'Nashville' - 'Pilot': Mrs. Coach at the Grand Ole Opry, y'all!
What did everybody think of the new ABC drama?
Connie Britton in "Nashville."
Credit: ABC
I posted my review of ABC's "Nashville" on Monday now it's your turn. What did everybody else think of it? If you're a country music fan, did you find the original songs good (and/or plausible as hits)? Did you think the odds were too stacked in Mrs. Coach's favor? Are you looking forward to Cy Tolliver vs. Bunny Colvin, or does the political angle feel like a distraction from the main story? And will you watch again?
Have at it.
Alan Sepinwall has been reviewing television since the mid-'90s, first for Tony Soprano's hometown paper, The Star-Ledger, and now for HitFix. His new book, "The Revolution Was Televised," about the last 15 years of TV drama, is for sale at Amazon. He can be reached at sepinwall@hitfix.com
News From Our Partners
-
Seth MacFarlane's Next Film: 'Every Line Is Hilarious,' Amanda Seyfried Swears
'The Wolverine' Trailer: Five Questions It Answered
'Star Trek Into Darkness' Takes Box-Office Crown With $84 Million
-
'The Voice' Recap: Top 8 Revealed, Blake Shelton + Miranda Lambert Perform 'Over You'
T-ara Member Hyomin Shows Off Her Sexy Side in Korean InStyle [Pics]
Listen to David Guetta's Remix of Empire of the Sun's 'Alive
-
What to Watch Tonight: The Season Finales of SVU, The Middle, Modern Family, Chicago Fire, Nashville, and Criminal Minds
What to Watch Tonight: SYTYCD, Awkward., and the Finales of Grimm, The Game, and DWTS
7 Lessons We Learned from the 2012-2013 TV Season
-
Who Won 'DWTS'?
Backstage Drama Leads To 'Nashville' Changes
Who Went Home On 'The Voice'?
-
HomeVideo Review: My Neighbor Totoro / Howl’s Moving Castle
TV Club 10: What made The Middle one of the best family comedies in years
For Our Consideration: Will indie-rock reunions become just part of the plan?
-
In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious
Digital Multiplex: Warm Bodies and Aftershock
Discover the Best-Reviewed Films in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013
-
The Telefile - TV on DVD: Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Telefile - Veep: The Episode's Best Insults
The Telefile - Saturday Night Live: Straight Outta 8H
-
Is 'Jurassic Park 4' a Reboot? Yes, According to Sam Neill
'Return of the Jedi': 25 Things You Didn't Know About the Original 'Star Wars' Trilogy Finale
Melissa McCarthy Fires a 'Tammy' Extra for Mistreating Her Child
Get Instant Alerts on What's Alan Watching
Latest Posts
-
A Showtime leftover doesn't really fit at NBCWednesday, May 22, 2013
-
Will's gift takes an increasing toll; can the bad Dr. Lecter help him?Tuesday, May 21, 2013
-
Cathy and her family prepare for the end as the Showtime dramedy concludes on a strong noteTuesday, May 21, 2013
-
Daniel ponders a trip out of town as the terrific first season comes to a closeMonday, May 20, 2013
Recent Activity on Facebook
Most Popular on Facebook
Top Stories From Around the Web
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login Signup- 1
- 2
Next 41 CommentsAmanda
October 10, 2012 at 11:19PM EST Reply to CommentI liked this. I'm not a country music fan, but the songs seemed good enough for me. I liked Hayden and Connie in their roles. We will see how this goes- I raved about the Smash pilot and made all my friends watch- that turned out to be a little embarrassing.
Bill
October 10, 2012 at 11:28PM EST Reply to CommentPretty good for a pilot - but it did seem like there were way too many plots and subplots for a one hour network show. Wouldn't a show about the country music business be enough?
MyPeopleAreParisian@yahoo.com
October 10, 2012 at 11:36PM EST Reply to CommentThis pilot impresses me the Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Homeland pilots did.
Truth telling, atmosphere, and good writing.
I'm going keep watching.
Joyeful
October 10, 2012 at 11:50PM EST Reply to CommentI loved it. I thought both Britton and Panatierre were compelling and strong. I'm really excited about the supporting cast though, they all seem really strong, and I love their voices even more than the leads. Plus I've loved Charles (Chip) Esten since Whose Line. This stays on the PVR.
