Previews of a Show Yet to Come: Touch

The January 25th premiere of Fox's new show Touch was an intense teasing of the senses before going black again and forcing us to wait until March 19th to see what happens next.  This device, where the networks seed their later release, has some merits when you want to stand out in a crowd of new shows.

What we see in Touch was a struggling, underemployed father Martin (Keifer Sutherland) trying to find a way to connect to his 11-year old son Jake (David Mazouz).  And while the show seems to be attaching itself to unnecessarily large themes, such as the death of the boy's mother in the Twin Towers, it successfully shows us a family trying to cope with a larger world that cannot understand them.  Of course, it is not a normal family since young Jake can detect patterns in his mind that foresee complex events before they happen around the world.  A series of events, mind you, that are so complex that should you leave your seat for one minute to grab a snack you are most likely going to miss an important clue that makes it all work.

Yes, Touch is intense and draining, which means you should give the program your full concentration and not use it as light entertainment after a busy day.  This is a good thing, mind you, since too much of TV is repetitive with puzzles one can resolve in minutes. 

Touch will officially premiere simultaneously in 100 countries this March.  I can already detect a pattern and foresee a network with a hit on its hand.

Update:  According to ScreenRant, Touch was renewed for a second season. I lost interest in this show with so many other coming out at the same time, but this is one I might revisit at some point in the future.