Showtime's Meadowlands Falls Unenthusiastically Short

Meadowlands is Showtime Cable Network's latest offering, sharing its TV home to the jarring, yet entertaining Dexter and the wayword pleasure Weeds. After watching the episodes thus far, it is conclusive that Meadowlands is mediocre at best, and falls short of the shock and awe it so desperately seems to attempt. David Lynch-esqe it is not; even when compared to his least tolerable offering. Instead of thought provoking, intensified mystery coupled with nefarious delight, Meadowlands offers a loathsome attempt in the form of regrettably guessable plot devices mixed with a perverse, yet boring backdrop of nonsense.

Meadowlands unfolds as a semi-mystery. A family of four - a husband who is involved in criminal activity, an unsatisfied wife, a Lolita/goth teen daughter, and her disturbed twin brother - have been placed in the witness protection program. Meadowlands is the chosen placement, where everyone acts slightly off. Individuals appear to recognize the new Meadowlands implants and the residents of Meadowlands, who are all supposedly also involved in witness protection, weave through their weird lives. The show itself is not bizarre in a "slightly odd, mind bending way" but moreso like a "castoff in the high school cafeteria picking his nose" kind of a way.

Some plot developments that stuck out like an infected hair were: a repulsive, mean morbidly obese girl who is constantly praised for her beauty (sorry but she is so rude, I don't care what she looks like, she is not worth the camera time), a warped teen boy who's obsessed with a middle aged neighbor to the point of kink as well as forementioned tyrant girl, Meadowlands resident doctor who is in love with the displaced wife, Meadowlands security chief/cop who tortures miscreants, etc. The sad thing is, Meadowlands attempts to be clever, but misses so embarassingly. It is an attempt to mix Lost, Eerie Indiana, and any David Lynch film (without the decadent obscurity.) The problem is, the attempt is futile. It was very hard to stay interested. Instead of a disturbing result, I found myself rolling my eyes and watching the clock, determined to watch an entire episode so I could offer my opinion on the show.

I don't feel I'm alone in my thoughts that Meadowlands reeked. The reviews for Meadowlands by others have been less than stellar thus far. Thank goodness Meadowlands is only 8 episodes long.