Rosewood: Pilot

September 25, 2015 7:19 AM - Season 1, Episode 1

In the premiere of this drama following a brilliant private pathologist who helps the Miami police department solve its toughest investigations—whether they want his input or not—Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. tackles a case that hits close to home, and teams up with maverick detective Annalise Villa for the first time.
posted by cashman (6 comments total)

I was all set to dismiss this show, but somewhere along the way, it actually works as a fluff crime related show. The characters in his office are given good parts, the suspects get to have a slight bit of life, and what was first annoying with him popping up all over the place turns into a somewhat quirky thing attached to his used car salesman-like personality that has hardwired promotion of his business billboard into his everyday activities.

I thought the ticking time bomb element was a bit much, but at least the prognosis gives plenty of time for a solution. I also love how Ortiz whoops ass and doesn't get undermined by having to be saved, while she also gets to have a backstory and meaning to her character. Overall it is such harmless fun that I will probably keep watching it.
posted by cashman at 7:26 AM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

I was about to turn it off when he went all "warfarin! and strokes!" and then I burst out laughing because dude, that's like most of my daily meds and diagnosis, and it was hilarious to suddenly see them used as a tragic backstory for an action hero pathologist. I cannot wait until he gets some bullet graze and they have blood gushing everywhere because of the blood thinners or he starts wincing dramatically and staggers around with a 'stroke'.

And I'm embarrassed to admit I thought he was Doakes from Dexter - it's the Miami setting and tight muscle shirts. Eric King should totally guest as his grim estranged brother.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:02 AM on September 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

I really disliked the scene where Villa beat the guy up for intel and it was just played off for laughs/proof of her bad-ass-ery. If that's going to be an ongoing trope then I'm out. I did like the overall diversity, so I will probably give it another try, but if that's going to be a permanent character trait then I'm out.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:25 AM on September 25, 2015

So this is a show starring a black man in Florida called Rosewood... and it's just a procedural?
posted by kmz at 9:31 AM on September 25, 2015 [4 favorites]

So this is a show starring a black man in Florida called Rosewood... and it's just a procedural?

For those, like me, who didn't understand the reference:

Rosewood is a former populated place in Levy County, Florida, United States. The site is located just off of State Road 24 about 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of Sumner and 9 miles (14 km) northeast of Cedar Key. The town was destroyed by whites and subsequently abandoned in 1923 as a result of a white woman claiming a black man had raped her.

This resulted in the Rosewood massacre, which took place during January 1-7, 1923, in rural Levy County, Florida. At least six blacks and two whites were killed in a week-long burst of mob violence including shootings, torture and serial arson. The largely African American community of Rosewood was destroyed, never to be rebuilt, permanently removing African American presence from the two-square-mile site (Sections 29 and 30 of Range 14 South, Township 14 East, Levy County).

I'm looking forward to hear what the people behind the show have to say about that connection. On a preliminary search, I didn't see anything except stray comments from random people on forums.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:57 AM on September 25, 2015

I really wanted to like this one, but somewhere in the first half, I found myself too bored to continue. Plus, I found the title character utterly unlikable. Plus, the whole "high-tech lab staffed by quirky characters that do the impossible" stuff is pretty worn-out for me after umpteen seasons of Bones.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:55 PM on September 25, 2015