A Tale of Two Networks

F/X and Showtime are two cable networks trying to find the next wave of shows. For Showtime, it's because "Dexter" is ending and "The Borgias" flamed out. For F/X it's because they are a few years removed from the edgy fair that made the brand, such as "Rescue Me," "The Shield," and "Nip/Tuck."

Both are bowing new show this summer, but only one looks like something worth investing in. Here's a look at the shows below.

Ray Donovan, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime
About: This show has a good cast, including Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight, and comes from Ann Biderman, who created "Southland." It's meant to be gritty and edgy as it also looks at the underbelly of Hollywood and a Boston family whose taken its criminal enterprise to the West Coast. It wants to be a combination of "The Sopranos" and "Entourage," but it doesn't really do justice to either idea. Schreiber is a great leading man, and there are elements of his character that work, but this show as a whole feels likes it's missing something. The pilot felt a bit off and the second episode didn't do much to change that. Showtime clearly wants to establish this as a new drama hit, but it lacks the comprehensive appeal for that. It could improve, but right now it feels like a show moving in the wrong direction.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

The Bridge, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on F/X
About: This show is adapted from a european hit that followed a similar concept. In fact it's following a similar model as the AMC production of "The Killing," but that's a coincidence. This show feels very different in tone, and it's built around a more reaching premise and better actors. The set up is a murder at the border between America and Mexico in El Paso, Texas. One half of the body is a U.S. judge. The other half is a Mexican teen whose been forgotten by society. But the cops on both sides of the border — Demian Bichir and Diane Kruger — aren't willing to let that go. The pilot was a beautifully slow burn, setting up a number of ideas, characters, and themes. And the end of the pilot makes it clear that this show will be as much about the geo-political issues on the border as it will be about solving a crime, and that seems like a good thing. It will be fascinating to see how this drama series develops.
Pilot Grade: A-