October 10, 2012|By David Zurawik | The Baltimore Sun
That's a conversation lots of folks have had in one form or another as our nation and economy goes through an epic period of transformation. Boomers, even some longtime high achievers who haven't found new "business models," quickly find themselves redundant -- a nice way of saying professionally cooked, or, at least, greatly diminished in status and dollars.
After decades of stardom, Rayna doesn't handle those words from the new boss well at all. She has a great Callie Khouri exit line, but she looks headed for trouble in her unwillingness to re-invent her act.
Whither goes Rayna? And whither comest Juliette, who sure looks like she's moving in on Rayna's guitarist/bandleader/longtime unrequited lover (Charles Esten) in addition to her country music throne?
The one complaint I have about the series is that I wish it was on HBO, Showtime or AMC, and Khouri didn't have to go quite so melodramatic and borderline over-the-top with characters like Rayna's rich dad (Powers Boothe) in search of a mass-mass audience.
But I'll put up with a little J.R. Ewing silliness of Boothe's performance for the richly textured, instantly engaging work done by Britton. ABC is lucky to have her after so enthusiastically embracing the business model of cheap reality TV instead of the more expensive practice of trying to fill the 10 o'clock hour with quality drama.
