that seems stupid for such a smart con man and illegal. He could’ve gone on the way it was for a while and saved that for a season finale. The pilot does not give us a reason for this; it seems to just want to end on a cliffhanger. It seems to have blown a lot of its wad in the pilot and could’ve spaced a few more elements out. But I’m hooked to keep watching. I give it an A-.

Outsourced: The reviews are right when they say that people have to get over the queasiness we feel, during a Recession, watching a show about giving away American jobs to India. The show is both funny and full of interesting characters, but the actual style is a little hard to pin down. A filmed comedy, it’s packaged and scheduled with “The Office” but doesn’t have the awkwardness or laughs per page of that show. It feels like a ¾ comedy and ¼ drama. The writers were brilliant when they came up with the company selling stupid American novelties because that gave it a lot of jokes and cultural issues to mine. The woman who barely speaks up is great and the payoff to that bit was both funny and heartwarming. My worry: Like “Mike & Molly” and the fat jokes, Outsourced will be cow and “the food will give you the runs” jokes over and over, and get a little tired. Not to mention it’s about stereotypes. We’ll see if this show has legs. I give it a B+.

I did not act with anyone on the show "Outsourced" but maybe my counterpart in India did.