Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2010-11 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at CBS's short-lived, end of season dramedy CHAOS!
The Details:
Premiered: April 1, 2011 on CBS
Starring: Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Close, Tim Blake Nelson, James Murray, Carmen Ejogo and Kurtwood Smith
Created by: Tom Spezialy
What I Thought Then:
"Chaos is not great but it is fun."
"The show sets the tone as a comedy-drama from the very beginning and while it occasionally tries too hard to be quirky, it mostly comes off as good clean fun."
"In the pilot, they went to the Middle East and were riding camels across a desert. This is one of the many elements that seems to harken back to the classic spy comedy Get Smart."
"Its ratings indicated it won't be around long and its shtick could get tiring soon anyway but I'll enjoy it while it's here."
What Others Said:
"Rule-breaking law enforcers! Wherever have we seen this before? But it sure works... seasoned with devil-may-care brio from a cool cast." - Diane Werts, Newsday
"I found little to object to in the pilot for Chaos, a mostly male action-adventure hour that is energetic and mildly amusing from time to time." - Maureen Ryan, The Huffington Post
"Like so many network shows this season, it asks us to settle for 'not bad' when what we want is 'good.'" - Robert Bianco, USA Today
"I didn't hate the pilot, though it veers from silly to serious so quickly a girl could get whiplash, but I didn't for a minute buy it as a serious contender for next fall on CBS, either." - Ellen Gray, Philadelphia Daily News
"If you're at all discerning, it's like getting peanut butter on your steak. You'd rather have that separate. And on different nights." - Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter
What I Think Now:
Not that I've thought about CHAOS much since 2011 but every once in awhile when it pops into my head, I always had a memory of it being a bit stylish and unusual for a network show but not for me. Well, I still agree that it is not for me but I'm not sure why I had the memory of being stylish and unusual. Yes, it is much sillier than your average CBS procedural from the time, but it is still a CBS procedural. There wasn't anything that stylish about it other than a black and white montage to kick off the episode. I think there was a kernel of a show in here - some sort of modern day version of Get Smart perhaps - but it was stuck in the trappings of the CBS of it all. Freddy Rodriguez was solid in the lead role and this was back when Eric Close was still a thing with TV audiences but I've always found him to be completely lacking in charisma. Watching it back will probably actually make it more forgettable to me in the future.
What Happened to the Show:
CBS has been a very predictable network for a long time. In the 2010-11 season, similar to now, they had the most robust scripted lineup but back then, there were even more scripted shows and more new shows. Every fall, they would premiere approximately five new shows with two or three on the bench for midseason. They would premiere one or two early in the season and then there would be one that wouldn't premiere until late in the season. Shows like Miami Medical, The 2-2 and in this particular season, CHAOS. They would often premiere so late that they would air into the summer. They would also usually air on a low profile night like Friday. These shows almost always had next to no chance of making it to the next season as CBS had more than enough shows renewed or about to be renewed, sometimes before these late entry shows even premiered. So CHAOS really never stood a chance. It premiered in the sleepy Friday 8pm timeslot to middling reviews (49 on Metacritic) and was barely noticed and very low-rated by CBS standards. CBS yanked it after just three episodes and then burned off the remaining episodes on Saturdays for the summer.
Final Episode: July 16, 2011
Episode Count: 13
Where to Watch: Not Currently Available Anywhere
I'm excited to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide! You can read my regular work at Benjamonster's TV!
