November 23, 2024
Review

‘Raines,’ 10 p.m. NBC

If ever an actor was meant to play an oddball character, it would be gangly Jeff Goldblum.

Goldblum joins an ever-growing group of fiftysomething film actors emigrating to starring roles in TV.

His vehicle is “Raines,” which moves to 9 p.m. on the burn-off night of Fridays next week after being showcased briefly in the “ER” slot.

Goldblum’s Raines is an unconventional L.A. homicide detective with a bit of a quirk: He sees dead people.

These aren’t ghosts he’s seeing. These resurrected murder victims are figments of his imagination, who evolve as he learns about them and how they were killed.

Talking to yourself isn’t considered a useful trait in the LAPD, so Raines’ boss (played by Matt Craven) soon requires him to see a therapist (Madeleine Stowe) for his “condition.”

But much like Peter Falk’s Columbo or Tony Shalhoub’s Monk, odd works for Goldblum’s Raines.

Created by Graham Yost (“Boomtown,” “Band of Brothers”), “Raines” surrounds Goldblum with a strong cast, including Craven, Stowe, Malik Yoba as his former partner and Nicole Sullivan as a civilian LAPD employee.

Still, with so much talent involved, “Raines,” should be more than it is. Maybe that’s why NBC cut the episodes ordered, then exiled it to Friday.

In other words, don’t expect the reign of “Raines” to be a long one.


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