Middle East Prophesies and Crime California Style

Tonight you can follow a murder in the Middle East if you are looking for an overseas adventure, or remain state-side and view a community drama set in California.  Or both, if you have the time. 

-- Dig, USA Network:  This 10-part series, starring Jason Isaacs and Ann Heche, sounds a lot like a television version of the successful Da Vinci Code.  Here is the basic outline.

 

When Peter Connelly, an FBI agent recently stationed in Jerusalem, begins investigating the murder of a young American, he realizes that he has uncovered an ancient international conspiracy that threatens to change the course of human history. Certain that the dangerous prophecy is nearing fruition, Peter must race against the clock to unravel its mystery. From a remote farm in Norway, to an enigmatic compound in New Mexico, to the serpentine tunnels of Jerusalem, this immersive, fast-paced adventure will take viewers on a quest for a truth that will shake the world's beliefs to its very core.

Of course, this new series also reminds me of ABC's earlier adventure Zero Hour, which crashed after a few episodes. Given everything else crowding the television these days, I think Dig is on thin ice.

-- American Crime, ABC:  This series follows all of the community ripples and intersecting stories following a house invasion and murder.  Starring Timothy Hutton and Regina King, who you may remember from another crime drama Southland, it sounds a lot like what we saw in the movie Crash.  That is enough to make me want to watch it.

According to Willa Paskin in Slate magazine, this is a show may be even better than Crash.  She notes:

Of all the series this season to take on race and diversity— Black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat, Empire, How to Get Away With Murder—American Crime is the most serious-minded. It has no sense of humor to speak of. It’s relentlessly focused on its themes. It can be harrowing and bleak. But what it lacks in fun, it makes up for in intelligence, complexity, and boldness.