Imposters--Scripted Bravo Program



Watched the entire 2 season run of “Imposters”--In the current manner, that would be 10 episodes per season. All on Netflix. This is one of those truncated canceled for no good reason really grand TV programs that I have been becoming affectionate of. Christ, that sentence is a disaster…..

Imposters was made as a “Scripted Bravo Program” (their words on the opening screen of every episode)--As opposed, I suppose, to another baking competition that would be, at least by their standards, “Unscripted”….Even though we all know that they are indeed, scripted and planned. What those programs don’t have, however, is much overhead—No real writers or directors or hot new actors. Stuff like that. Plots. Original ideas. Location shoots. You know what I mean.

This is one of those programs where you watch the first episode and think Oh Shit—This is too good for TV. It’s doomed. And you’re never really wrong. Happens all the time. Life on Mars. Life. The Unusuals. Brimstone. The Finder. The Glades. Eureka. Terriers. Longmire. The Job. The Good Guys.

There’s plenty more, but those titles came immediately to mind. The list is truly endless. If it’s really good, it’s doomed. TV can’t seem to stand a really good, innovative program. Rather have another version of CSI, 9-1-1, or another amateur singing show. Didn’t happen to the X-Files, but that was the exception, you know…..The exception.

The set-up of Imposters is a group of con-men (and women) versus a group of their victims, and it runs from there. Look—I’m an old guy and, frankly, don’t really get surprised all that much all that often, but there were times when I was so surprised by the program that I laughed out loud. What a fargin’ treat. I LOVE to get surprised like that.

And it just got better and better until Bravo pulled the plug. Go figure.

The particulars, you ask? We got a nice mix of fresh new faces and some not all that fresh.

Israeli Inbar Lavi plays the main con-woman, and she does it well. She was already a regular or recurring character in The Last Ship and Prison Break, among others. Whatta babe.

Her main three victims are played by Rob Heaps, Parker Young (who plays a former football player, and happens to be a former football player but not in the NFL), and Marianne Rendon. All three are really worth it.

Evil con-beings are played by ballet dancer Katherine LaNasa, who you’ll recognize from Longmire and Two and a Half men—Another babe, and Madeline Stowe’s husband Brian Benben, of, well, the Brian Benben show, of course.

Catch this one on Netflix while you can. It’s really worth your time. These things seem to be available only for a short period of time at no cost, then, sort of magically, they are only available to rent for a buck ninety-nine an episode on your favorite subscription service.

It’s really a shame that no one picked up this dandy, well written, shot and acted program. If you ever watched “The Killing” (another artificially shortened program that was resurrected and given a proper ending by our friends at Netflix), you’ll notice that the house shown as the Pottsville, Pennsylvania home of the main bad girl is the same one used as Sarah Linden’s home.

As a final note, it’s interesting how easily a group of good actors so accurately played a group of Imposters, no?

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