In classic form, ABC has elected to make this season its season of "Lost" by putting together as many shows as possible about several people in a mysteriously bad situations that beg continued viewing and an eventual DVD purchase.
"The Nine" asks us, "What happened in there?" and it's safe to answer that, if the show's quality can serve as an indicator, absolutely nothing but boring scenes at hospitals and restaurants.
This is why the placement of "Day Break" during "Lost"'s abandoned timeslot can make a viewer wary. Here we have a man (Taye Diggs - one hell of a man) who is living the same day over and over (Bill Murray-in-"Groundhog Day"-style). And it's not just any day: This is the day he gets framed for the murder of an assistant district attorney. So, try as he might to unravel the mystery (mostly of the murder; the day-repeating thing is sort of just taken in stride), the next morning he is back in bed, still with the same injuries he sustained during the past day.
Viewers have no reason to fear, though: "Day Break" won't disappoint. Though each episode takes place on the same day, Taye Diggs takes the show in many directions as he struggles to learn what is happening and how far the conspiracy extends. It is tiring to have to hear him re-explain to his girlfriend how he knows what is happening, but the scene of her pulling a bullet out of him makes such nuisances easier to deal with.
Diggs himself is nothing short of awesome, and an interesting choice to fill this role, given his history in theater and of playing much more sophisticated parts. If nothing else, he proves his own versatility here (more so, at least, than in 2003's "Malibu's Most Wanted"). Diggs is rough-and-tumble, the sort of man who can take a bullet and keep on driving, then try to explain why he keeps waking up in Punxsutawney, Penn. to his girlfriend while she removes the bullet with pliers. He is clearly our Jack Bauer in the interim season.
The show also marks the welcome return of Adam Baldwin to our television sets as a good cop with a mean streak and a grudge. Judging from this show, this is a fair way to describe the entire L.A. police force. Each character looks willing to crack skulls if necessary, something the viewers can feel confident will occur by the end of the season.
There have been some rumors floating around that this show has an intended one-season run, like a mini-series or half of FOX's new shows. If this is the case, we have every reason to be excited by ABC giving a show just enough time to run its course and no more. (I'm looking at you, "The Practice.")
Should the show continue into later seasons, perhaps it will run like "24": each season depicting a different nonconsecutive day. But, like Jack Bauer always having to insist people trust him even though he's always right, we may see Taye Diggs have to convince people that there is yet another conspiracy to frame him.
One generalization about cop shows is that they heighten the drama by never giving anyone the benefit of the doubt, but Taye Diggs and "Day Break" definitely deserve it.
