Raines Reigns with Respectable Numbers. Do Goldblum and NBC Have a Hit?

As LAPD detective Michael Raines, Jeff Goldblum reluctantly accepts the weird detour his thought process has taken every since the traumatic loss of his longtime cop partner, Charlie (Malik Yoba). Whether he is conversing with perceived ghosts, figments of the imagination or paranoid delusions is not clear at first; nevertheless the back and forth conversations he has with the "beings" brim with the sotto voce wry wit so often associated with Goldblum's other memorable characters from films such as Independence Day (1996), Jurassic Park (1993), and The Big Chill (1983).

While the other-worldly exchanges between Raines and his imagination offer great fun for the audience, as well as heart and depth to the story line, there's plenty of old school, L.A. Confidential cops and robbers atmosphere to play against. As Newsday comments, "It's all so L.A. noirish that you almost expect Sam Spade or Jake Gittes to show up and slap some dame around. Raines has a splendid imagination and talent, which make him unique among his brethren. One day, the image - or specifically, the figment - of a murdered woman appears to him. She doesn't say much, though her presence is testament that something is gnawing at his subconscious. The clues don't add up. As he learns more about her, she morphs before his very eyes, changing (at one point) into a cigarette-toting vamp while a sax wails in the background. Raines stops himself: "It's not right - all of a sudden, you've turned into Kathleen Turner from 'Body Heat.'" Indeed, the ghostly victim as foil must have had more costume changes than Celine Dion in Vegas.

Granted a lead character in bad need of mental meds is no longer ground-breaking, nonetheless, it is still an engaging device when done well. Perhaps in real life we all have our share of leading characters who, like Monk, House and Raines, are a pinch unstable, (okay, more than a pinch). These wobbly characters, however, are also the most memorable and sometimes the most talented folks around.

Vincent Donfrio as Detective Robert Goren on Law and Order/Criminal Intent for the last six seasons comes to mind as another quirky, tic-besieged character; yet Donofrio's performance lacks the subtlety of Goldblum's. A little of Vincent goes a long way - too much exposure leads to, well, nervous tics! Goldblum, by contrast, has such smooth acting chops that stammers and pauses never interfere with the flow of presentation.

At 6 foot 4 inches tall, healthy looking and trim as asparagus, Goldblum's striking yet unique looks add quite a bit to the likability of "Raines." Given the chance, the series could develop a nice female following as counterpoint to the melodramatic heart strings being bowed over at ABC's October Road.

In one of many positive critic reviews, Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune says, "Much to my surprise, the beautifully shot Raines disarmed most of my preconceptions. Creator Graham Yost (Boomtown, Band of Brothers) has given the show not just the trappings of film noir - neon signs, snappy patter, a tormented gumshoe but also wisely imported what the best noirs possess, which is a doomed sense of romantic yearning.

What matters to Raines is not necessarily the who, what, where and what time was the screwdriver inserted in the victim skull. He's dogged in his own way, but this evocative show is more a rumination on the whys than thehows. Know the victim, find the killer is Raines mantra."

To know the victim, Raines talks with the dead. Really talks and listens. The conversations lend insight as they unravel some sticky stumbling blocks for the detective. Well, who doesn't talk to the dead, anyway? Not much of a stretch there. Thanks to Raines, that skeleton is out of the closet.

With viewership on Thursday, March 15, of 10.3 million, 2.9/8, somewhat in the Ugly Betty range, here's hoping we'll see lots more of Jeff Goldblum and Raines. With the itchy trigger finger jitters at NBC, who can predict? Let's check with Patricia Arquette.