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One of the funniest descriptions of the CBS series “The Gifted Man” came from the son of the funniest Canadian TV critic I know.
After hearing that the series is about a handsome, gifted doctor who sees visions of his late ex-wife telling him what to do to be a better person, the college son said something like this to his dad: “Oh, so you mean, the doctor’s ex-wife nags him from his grave.”
That pretty much tells the story of the pilot, which airs at 8 tonight on CBS.
You’ll Like It If: You love the looks of Patrick Wilson (seen above with cast member Margo Martindale), who plays Dr. Michael Holt, a handsome, athletic, rich neurosurgeon who has the talent of Dr. Gregory House. He saves a professional tennis player from her ambition and tries to save a friend from himself. He initially is slightly more likable dealing with his assistant (played by the Emmy-winning Martindale of “Justified’) and his stressed out sister.Then his ex-wife, played by Jennifer Ehle, arrives with the gift that expands his heart.
You’ll Hate It If: You get tired of series in which people have unexplainable talents or visions and you need something more grounded.
Outlook: At 8 p.m. Friday, anything is a tough sell. The cast is strong and I can see CBS having a vision that this will work in a time shot where the Jennifer Love Hewitt series “The Ghost Whisperer” prospered. But success all depends on Wilson’s appeal and perhaps whether CBS gives him the gift of a better time slot. Rating: 2 and a half stars out of 4

The second notable series to premiere this weekend is “Pan Am,” which arrives on schedule  opposite CBS’ “CSI: Miami” at 10 p.m. Sunday. That isn’t exactly a soft landing for the pre-feminist 1960s stewardesses and jet age pilots who are circling the globe when the women wore uniforms and offered coffee, tea or milk with a smile and occasionally added something extra. It’s the extra the show concentrates on. The one member of the cast most likely to be recognized is Christina Ricci, who plays the rebel. The cast of characters also includes two competitive sisters, one a former beauty queen, who create a lot of turbulence for each other.
You’ll Like It If: You enjoy looking at beautiful, stylish people and feel nostalgia about the days women wore girdles and “silly little hats” and passengers could fly when snacks were plentiful and before baggage fees and security checks made traveling one big pain. To spice your trip up, the script offers some romantic heartbreak and gives a couple of stewardesses an extra job as international spies.
You’ll Hate It If: You’re not a fan of flying or nostalgia and lines like this: “Better buckle up, adventure calls.” Or “I want to see the world.”
Outlook: Did I mention it is opposite “CSI: Miami” on CBS? And the Sunday Night NFL game on NBC? You don’t have to be a traffic controller to see that this well-produced and pretty-looking series is flying in dangerous territory. It doesn’t help that it takes the show’s pilot a considerable amount of time to takeoff. ABC better give “Pan Am” another route to success. Rating: 2 and a half stars
Early Ratings Report: As much as I liked “The X Factor” premiere Wednesday, early local ratings returns indicate that Simon Cowell’s baby isn’t going to be anywhere near as popular as “American Idol” here.
Wednesday’s two-hour premiere on WUTV was beaten by just about everything in prime time except the NBC comedies “Up All Night” and “Free Agents.”
“Factor” got slightly more than half the audience of “Criminal Minds” on CBS and about two-thirds of ABC’s “Modern Family,” which got a huge boost from its Emmy wins and had its highest local rating to date by far.
The big prime time winner locally in week 1 is “Two and Half Men,” which got a huge 25.5 rating for Ashton Kutcher’s debut and helped the premiere of “2 Broke Girls’ get a 20.5 rating after it. “Girls” moves to 8:30 p.m. Monday so it should see a steep drop. “Men” also should see a steep drop since the first episode had a huge tune-in factor.
pergament@msn.com

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