Stan
October 10, 2012 at 11:53PM EST Reply to CommentLove Connie Britton and this is the perfect role for her. I thought it was a great pilot (probably the best of the season). I was a little surprised they seemed to rush to a lot of plotlines within the first hour (like Deacon and Juliette hooking up and Scarlett going from wallflower to a great country western singer.) Hopefully they don't burn through storylines too fast. From that perspective, I like the idea of Bunny v. Cy just as another story that can develop.
Joyeful
October 10, 2012 at 11:56PM EST Reply to CommentI loved it. I thought both Britton and Panatierre were compelling and strong, and the stories were engaging and left questions that I wanted answered.
I'm really excited about the supporting cast though, they all seem really strong, and I love their voices even more than the leads. Plus I've loved Charles (Chip) Esten since the 1990s - I'm so glad people will hear his fantastic voice. This stays on the PVR.
MoreTears
October 11, 2012 at 12:12AM EST Reply to CommentThe first network pilot since Lone Star that can be taken seriously as a work of drama. Sure, I enjoyed Last Resort's pilot more, but that is on a "dumb fun" level. Nashville doing well in the ratings is important for reasons that go far beyond the fate of the show itself. Possibly at stake is the answer to the question of whether the networks should even bother trying to give network audiences material more substantial than cookie-cutter procedurals and serials that are just the fluffiest of soaps -- or should just continue to leave real drama to HBO, Showcase, AMC, and FX.
Kendra
October 11, 2012 at 12:18AM EST Reply to CommentI watched it for the second time tonight and still loved it. There were a lot of characters but it did a pretty decent job of introducing them and keeping a fast pace.
Connie was fabulous but I actually thought Hayden was the better singer which is hilarious since her character is Little Miss Autotune. Clare's singing was the best, though.
I hope this does well because it was one of the most enjoyable pilots I've seen in ages. I even liked the political stuff.
unclevanya
October 11, 2012 at 12:29AM EST Reply to CommentABC has a winner. A show I am not embarrassed to say I am watching. Connie is superb, they all are. So much better than Smash, that's for teens. Something about this that should be a home run!
cgeye After washing my hands of the excrescences encountered in SMASH and AMERICAN HORROR STORY, I feel refreshed -- this is a series that does soap opera with respect. It's even better with Ms. Rimes' franchises, because basic human conflicts are interesting enough, without huge plot monkeywrenches.
October 11, 2012 at 2:50AM ESTA pity that there's no corporate commonality with TNT, 'cause it would be a stone gas to watch Mr. Ewing join in a scenery-chewing contest.
And the singing's and songs are good enough for me to actually considering purchasing the CD, which I couldn't possibly do for the two shows listed above.
ragstoriches
October 11, 2012 at 12:33AM EST Reply to CommentIt was pleasant enough, but I lot soapier than I expected, with some pretty cartoonish characters. I was reminded of Dallas, with the JR-like scheming father and the Lucy-like young trollop. I think those who are old enough to remember Dallas, Falcon Crest and the like won't find anything new here except the incorporation of music, but Treme does that so much better that I can't be impressed by this effort. Maybe the young'uns who haven't seen this sort of thing before will be more impressed that I was.
sauloccl
October 11, 2012 at 12:38AM EST Reply to CommentCan't wait for more "The Connie Britton Show". Hopefully it becomes a huge hit so we'll have 20+ episodes per season.
Rayla shouldn't be complaining. After all, ABC's "Malibu County" seems worse than being forced to open for Juliette Barnes, right?
cadfile
October 11, 2012 at 12:44AM EST Reply to CommentOnly reason I would keep watching is Connie Britton - long time fan even before FNL - funny that according to the press she was the last person signed on to the show but she makes the show her showcase.
Love the strong women parts and the music was okay.
Chip Esten's solo bit at the bar was fantastic
The downside is there isn't really anything here that I haven't seen before and the plot outside of the music part just didn't do it for me - I don't care about the bad ass political father or his other daughter sucked into the politics and I love Eric Close just not his story in this show.
Beyond the music soap the rest of the plot seems too thin.
debbie I agree! The Esten solo took my breathe away! I want to here the whole song!!
October 11, 2012 at 9:25AM ESTdebbie I mean "Hear" Duh!
