"Ringer" Review: Is It a Worthy Return for Sarah Michelle Gellar?
I never watched “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” so I haven’t been jumping up and down about Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to The CW like the “Buffy” fans have been.
But now I find myself jumping up and down a little because Gellar’s return to TV is bringing us a cool, sophisticated soap opera. And I’m a huge sucker for those…
“Ringer” stars Gellar in two distinct roles. There’s Bridget, the ex-stripper and addict struggling to stay clean, and Siobhan, who lives in the lap of luxury. Bridget is scheduled to testify at a murder trial, but fearing for her life, she runs off to spend time with her sister for the first time in six years. To Bridget, Siobhan has the perfect life. But when Siobhan mysteriously disappears and Bridget takes over her life, Bridget soon discovers Siobhan is far from perfect.
There are romantic complications, including her ice-cold marriage to Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd), step-daughter complications and mysterious men following her complications. Not to mention that Bridget is being pursued by the FBI agent in charge of the murder case she was scheduled to testify for (the always welcome Nestor Carbonell). And just when you think there couldn’t possibly be any more complications, there are.
And that’s what makes this show fun. It could just be your usual run-of-the-mill twins switch places story, but it finds a way to be so much more than that. Sarah Michelle Gellar is perfect as both twins, to whom she manages to give two distinct personalities. Plus it helps that the premiere looks fantastic and is beautifully and suspensefully directed.
You may remember that “Ringer” was originally developed for CBS, but it was decided it was more appropriate for The CW. It was a great call as the show probably would have languished at CBS since it is much more suited for The CW audience.
I may have not been looking forward to Gellar’s TV return before, but I am definitely looking forward to it now. It looks like I may have finally found a new primetime soap opera to cherish…
“Ringer” premieres Tuesday, September 13th at 9 p.m. on The CW…
Photo Credit: The CW
