Kat with a K

Pilot Review: Lights Out

Don't avoid Lights Out because it's about boxing. It isn't. I promise. Sure, there's boxing in it, but at its heart it's a family drama, and the story of one man trying to just keep going after his moment of fame and glory has passed. Lights Leary retired from boxing when his wife told him she wouldn't put up with him getting any more concussions - and may I saw HOW GLAD I am to see concussions treated seriously here? - and now, five years later, he's put her through med school, his brother through business school, and his three daughters in private school, and all his money's gone. The years of concussions are catching up with him, too, so he has to decide what he is and isn't willing to do to support his family.

The whole cast seems great, especially Lights himself and his brother and wife. (You know I have a thing for Brothers Who Will Do Anything For Each Other.) Lights is a complex character from the get-go, so I have faith that the other characters will become more multidimensional as the season progresses. None of the three daughters annoyed me, and that's saying something, because I'm often not wild about kids on TV. The writing was good if a bit exposition-heavy, as you'd expect from a pilot, and the whole thing is nicely produced and has a serious and gritty but not dull or overly depressing tone.

Please, please, try this show! If you missed the pilot, FX is replaying it tonight at eleven. New episodes are on Tuesdays at ten, and they rerun a few times, which is good because everything is on Tuesdays at ten this season.