NBC’s ‘Deception’: Worth Checking Out?

This summer NBC released the teaser for their new thriller Deception, starring Meagan Good and Victor Garber. With only 3 weeks until the series premiere, NBC released the “Pilot” on both Hulu and iTunes for free. Since I hadn’t seen the show yet I decided to watch, and see just what it’s all about. This summer I gave 5 reasons you should check out this show based on the series teaser. Now that I’ve actually seen the show, let’s see if my reasons hold up.

New ‘Deception’ Extended Promo Released

The new series is about a young socialite, Vivian Bowers, who us found dead of an apparent drug overdose. No one thinks anything about it due to Vivian’s exploits in the tabloids, but a young FBI agent, Will Moreno has his suspicions. Convinced Vivian’s death was really a homicide, Moreno convinces Det. Joanna Locasto to go undercover, and investigate. Locasto and Bowers grew up together which makes it easy for her to get close to the family. While working the case, Joanna gets pulled back into the luxurious life she left behind, and rekindles an old flame.

Deception vs Revenge

One of the reasons I gave for giving Deception a look was that it was similar to ABC’s Revenge. Now that I’ve seen the show I’ve changed my mind. Yes, both are about women returning to their roots in search of justice, but that’s where the similarities end. While Revenge is about a woman avenging her father’s downfall and demise, Deception is about a woman search for her friend’s murderer. Though Joanna believes one of the Bowers could be responsible for Vivian’s death, she also feels guilty about deceiving them.

Murder Mystery Will It Hold Up?

The second reason I thought audiences should tune in was the murder mystery at the heart of the show. I found this aspect to be interesting, and the twists should keep viewers tuning in. As I’ve stated, I’ve only seen the “Pilot,” so I’m not sure how the mystery will hold up over the course of a season (or longer?), but what I saw was interesting enough to make me want to tune in for at least a few more episodes.

NBC’s Deception gives us a lead that could easily be any one of us

The third reason I previously gave was how this show’s lead is a heroine, while Revenge’s lead is an anti-hero. While we root for Emily Thorne despite the despicable things she does to those around her, NBC’s Deception gives us a lead that could easily be any one of us. She’s just a regular girl doing her job, and trying not to get seduced back into a life she left behind. I’m sure many of us would struggle with not falling into the lifestyles of the rich and famous if we were in her shoes. One of the concepts that interested me the most when I watched the “Pilot” was how Joanna was struggling to separate her feelings from the Bowers. Her past relationships with this family was just as intriguing (if not more so) than the murder mystery at hand.

Series is filled with familiar faces, and a diverse cast

If you follow my posts and Twitter (@Angelized_1st) you know how much a champion I am for shows that have diverse casts. This summer I gave two reasons to tune in based on this fact. I love how the series is filled with familiar faces, and a diverse cast that has actors of different ethnicities in pivotal roles. It’s 2012, and yet many shows on television are still “whitewashed.” I feel it’s important to tune into shows that offer diversity (no matter if it’s racial, sexual, or other) to let the networks know that this type of casting is important to us as television viewers.

Scandal Episode 2.10 “One For The Dog” Promo

Can an African-American Woman Lead Prime time Television?

The other reason I believe viewers should tune in is because of Meagan Good. ABC’s Scandal proved an African-American woman (Kerry Washington) can lead a primetime television series, and still bring in the ratings. I believe Good has the acting ability to do the same.

In the “Pilot,” Good did a great job at playing a woman torn between finding her friend’s possible killer, and lying to the people who raised her. Not only that, but when it came time to confront Vivian’s family, or a noisy reporter, I believed she was capable of standing her ground. In fact, all of the cast did such a wonderful job at making you wonder about their innocence, that everyone appears to be a suspect. Including some characters who I hope (for spoilery reasons) turn out to be innocent.

Enough love triangles on television?

If I could pick out one thing I didn’t like, it would be the possible love triangle the series has set up. Yes, I do understand why this triangle could come to be based on what I know about the characters at this point, but I’m not sure if it’s necessary. Besides, haven’t we already got enough love triangles on television? When will this plot device be retired? I say now! Overall, I give this new show 2 thumbs up.