"Eastwick" Review: Everything Falls Apart...

I’ve never seen the movie, “The Witches of Eastwick,” which is based on the John Updike novel of the same name. I can only speak to the new ABC series, “Eastwick,” which is based on both the book and movie.

And to be honest, I’m not really sure what to say about it…

It all starts out fairly harmless, as we meet the three female leads and get to know them. I actually started to like them. But then the big baddie shows up and ruins the whole thing…

Rebecca Romijn is Roxie, the carefree artist whose work some consider pornographic. Jamie Ray Newman is Kat, the overworked and underappreciated mother of five. Lindsay Price is Joanna, the mousy newspaper reporter. The three live in the town of Eastwick, which is filled with legends of witches and magic. The three women never really liked each other all that much until a mysterious circumstance brings them together and they start to hang out and get to know each other.

That’s when the mysterious Darryl Van Horne (Paul Gross) enters. Darryl knows a great deal about the three women and he uses that knowledge to convince them to start using the special powers they didn’t even know they had.

A show like this is only as strong as its leads and Romijn, Newman and Price are all strong in their roles. The problem is Gross. Darryl is supposed to come off as sleazy and scary, while also coming off as charming and sexy. I’ve seen enough Kiefer Sutherland movies to know how well that can be done and Gross is no Kiefer Sutherland. Darryl doesn’t come off as sexy or scary. Just blah…

From the moment he hit the screen, the show fell apart. Scenes that should have helped better expand his character just rang false. So when you see Roxie becoming increasingly attracted to him, you can’t help but wonder why.

It’s possible that Gross could grow into the character a little more, but I’m not going to stick around and find out. If I want to watch a guy turn women on while he completely creeps them out, I’ll watch “The Lost Boys,” or “Taking Lives” or…you get the idea…

“Eastwick” premieres tonight (September 23rd) at 10 p.m. on ABC…

Photo Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC