Lights Out - [FX - Spoilers]

JP Liz V1 · 01-01-2011 8:38pm #1

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/lightsout/index.php

Lights Out, from Executive Producer/Showrunner Warren Leight (In Treatment), stars Holt McCallany (CSI: Miami) as an aging former heavyweight boxing champion who struggles to find his identity and support his wife and three daughters after retiring from the ring. Financial problems leave him at a perilous crossroads – battling the urge to return to boxing or reluctantly accepting a job as a brutal and intimidating debt collector. Catherine McCormack (Braveheart) co-stars as “Theresa Leary,” Lights’ wife who is finishing her medical residency; Pablo Schreiber (Law & Order) as “Johnny Leary,” Lights’ brother and business manager whom Lights put through college; and Stacy Keach (Fat City) as “Pops,” Lights’ father and former trainer who runs the boxing gym owned by Lights. Clark Johnson (The Shield, The Wire) and Norberto Barba (In Treatment, CSI: NY) directed the pilot episode. Series Creator Justin Zackham (The Bucket List), Phillip Noyce (Salt) and Ross Fineman are also Executive Producers. Lights Out is produced by Fox Television Studios and FX Productions.

Promo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWoLVWo_xVo

The lead is played by Holt McCallany (a very underrated actor imo) and the series premieres the 11th of January

Mr E · 11-01-2011 3:07pm

This starts tonight and is getting pretty positive reviews. Looks like it'll be worth a watch.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48011

Richard Dower · 11-01-2011 3:23pm

^ it's been getting rave reviews.

Mr E · 11-01-2011 3:39pm

Not totally rave.

… clocks you with you so many cliches, you might end up with a concussion. … “Lights Out’s” predictable arc is all the more disappointing given that the series replaces the far superior “Damages” on FX’s card. …

… less than completely promising … after a so-so start, Lights Out does turn into a good series. A knockout? No. But sometimes, you have to be content to win on points.

PhiloCypher · 11-01-2011 5:42pm

Definately giving this a look .

mikom · 11-01-2011 7:01pm

From looking at the trailer what jumped out at me was brain-scans and brown envelopes.
Paint by numbers boxing tale by the looks of it.

JONJO THE MISER · 11-01-2011 7:43pm

Oh looks excellent.

11-01-2011 8:36pm

It's the kind of show which I can see getting better and better with each episide but viewing figures will force its early cancellation. I'm still raw over the cancellation of the superior Terriers last year.

Richard Dower · 13-01-2011 4:59am

Not a great start ratings wise, another Terriers?

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/01/12/fxs-lights-out-premieres-to-1-5-million-viewers/78395

I'll be watching it tonight and see if it's my thang.

Richard Dower · 13-01-2011 10:18am

Just watched the pilot...reminded me alot in some respects of the first Rocky movie. I was expecting it to be darker, grittier. Even the set locations, the modern mansion, the pretty daughters, the doctor wife....hardly the setting you'd expect for a prize fighter.

But, it wasn't bad...the way they constructed the pilot, scenes out of place etc. added a bit to it, setting up his return to the ring in future eps. - right outta Rocky. The acting, bit early to tell tbh.

It's just the pilot, it's very hard to gauge the show as of now but on the whole i may see another one or two, depends on my tv schedule. I'm not gagging to see another ep. but if i have a slow viewing period i'll pencil it in.

Overall, too early to tell.

Ciaran_B · 13-01-2011 10:20pm

It was OK. I hoped for more from Stacy Keach (SK + boxing = Fat City) and his family was very annoying but it did have Rory Gallagher on the soundtrack. I’ll probably watch a few more but the Tvbythenumbers article would suggest it’s doomed.

mdwexford · 14-01-2011 5:33am

Has potential, ill give it a shot for the moment.

Richard Dower · 21-01-2011 8:10pm

Anyone watch the second?...bit stronger then the first, but overall it seems very generic. Lights now a bag man for some crook...who happens to have cops on his payroll.....bit of a gross ending, yer man popped in the head. Things go mental schedule wise next week. I don't think i'll have the time to pencil further episodes in.

Richard Dower · 28-01-2011 2:06am

Anyone keeping up?....watched all three thus far, it's getting a bit better, very slow burner of a series. Ratings are pretty weak though.

Richard Dower · 20-02-2011 2:34pm

No love for this?....seen all 6 eps. thus far, gonna stick it through to the end, it's just OK.

mikemac · 22-02-2011 3:04am

Just watched the pilot, great potential here

Liked the way they edited it and you switch back to his street fight and collection duty.

Gonna check out Episode 2 now, reckon this series is a keeper

Richard Dower · 03-03-2011 2:55pm

Best episode of the season last night, and it was all down to the amazing performance from new character Ed Romeo played by Eamon Walker, a stunning performance!

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/lights-out-head-games-wherefore-art-thou-romeo

Richard Dower · 05-03-2011 9:05pm

IS ANYONE BLOODY WATCHING! :mad:

cauliflower69 · 07-03-2011 11:55am

I'm up to date and really hope that this show stays going strong. A great watch

mikemac · 09-03-2011 4:02am

Relax Richard, there are a few of us

Eamonn Walker on the show now, excellent

This is my new favourite show, I expect the next episode to be up in the usual places sometime later today

mikemac · 09-03-2011 8:58pm

So a sad cliche of the boxer who is succusful but has hangers on who just use them and piss away the money

Romeo was right, his brother is poison and wasted his money on bad investments and his father was holding him back
I was so sad to see Romeo pack up and about to leave

Keep the trainer, ditch your deadbeat brother!

Richard Dower · 11-03-2011 10:41pm

^ +1....again Ed Romeo was utterly SUPERB!, amazing performance from Eamon Walker...he just oozes power and grabs every second of your attention, he has lifted his show from meh to woah!

Even the dialogue has hugely improved since his arrival, you feel Ed would literally die for his boxers, he becomes invested in every aspect of the families lives, the children adore him. Daniella was very good in her scene with Ed.

Big confrontation at the end!....i agree his brother/sister/dad are milking him dry, and then the fight!....Lights' gets stabbed by accident!!!!

Sadly i fear Eamon Walker will be gone by next weeks ep. - a HUGE loss to the show, imagine the critical praise if Eamon Walker was in from the start?

Ava/Meredith Hagner has already got a pilot going, i think the show is done, 4 eps. left!

mikemac · 17-03-2011 1:32am

Loving this show
But it's clear as day it'll last one series and then be finished

Am missing Eamon Walker, bring him back and get rid of the leech of a brother who partially managed to piss away 12 million dollars.

The bustup on the sidewalk was great, it's obvious now what will be in the last episode and how the series will end.
I can predict the ending but I'll still be hooked, great show, thumps up!

Richard Dower · 17-03-2011 1:53am

It'll end just as the fight is about to start or something........
Barry K. Word is a legend though!....wordsmith, the loss of Ed Romeo is sorely felt. Not a patch on the last two eps.

I'll finish it out the but ratings are almost worse then Terriers, it's done.

mikemac · 24-03-2011 3:46am

Rainmaker was the latest episode

Not a strong one but an excellent ending.
Maybe you all saw it coming but I didn't

I was certain it was Lights who laid the beating on the councillor but it was Jerry the Rainmaker

I realy didn't see that ending coming, gave me a smile

Kinda sad how Jerry ended up, he was in an earlier episode way back at the start of the series so wasn't expecting him to be back.
A champion boxer and living in a ****ty bedsit and his mind and memory gone

But there is only one episode left and I thought it would be far advanced from this. Surely, just surely the series had to end with the fight.
Very clear there will be no series 2 with this

Finally, I can't believe Lights still trusts his brother and they've gone back to that real estate investment. His brother is going to waste the money yet again

Basq · 24-03-2011 9:52pm

This has been cancelled unfortunately.. final two episodes will air as normal over the next fortnight!

Down for the Count: FX Cancels 'Lights Out'

FX has canceled the Warren Leight boxing drama, Lights Out. I enjoyed the series, but the ratings were anemic, pulling a 0.3 national adults 18-49 rating in its most-recent two outings. This comes on the heels of FX’s Terriers which was similarly critically well received, and similarly very low-rated and canceled after its first season.

FX will air the final two episodes of season one as scheduled over the next two weeks, but announced it will not be moving forward with a second season.

Source: TVByTheNumbers

Richard Dower · 25-03-2011 3:38am

As expected....i knew from the pilot it would not last, so it's not a big deal for me. But there are precious few to no boxing shows on tv, while it wasn't unique or original in it's content i have to commend FX for trying something different.

Once i see the whole series i'll write a longer more critical overview.

Richard Dower · 27-03-2011 4:32am

feelingstressed wrote: »

Rainmaker was the latest episode

Not a strong one but an excellent ending.
Maybe you all saw it coming but I didn't
I was certain it was Lights who laid the beating on the councillor but it was Jerry the Rainmaker
I realy didn't see that ending coming, gave me a smile

Kinda sad how Jerry ended up, he was in an earlier episode way back at the start of the series so wasn't expecting him to be back.
A champion boxer and living in a ****ty bedsit and his mind and memory gone

But there is only one episode left and I thought it would be far advanced from this. Surely, just surely the series had to end with the fight.
Very clear there will be no series 2 with this

Finally, I can't believe Lights still trusts his brother and they've gone back to that real estate investment. His brother is going to waste the money yet again

David Morse was pretty good as a punch drunk former boxer, it's got 13 episodes so two left!

I was reading an interview with the show producer, the day before FX announced the axe, ouch!

He was talking about a possible season 2, rather embarrasing for him

http://collider.com/holt-mccallany-warren-leight-interview-lights-out-2/82014/

I was wondering if the whole bagman and other stuff from early in the season would come back, and it sure did in the big way. IMO the show worked best when it was pure boxing, when it was Lights and Ed, those were fantastic scenes.

Richard Dower · 03-04-2011 3:49pm

Ep. 12 was pretty good i thought, i almost didn't recoginse Ms. Tessmacher aka Valerie Perrine, she looked old...reallly really old!!!, i like the way they scripted in bits about her real life, dancer in Las Vegas etc. (all true....in fact she was linked to the Vegas mob back in the day), Lights' alcho mom pays a visit, is someone fixing the fight?

Series finale next week, at least we get a bit of resolution and not too much of a cliffhanger.

Richard Dower · 04-04-2011 10:34pm

Interesting thoughts here from tvline: FX’s Lights Out this Tuesday wraps up its run with the awaited title fight between Lights and D-Row. In my opinion, the series ends exactly where it should. Given how it ends, I would not have been interested to watch Season 2….

^ yup, 100% agree with that....tbh i can't see what a second season would accomplish or add, i always felt LO was a one and done kinda show.

Richard Dower · 05-04-2011 5:14pm

Series finale tonight, final ep. as it's cancelled...from what i read it wraps up quite well.

Richard Dower · 06-04-2011 5:22pm

A very very solid finale, the boxing fight was easily the highlight!....superb!, it was like watching a PPV fight for real. Tense, great choreography, very well filmed. As a series finale it worked. It wraped up very well as a standalone season with really no need for a season 2.

Lights won. as expected....but his medical issues from the early part of the season came back, he couldn't remember who won the fight + was losing his memory....a great way to end imo show the consequences for all his actions, lieing, criminal activity, etc.

It was a great footnote to end on, Lights Out while not hugely original or daring or even the best acting was entertaining enough. Tbh one season was enough....i fail to see what a second would accomplish. With out question the best acting came from ed Romeo and Barry K. Word....great characters!

Honourable mention to Lights' daughter Daniella aka Ryann Shawn, i thought she handled her scenes and story very well. I think Ava was way under written and vapid, in many ways she mirrored Light's brother/sister etc. - ergo using Lights'

There was nothing really original story wise, but i commend FX for doing a boxing show...it certainly had flaws, notably the acting from the leads + generic script elements such as dodgy promoters, Lights being a bagman, breaking bones, money issues etc.

The family dynamic imo was very weak, especially the wife and Ava, but i think Daniella did a great job and got much more involved. Stacey Keach....meh, he's the only recognied name on the ticket. Imo a HUGE flaw was having the dad coach Lights.

We saw how SUPERB Ed Romeo was when coaching Lights, Eamon Walker was gripping to watch, he stole the show!....he had such amazing acting and screen presence, the dialogue just went from OK and wow! anytime he was on screen.

If i'd recomend anything i'd say watch the two episodes with Eamon Walker, incrediable stuff!, the show ended the right way and on the right note.

Ronan|Raven · 08-04-2011 1:41pm

I enjoyed it for what it was. One season was enough for it and it ended as well as it could have. The episodes with Walker were indeed great.

mikemac · 08-04-2011 9:23pm

Good write up Richard

A solid show, best actor was Eamonn Walker who was superb
The actress who played Daniella was very good too and will have a good career for sure.

Very clear it was only going to last one season and I reckon a season 2 would have disappointed
Great boxing match to wrap it up, the fight was choreographed and well planned

Very happy I watched this show. There are better shows out there but I'd give Lights Out a solid above average grade.

Lights Out - [FX - Spoilers]

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