SCORPION: "Pilot" and Stopping the Ticking Clock...

I went into the SCORPION pilot with trepidation, given that what little I'd read about the upcoming series was negative with biases against the concept, the performance of Katharine McPhee, etc. 

Not expecting much, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this pilot appeared to be hitting all the right marks as it began. 

The character introductions were well-done -- not too fast, not completely trite.

The episode plot was fresh enough and structured well -- although it wasn't completely believable. 

And the conclusion was open-ended enough to allow for all sorts of story possibilities -- a refreshing change, given all the murder-solving drama series currently on the air.

Unfortunately, the episode revealed two major, interrelated storytelling issues that (if not corrected in future episodes) will destroy this fledgling series.

And both of these issues are directly related to the stopping of the ticking clock that should be driving the drama.

LEGENDS: "Pilot" -- Story vs. Character

There's a reason my personal tagline as a writer is: "Write Time. Write Place. Write Story." These days many of the TV and filmmakers in Hollywood become so lost making sure their scenes are action-packed that they neglect to tell a story worth watching.

With the new Sean Bean starrer, LEGENDS, I've spotted a new problem -- one in which story takes precedence over all... including character development.