October 11, 2012 at 9:26AM ESTS
October 11, 2012 at 2:05AM EST Reply to CommentConnie Britton was fantastic but Hayden Panettiere brought the show down for me. As a non country fan I liked music but given how the music was from T Bone Burnett I knew there was a chance I'd like it. The duo at the end was pretty fantastic and better than anything I've heard from a country station in years. The politics stuff seems like any other show but I hope they stick with the music industry stuff which rarely ever gets talked about on TV these days.
John
October 11, 2012 at 5:57AM EST Reply to CommentWell, I'm glad most people commenting seemed to like it. I thought it was OK, but I was a bit let down after all the hype from the critics. Britton was really good, obviously. The writing was fine, though it wasn't spectacular. The biggest problem for me was the music, almost all of which (the lone exception was the final song) I found to be pretty bad. Then again, I dislike country music in general, so it might be good by country standards. Either way, it was enough to nearly overwhelm the rest of the show. I'm on the fence about whether or not to keep watching. I'm not in love with the show, as it's not even in my top three new network shows (Last Resort, Vegas and Elementary are the ones I've been watching and still like). On the other hand, there isn't much on Wednesday nights beyond Modern Family (if this was airing on Sundays, I would probably be out already), so I might give it another couple of episodes to see where it goes.
Linda F
October 11, 2012 at 8:26AM EST Reply to CommentI liked it and will keep watching. Beside the fact I'll watch anything with Powers Boothe, I was excited to see Charles Esten, who I just saw for the first time a few months ago in a Cold Case rerun (as a 1950s deejay whose murder Lil and Scotty investigated) and instantly liked very much. Oh, and I LOVED that duet at the end--what a gorgeous song! My only reservation is it seems like there's a lot of plot to follow, but I'm assuming it'll get a little easier to sort out as it goes.
David
October 11, 2012 at 8:50AM EST Reply to CommentI thought the show was good. I'll be back. But I would really love it if clever reviewers would refer to people on the show by either their real names, or the names of the character ON THE CURRENT PROGRAM.
Jimmy
October 11, 2012 at 9:14AM EST Reply to CommentPowers Boothe was way over the top. He seemed like a cartoon. Loved the rest of the show but his role way too much "the evil father"
Sigh I can't stand Powers Boothe either. I disliked Cy Tolliver on Deadwood and dislike him on this show. He's the only one I can't stand. He sounds like he's actually chewing the scenery!
October 15, 2012 at 2:59PM ESTI'd be interested in reading what Alan thinks of him.
Robin
October 11, 2012 at 10:39AM EST Reply to CommentI had no intention of watching this -- not a huge country music fan, not a huge Connie Britton fan (I don't dislike her, I just never watched FNL), and not a huge nighttime soap fan. But I left ABC on after MF went off, and the next thing I knew, an hour had gone by and I was saying that this might have been the best pilot I'd seen all season.
So, Nashville wins. I'll definitely watch again next week to see where it goes.
Heisenberg
October 11, 2012 at 11:33AM EST Reply to CommentEverything that was not Hayden Pannetierre('s character) - Fantastic
Everything that was Hayden Pannetierre('s character) - Meh
Connie Britton Specifically - Excellent as always. She did a great job carrying the show.
Connie Britton's Hair - Worth watching the show just for it. Absolutely amazing.
Overall though, this was a very promising start.
steve
October 11, 2012 at 11:48AM EST Reply to CommentI'd watch Connie Britton read the phone book for an hour. But the fact the it's actually well acted (particularly by her and Powers) makes it all the more better.
Did I mention I'd watch Britton read the phone book for an hour?
NJMark
October 11, 2012 at 12:10PM EST Reply to CommentAs we learned from "Dallas," any time you have a show named for a southern city along with a "Barnes woman," there's going to be serious conflict!
Connie Britton is good, but she looks too much like Jo Dee Messina; while she's had some success, she never had the huge career that Rayna seems to have had. (Hayden, on the other hand, evokes Miranda Lambert for me.)
jenfullmoon
October 11, 2012 at 12:19PM EST Reply to CommentMy thoughts on this: this is a show you watch if you love Connie Britten. And I do, but other than that, the rest of it is predictable. I don't think I guessed that the husband was going to run for office, but every single other beat of this show, I already know how it is going to play out. And I don't like the idea of watching Juliette skank around with Rayna's boyfriend and Rayna getting treated like shit by her label and everything else for not being 20 years old, and Powers Boothe being evil as usual. None of those plot lines appeal to me because I've seen them a billion times before and don't care. So...I don't think this will be a regular watch. It's not bad, but I don't care enough to come back. I'll probably watch it while on the phone or something.
