"Pilot"



Cast: Taye Diggs, Jon Seda, Patrick Breen, Christina Hendricks, Kate Levering, Joel Keller, Michael Michele, Matt Cooke, Mark Cameron Fraser, Lisa Marcos , Karen Robinson, Jordan Barker, Shant Srabian, Eric Weinthal, Michelle Nolden, Seann Gallagher, Hayley Verlyn, Sheila Brand, Catherine Burdon, Amy Todd.
Director(s): Arvin Brown.
Producer(s): Bruce Davey, Alex Taub.
Writer(s): Jorge A. Reyes.

Original Airdate: September 29, 2004.

Taye Diggs makes a solid case for 'Kevin Hill'

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

Talk about good timing.

Actually, in terms of the bigger social picture, it's way past time network TV built another hour-long drama around a black actor. But all you have to do is watch five minutes of UPN's genial Kevin Hill to see that the show's timing is right in other ways as well. UPN could use a hit drama, and TV could use a new version of the old-time matinee idol.

And if Taye Diggs can't fill that bill, it's hard to imagine who can. Diggs makes it easy to buy one of this season's sillier premises — a blend of Ally McBeal and Three Men and a Baby.

Seldom have star and vehicle seemed more propitiously matched. Kevin Hill requires an actor who can convince you he's smart and tough enough to be a high-powered lawyer; decent enough to adopt his dead cousin's baby; and witty and magnetic enough to attract male friends and female admirers — and vice versa. Diggs, quite simply, is perfect. Stars, after all, are supposed to be hot, and heat is what you get from Diggs in Kevin Hill.

Kevin Hill
* * * 1/2 (out of four)
UPN, Wednesday, 9 ET/PT

It's a good thing Diggs is so easy to watch, because Kevin Hill is asking its audience to accept one of the season's sillier premises. In this blend of Ally McBeal and Three Men and a Baby, Kevin is a big-time show-biz lawyer/player who discovers that his ne'er-do-well cousin died and left him custody of a 10-month-old baby. (And no, before you try it, you can't simply will your children by fiat to someone else. If you could, half of us would be leaving our kids to Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey.)

Of course Kevin takes the baby, then quits his job because the firm has no paternal instincts. He ends up at a small firm with three beautiful female attorneys, one of whom he has bedded.

Still, if the premise is silly, it does provide an abundance of arenas for storytelling (and, to UPN's credit, great diversity in casting). There's Kevin's interaction with his cave-mannish best friend named, oddly enough, Dame Ruiz (Jon Seda). There's his sometimes contentious interaction with his new partners, played by Michael Michele, Kate Levering and Christina Hendricks. And there's the lawyers' cases, as in tonight's ripped-from-the-papers battle over a baseball star accused of rape.

Most amusing, there's Kevin's struggle to come to grips with baby Sarah and her gay nanny, well played by Patrick Breen. In a somewhat familiar show, this triangle represents a relationship we haven't seen on TV.

The cast works well together, and the story is quite serviceable, but in the end, this is a star vehicle, pure and simple. If you like Diggs, you'll like Kevin Hill. And if you don't like Diggs — well, what are the chances?

Looking forward to watching this.

Let's see hour-long drama built around a black actor - that's never a good sign.

It's UPN which helps it along and it's Taye Diggs which helps even more. I'm going to watch but I'll wait until after the first episode to place bets on its longevity.

I wasn't looking forward to this show, but it had good buzz so I watched it. Man, that was horrible. Look at Kevin Hill. He has amusingly ignorant views of gays and women. Let's all laugh while crazy antics ensue.

Also, after years of watching LA Law, Ally McBeal, and The Practice, they're going to have to try hard to bring anything fresh to the table in the legal drama department. I think Boston Legal will fulfill my lawyer quota for the year.

I liked the pilot. Taye Diggs is always good, and maybe he has these views toward gays and women because he hasn't been around either of them in regular day-to-day situations (except sleeping with the women).

As for it staying on the air, I don't really think UPN will be canceling this. Their ratings always suck anyway.

It was just OK. I love Taye Diggs and the two Homicide:LOTS alums made me happy but for some reason it just didn't grab me. Falling back on gay jokes and women as pieces of ass didn't help (both of which I'm guessing will change over the course of the show given contact) was just part of it. Can't put my finger on it but I'm still willing to give it some time. Besides, I have nothing else to watch between Lost and CSI/L&O.

I didn't think it was that bad. Diggs was good and the rest of the supporting cast was alright.

I thought it was pretty good. It caught my attention to the point I forgot The Apprentice was on. I can't remember when I've watched so much scripted television.

Since ER and Firefly, I've had this thing for Christina Hendricks, so I'll probably be tuning in. The pilot was amusing enough. I think I started enjoying it when Kevin has to make the airplane sound over the phone during his interview with the Michael Michele character.

meh

I didn't see what all the buzz was about

And the reactions of the lawyers from his old firm to his closing was a moment

Just caught up with it last night. Pretty lame. Everything surrounding his leaving the old firm, going to the new firm, and then immediately being made lead counel on a Kobe case against his old firm was preposterous.

They should've cut all that out of the pilot and just concentrated on him getting to know the baby. As it was, there weren't enough scenes showing him falling in love with her. He was shocked, then frustrated trying to take care of her, then couldn't leave the house because he loved her so much? Mmmmmmk.