madeline short

Somewhere between Ted Lasso and Arrested Development. Super impressively funny and entertaining. The casting couldn't be better.

If i were more of a critic i might lose a star based on the outrageousness of the trope that a gifted person would be so heightened, compounded by the absurdity that a police department would ever allow a civilian to give input on a case, let alone adding them on as a "consultant". It's a super wacky premise. But so is every medical show these days, and apparently that sells. What makes it rise above the disbelief is largely due to Kaitlin Olsen being such a compelling actor on top of being comedic. It's surprising, but nice that her character is so emotionally adept at handling complex interpersonal situations. It's the opposite of how most high intellect characters are portrayed. It's nice to see the character ably addressing emotional conflict, instead of portraying the trope of high intellectuals with low emotional intellect. It sells her as a caring parent and compelling character in general. It adds an element of relatability and depth bc above all she wants to do the best for her children, and she doesn't view her intelligence as a gift, bc it really is a burden to her. That gives it a backbone of realism, which makes up for the unrealistic aspects (that are necessary to serve the plot.) All of the characters seem very well-casted. Despite the premise being so unrealistic that it breaks the fourth wall for me, i'm 100% HOOKED. At least the detective told her the evidence she stole was inadmissible in court. I really hope this show is successful. It's so good. Edit: oh no. Just read that the show runner was replaced by episode 3 with the guy who produces "the resident", which is just so cringy. That does not bode well at all. This show has a uniqueness and i really hope this guy stays out of the way of that and doesn't change it into another well-trodden drama and lose the quirkiness. Whomp whomp. I'll stay tuned in any case.