Second Chance
Common Sense says
- Fox
- Science Fiction
- 2015
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Second Chance is a drama about an elderly man who is murdered but brought back to life as a younger man. Plot twists are too surreal and magical to be realistic, thus the prospect of resurrection and murder will be less scary to young children. However, other intense imagery may be troubling: a man floats in a medical tank and is seemingly hit by lightning that causes scars. Two men throw an older man off a bridge, and his dead body is shown onscreen. Characters drink and smoke onscreen, but no one acts drunk. There are some references to sex and prostitution, no nudity. Guns are shown onscreen. Mild cursing: "Go to hell!"
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What's the story?
Jimmy Pritchard is retired, 75, and a great big mess the night two scary men come to his son's house for a mysterious robbery that leads to Jimmy's murder. He had a funeral -- but not a burial, because his body was rescued by billionare tech guru twins Mary (Dilshad Vadsaria) and Otto Goodwin (Adhir Kalyan), giving Jimmy a SECOND CHANCE at life. The Goodwins made their fortune with a massive social media site, but medical miracles are next on their to-do list: Otto's invented a process that can bring the dead back to life, and he's hoping it'll save his sister from terminal cancer. Now the new Jimmy Pritchard (Rob Kazinsky) is back to prove the process will work on humans -- and eager to find out what the thieves who killed him were after.
Is it any good?
A profoundly mediocre show, Second Chance is so silly that its plotline could have been conceived by a bunch of middle-schoolers who ponder "What if?" That said, it's mild enough for family viewing with teens. The show's elements are cobbled together from much-better thrillers: super-rich protagonists who do something desperate because they're running out of time; a hunky lead with a mysterious past looking for answers; a shadowy cabal that seems intent on doing Our Hero wrong.
Oh, and Technology with a capital T. It's important to capitalize that, because apparently billionaires can find fugitives by looking for their voice patterns in any room that has wireless internet, and dead drowned dudes can be brought back to life by sticking them in a tank and running a current through it. Why? Technology! Oy. The dialogue and characterization are just as clunky. In a nutshell, this show could use a bit of clarity and a lot more subtlety.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about revenge. Why is it a popular plot device? What type of story does it enable?
Is the audience meant to relate to Jimmy Pritchard? How can you tell? What about the way he is presented leads you to this conclusion?
TV details
- Premiere date: December 25, 2015
- Cast: Tim DeKay, Rob Kazinsky, Dilshad Vadsaria
- Network: Fox
- Genre: Science Fiction
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: March 13, 2020
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