Intellectual Ninja
October 11, 2012 at 12:30PM EST Reply to CommentSo... no one was creeped-out by one of the football players (a RACIST one at that!) from Remember the Titans having sex with the little girl from Remember the Titans?
Twice?
'Cause yeah, that was a little weird.
Otherwise, the show wowed me, and I never go in for primetime soaps, well, since the original 90210 and Dawson's left the screen and I was like 20.
Britton is fantastic. Beautiful, angry, full of fire. She's amazing in every way.
Hayden was good for what they wanted her to be: A slutty Taylor Swift with mommy issues.
Chip Esten was and is the revelation for me. I knew going in I'd love Mrs. Coach, because I'll always love Mrs. Coach, even since before she was Mrs. Coach on Spin City. But Chip Esten was like the 5th guy on the Drew Carey version of Who's Line Is It Anyway?
Yeah. He was the white Wayne Brady. Er. The whiter Wayne Brady. I knew he could sing okay from that show, but nothing like this. He was fantastic. Amazing.
And Clare Bowen is a find. Wow. She's like a younger Jennifer Nettles to Hayden's Taylor Swift. Actually talented and amazing vs. not so talented and overrated.
This show has made my Hulu Plus queue.
n
October 11, 2012 at 1:19PM EST Reply to CommentOverall I thought the Chicago Fire took too much bashing and Nashville too much praising. I turned off both after 20 minutes.
Nashville was OK, but I just don't see the show in there. Those camera soapy zoom ups are so network! Politic stuff wasn't necessary and I thought the plot moved too fast.
I had zero expectation with Chicago Fire and yes, that show isn't good, but I don't think it's that bad how people describe it, save authentic life errors.
With Nashville I had more hopes and I feel a little bit disappointed. It was an OK pilot and that's it.
I don't see a show in this and I think there's a reason why you haven't received a second episode.
n
October 11, 2012 at 1:56PM EST Reply to CommentOther thoughts: I'm 21 years old and not a fan of country so I have no interest in main plot which isn't unique so my feeling is that I watched another network show. I also am not from USA so I just don't care or am familiar with that genre music business. I didn't think I saw something different in that show from others. I adore Connie Britton, but I feel like this show won't last so good luck to her.
What I also want to say's that I don't understand why TV business thinks that movie people are better. I mean they put movie categories after tv categories in tv awards and hire those clueless people from movie business. Callie Khouri wrote solid script, ok, we do pilot and then what? She has no experience so we will hire another showrunner who has no clue about country and won't push creator's vision.
I am not sure if you know Alan but there was already change at the helm of the Nashville, Dee Johnson is running now things. I smell bad things...
bitchstolemyremote
October 11, 2012 at 2:05PM EST Reply to CommentI liked how the catty comments were sprinkled throughout the episode, rather than having a full on catfight in the pilot. Here's hoping we continue to get a slow build up to the inevitable showdown.
the minister
October 11, 2012 at 2:12PM EST Reply to CommentGood pilot.. but it was kinda weird when Hayden Pantyerror went up and gushed at some actor playing a country star who was standing right next to bluegrass legend Del McCoury.
I'm guessing Del can act well enough to pull "thank you, young lady" off at least.
Kmarko
October 11, 2012 at 10:01PM EST Reply to CommentI liked it! Not a lot of shows in this kind of space--it's not cops or doctors, but not campy soap either. Promising. Hayden's better than the rap she's getting here, too--she's the scheming villain type so far.
I'm in, but worry about the ratings--Friday Night Lights didn't fit an easy category either.
Random thing: what's with the lousy green screen or whatever you call it in the driving scenes? It's network, after all. Felt like I was watching Justified.
Kmarko
October 11, 2012 at 10:02PM EST Reply to CommentOh--also weird seeing that guy from the Office. Kept waiting for Michael Scott to enter.
Tedd
October 12, 2012 at 1:32AM EST Reply to CommentAbout ten minutes in I remembered how much I dislike country music. I walked away and won't be back.
- 1
- 2
Next 41 Comments