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May 9, 2007
"Traveler" finally arrives
About a year ago, I was at the ABC upfronts (ok, I was watching a telecast of the upfronts in a room at the WTNH Channel 8 offices in New Haven) as the network unveiled its new lineup. One of the previews I saw was for a show named "Traveler," and it was, by far, the most intriguing promo I saw that day.
It began with three young men horsing around in a museum. Two are racing, on rollerblades, to see who can get out first. The third is taping them on video recorder. The rollerbladers get out and, mere moments later, they receive an ominous cell phone call from the third friend, Will Traveler. "I'm sorry I had to do this," he intones. Then, behind them, the museum explodes.
It was a devastating, shocking preview. I couldn't wait to see it.
Of course, I had to wait. Like I said, I saw that preview almost a year ago.
But now, "Traveler" is finally here. A sneak preview of the show airs tonight at 10 p.m., and the second episode airs May 30.
I'm pleased to say that it's not a disappointment, and I'm hoping "Traveler" doesn't become a victim of the recent backlash against serialized shows. It's well-paced and has an interesting subtext -- how well do we really know our friends?
After the museum blows up, the rollerbladers, Tyler (Logan Marshall-Green) and Jay (Matthew Bomer) realize that Will (Aaron Stanford) might have been setting them up to take the fall for the bombing the whole time they've known him. Tyler and Jay are forced to go on the run, but also to face the idea that their best friend might never have been their friend at all.
There are good action sequences, and the cast is full of strong character actors like Steven Culp (best known as Rex from "Desperate Housewives") and Viola Davis (from such movies as "Out of Sight" and "Far from Heaven").
I enjoyed "Traveler" and think it was a mistake for ABC to wait so long to air it. The network made a similar mistake with its best new comedy of the season "The Knights of Prosperity."
Let's hope it doesn't make the same mistake with its best new drama.
Posted by amanda on May 9, 2007 8:53 PM
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