Hopelessly corny, condescending and false in every way, this is TV drama at its worst. "October" stars Bryan Greenberg as Nick Garrett, a small town boy from the cozy New England burg of Knights Ridge. At the start of the pilot, Nick leaves behind his buddies and hometown sweetheart Hannah (Laura Prepon of "That 70s Show," who deserves better), promising to return in six weeks. Of course, he doesn't. Instead, he spends 10 years in New York, and writes a bestselling roman a clef about his hometown, in which he trashes all his old friends and loved ones. Then he returns to his old home to teach a seminar at the local college. No one is very happy to see him, especially Hannah who is now the mother of a 10-year-old boy.
Now, all of this could have been handled well. There is a place for sentimental, old-fashioned drama on TV. But "October" lacks any subtlety or nuance. Case in point is this bit of dialogue, in which Nick tries to explain his long absence to his former best friend: "It's like, once I stayed away, staying away became the way."
Yikes.
The sad thing is, the show wastes some good actors, including Greenberg (who had a sort of dorky charm as Uma Thurman's young boyfriend in "Prime"), Prepon and the always weary, always likeable Tom Berenger, as Nick's dad.
"October" is the reason that old-fashioned dramas get a bad rap. This is one trip home that isn't worth making.