666 Park Avenue centers around Jane and Henry, a young New York couple who find themselves the new property managers at luxury apartment complex, The Drake. The pair is in for more than they bargained for, as it seems that the property owners have sinister plans for the residents of 666 Park Avenue.
Series creator David Wilcox (First Wave) has developed an interesting and quite likely promising premise. 666 Park Avenue has a creepy, foreboding, and atmospheric feel to it thus far. Its oozing with ambiance.
The apartment complex where the show takes place is poised to become as much of a character as any of the actors on the show. The building is really spooky and Im anxious to see how it weaves in to the plotline of forthcoming episodes.
Its not a big surprise that the show is from the same company that brought us Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries. This series seems to have that audience in mind. However, it will likely appeal to a broader audience if its well marketed and continues to churn out episodes that live up to the pilot.
666 Park Avenue is better than a lot of the other supernatural horror thrillers of late. It pulled me in within the first few minutes and left me anxious to see the next episode. A lot of similar shows have barely started finding their footing by the fifth or sixth episode. So, its nice to see that this one isnt wasting time.
The characters are likeable. Even the characters that are supposed to be evil have an undeniable likeability. Terry OQuinn is spot-on as Gavin Doran. His calculating brand of evil is one that viewers will enjoy. Having not kept up with all of the casting news for the show, I was surprised to see Vanessa Williams as Olivia Doran, but, she plays the role well. Shes no stranger to playing the villain and she fit right in on 666 Park Avenue. After watching the first episode, my only lingering casting concern is that Rachael Taylor may grate on my nerves. Her portrayal of Jane Van Neen was out of place. It didnt match the tone of the show.
The character development was ample, but the nice thing is that the show doesnt lose its steam in favor of building back story for its cast. It kept barreling full speed ahead but let us get to know the residents along the way.
The pilot is pretty violent, but without the gore of shows like American Horror Story. There’s an elevator sequence that was particularly jarring.
My only complaint other than being underwhelmed by Rachael Taylor is that some of the dialogue was a little silly. Jane (Taylor) sees one of her neighbors with blood all over his hands and her response is to tell him to wash them with soap. Its nothing so bad that the show cant be great, the writers just need to be mindful of what they are putting out there.
Not much was explained in the pilot. We still know very little about what evil lurks within what is likely to become Park Avenues most infamous address. If ABC keeps it up, they may have a hit on their hands.
666 Park Avenue premieres on ABC Sundays this fall. Based on the pilot and an overwhelmingly positive audience reaction at Comic Con, its worth a look.
