Two Reasons to Love ABC's The Nine

One: Malcolm, Nick, Kathryn, Franny, Lizzie, Felicia, Egan, Jeremy, and Lucas.

Two: The robbery.

Those names above are the "Nine" referred to in the show's title. After the first, commercial break of the pilot episode, they've all been part of a 52-hour standoff that began as a bank robbery. Eight were hostages, and one - Lucas - committed the robbery with his brother, Randall. What happened during those hours is a mystery (for now); all we know is that these people have been bonded, for the rest of their lives, by their shared experience. And that's enough for me. I don't need to know any more.

The robbery is my second reason to watch this show, but it really ought to be in miniscule print far below every character's name, because its specific events almost don't matter. Giving out pieces, flashing back to the action every episode, is just creator Hank Steinberg's way of trying to hook the fans of "Lost" and "24," and it's a nice bonus to this life-drama. However, what I imagine he's counting on is that you'll stay to watch the characters living afterwards. That you'll become invested in following their journeys - they're what this show is about, after all.

If you aren't won over by at least a few of them, I'd be stunned. Because in three episodes, they've definitely won me over. They're each so distinct, so real. We believe their bond with each other, feel it, even if we didn't see it formed. Obviously the show's success at crafting these people and their relationships starts with the writers, but the highly-talented actors chosen to play them, are the ones "bringing it home," so to speak. I'm constantly amazed at how engaging these actors are. You've seen most of them before, though you might not be sure from where.

Chi McBride (Boston Public) plays Malcolm, the bank's manager. He's also father to teenaged Felicia played by Dana Davis (Boston Public). She can't remember those two days in the bank, and we as viewers identify with her frustration. But it's her relationship with her father, who wants to shield her from ever knowing details he wishes he could forget, that make the characters shine. Added to their dynamic is Malcolm's wife and Felicia's mother. On the outside trying desperately to understand, she wants to help them but can't. The show gives us a window into a family situation that's incredibly moving and heartbreaking. We wonder if it'll survive.

Egan, portrayed vibrantly by John Billingsley (Stark Trek: Enterprise) has to be asking himself a similar question. He walked into the bank a man feeling defeated by his life inside a cubicle, and walked out proclaimed a hero by the public. His experience woke him up, gave him a new zest for living. He wants to take on things he's never done, to challenge himself to go beyond what he'd thought he was capable of. Yet more than anything, he wanted to be a better husband. Like Felicia's mother, Egan's wife didn't know how to handle this change that's occurred, and it was the straw that broke the back of their stale marriage - they've separated. Her husband, as much as he needs his new, positive attitude to pay off, may be fighting an uphill battle he'll only lose.

Nick (Tim Daly, Wings) is a cop with the most to lose professionally. Along with once-soldier, Lucas, he's a character we've just scratched the surface of. What we've learned is that he didn't agree with his department's actions during negotiations; if he ever speaks out, he'll be vilified in the press, and have his gambling problem given the light of day. Personally, he might've begun a relationship with Franny's (Camille Guaty, Prison Break) elder sister Eva (Lourdes Benedicto, 24), but before he could, she was killed during the robbery.

Now Franny is raising her sister's little boy all by herself and working as cocktail waitress, because she couldn't bring herself to work back at the bank, where she and Eva were tellers. She was a party girl who's been thrust into motherhood. She seems out of her depth and barely making it by, but she's sincerely trying to do right for her nephew, and just like everyone else, you root for her to succeed.

Lizzie (Jessica Collins, Ghost Whisperer) is a social worker awaiting a child of her own. Its father is Jeremy (Scott Wolf, Everwood), a surgeon at the hospital where they both work, and her ex. Something happened in the bank that ultimately made them end their relationship, possibly involving Franny. On top of the awkwardness of having to work together, readjusting to everyday life is being complicated by the fact that a dying Randall - who was shot by the cops as they breeched the bank - is the hospital's patient.

Lizzie was reluctant to tell Jeremy about the baby until the October 18th episode, and had been relying on Kim Raver's (24) Kathryn for support. Kathryn was a cutthroat district attorney and workaholic before the robbery, but she's since been reevaluating her priorities. Regrets and missed opportunities show plainly on Raver's face, and through her friendship with Lizzie, we see Kathryn rediscovering herself. It's a remarkable transformation from Audrey and the relentless action/melodrama of "24."

Feeling the need to turn melodramatic and have those "TV" twists and turns, is the only thing that could sour me on "The Nine." So far, the plot of these people's lives has gone in a natural and realistic direction. If, to get more ratings, ABC pressures to have shocks for shocks' sake, or more action, and stops allowing the people to be the draw, I'll be crushed. The show has a dose of mystery and thriller as its springboard, but the heart comes from making average people great, emotional television.

Still, all my praising isn't going to convince you - just once, try the show if you haven't already. Let its nine, interesting stories suck you in, and here's to hoping you agree that they deserve a chance to be fully told.