Things are weird deep in the heart of Midnight, Texas
NBC rolling the dice by running its supernatural tale against AMC’s Preacher
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A vampire, a witch and a psychic walk into a bar.
That setup for what could be a very macabre joke is the abbreviated description of the new NBC summer series “Midnight, Texas.” Based on the series of novels by Charlaine Harris (whose work inspired the “True Blood” cable series), “Midnight” follows Manfred Bernardo (Francois Arnaud) as he heads to the nearly dead Texas town of Midnight as a way of escaping his demons.
Saying he’s trying to get away from demons isn’t metaphorical. Bernardo has the ability to talk to the dead, a skill he’s used to make a living and stay in communication with his dead grandmother. Going face-to-ghoulish-face with those who are living challenged is daunting when there’s only one spirit. Bernardo discovers that the line between the living and dead is so thin in Texas that the spirits tend to show up in bunches like fans for a Grateful Dead concert.
His skills will come in handy as the once-safe haven of Midnight is being threatened by parties ranging from a very nasty biker gang to a very confused police department. The death of a local woman the day Bernardo arrives in town doesn’t help matters, but does give the first episode a nice mystery hook. It’s up to those with special abilities to save the town and themselves.
Bernardo, a Canadian actor who most recently had a recurring role on “Blindspot,” is likable enough to serve as the conduit into this creepy world. The audience gets to arrive in Midnight with him and so that sets up opportunities for explanations of the events that seem better suited for “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.”
The most interesting of those who put the strange in Midnight are killer-for-hire Olivia Charity (Arielle Kebbel) and imposing vampire Lemuel Bridger (Peter Mensah).
Charity’s passion for killing is equalled only by her lust for Bridger. But that physical relationship doesn’t define her as she’s devoted to the world of killing so deeply that nothing is going to distract her. One reason Kebbel is so convincing in the role is that she’s had plenty of practice with the supernatural genre having played Lexi Branson, a 300-year-old vampire on “The Vampire Diaries.” The roles are different in design but the underlying
‘MIDNIGHT, TEXAS’ 10 p.m. Monday, July 24, NBC
tone of evil and anger gives them plenty of similarities.
Her dark performance is balanced by Mensah’s portrayal of the powerful and wise vampire. He has the same capacity for violence as Charity but his underlying tone leans toward being in control and keeping his emotions in check. As with Kebbel, Mensah brings strong credentials to the role have had a recurring role on “Sleepy Hollow” and “True Blood.”
Familiarity with a type of role is good with actors but is not such a bonus when it comes to the overall package. The timing isn’t great for “Midnight, Texas” as it launches in the middle of the second season of “Preacher” on AMC. There are plenty of differences between the network and cable creepy productions but there are also enough similarities to make “Midnight, Texas” come across — at least in the first episode — as a poor’s man’s “Preacher.”
The AMC series also focuses on a man (Dominic Cooper) who comes to a small Texas town that’s full of strange and unusual people. He must use his skills and those of the other people in the desolate town to deal with a major threat. Both productions feature super tough women (Ruth Negga taking on that role in “Preacher”) who know a thousand ways to kill a person.
The similarities are not so blatant that the clock strikes 12 for “Midnight.” It just means NBC has to bank on the passion of lovers of supernatural programming being so deep they’ll be willing to watch another, similar show.
Those willing to take a chance will find “Midnight, Texas” has plenty of its own elements to make the show a very satisfying summer offering. Bernardo plays the role with the kind of balance of strength and weakness that make him a solid focus. And the strong supporting work, especially from Kebbel and Mensah, give the show a boost. Couple that with the show being based on the writings of Harris, who has a great handle on the supernatural genre. While “Midnight, Texas” may sound familiar, it has all the elements to feed the need for fans of this genre.