Interviews

Kidnapped: Unmasking NBC’s New Thriller

By Marcos Bernal-Salas

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

There are many new shows premiering in mid-September to begin the new fall season for TV networks. Some of them might fall into a long hiatus or cancellation limbo as often is the case with new series or shows that don’t immediately find an audience. This is not the case for ‘Kidnapped’ an adrenaline-charged thriller created by Jason Smilovic (TV’s Karen Sisco, and ‘Lucky Number Slevin’) that will keep viewers in the edge of their seat. The suspense, the style and the character-driven story will satisfy even the most severe television critics and fans. The multiple points of view and compelling characters in ‘Kidnapped’ is something that makes TV series nowadays more fascinating and compelling than films.

The one-hour long drama follows the kidnapping of 15-year-old Leopold Cain, marvelously played by Will Denton, whose family is the ultimate Manhattan high society clan. The different points of view follow the emotional trial that his parents are put through the abduction. Throw into the mix a rogue private investigator and the FBI and you have an amazing drama at hand where the character’s motives, secrets and riveting action sequences play out every week.

The ensemble cast is nothing short than brilliant. Two-time Emmy Award-winning actress Dana Delaney returns to TV as Ellie Cain whose reserved but charming mother hides the many secrets of the Cain clan. Delaney was immediately pull into the series; “The fascination of ‘what if’ is very attractive and this is perhaps the connection that [the audience] will have to the show”. The writing, vision and intricacy of the show also locked in the ‘China Beach’ leading actress into the new series.

This idea is closely shared by her co-stars Timothy Hutton as Conrad Cain who believes that there is excellent writing and material being done for TV. “It was something eloquent of the way [the show] is written. [There’s] a sense of human and contemporary aesthetics to it”; reflects Jeremy Sisto, better known for his role as Billy in the Emmy Award-winning series ‘Six Feet Under’, in the uniqueness of the show and style. Sisto’s Knapp plays an important role as the rogue character who wants to get the Cain’s son back and keep the crime out of the front page news. Smilovic is very aware of the high-caliber cast working with him; “Each actor has made his or her character really pop. I like to say that the actors find the characters; the writer just uses words that you steal from the dictionary.”

The writing in fact is fundamental to the show and Smilovic loves to keep his stars in the dark regarding the storyline of the show. No one in the cast really knows who’s behind the kidnapping of Leo Cain. Perhaps is that sense of mystery that makes the series even more appealing. “It’s fun not to know”; says Delroy Lindo who plays Latimer King a soon to retire FBI agent who has more than a professional investment in the kidnapping of the teenage boy. So who’s done it? No one in the cast knows or is able to exactly pinpoint the criminal. Director Michael Dinner says; “Each individual has something at stake, something personal, something behind their motivation. While the characters in the series are dealing with the present, many are also contending with demons from the past.”

There’s also the style of the show; which is a cinematic equation of film for TV. The camera angles and stillness of shots or close-ups not only help develop the narrative of the show but reveals a creative force not often seen in network TV shows. NBC and company have decided not to conform to other television show formats that tend to be character-driven but a show that thrills for its psychological and emotional reflections of the human condition.

The overall story and formula makes kidnapped a strong contender in the new fall TV schedule. The mystery, style and great acting makes ‘Kidnapped’ a must-see new series.