Lone Star (2010) User Reviews

Too Good for TV

[Audrey_Ann · 8/10 · 14 October 2010]

I carefully set my TiVo to record all the fall shows that had garnered positive reviews (plus a few that hadn't) so that I could compare them for myself. Hands down, our family liked Lone Star the best. An unusual premise, clever writing, intelligent plots, and plenty of opportunities to ask, "I wonder what might happen next?" And awesome music! We were hooked and happily waited for episode number two.

And then we read about the abysmal ratings. Surely, we thought, the network will move it to another time slot. Surely they'll want to preserve something this good. Nope, they didn't. They showed ep no. 2 and canned it.

Wow. The series had just begun to explore the different relationships the two fathers had forged with their sons. We had yet to see the main character get into any serious hot water with the two wives. (I just knew there would be a sweeps week episode where they met....) And what about holidays? How would he spend Christmas? Valentine's Day? Soooo many unanswered questions.

So it's back to crime procedurals, where I can predict the ending within the first 10 minutes and never wonder who is thinking what. Is this really the best the networks can do?

My 342nd Review: Episode One was more than decent....

[intelearts · 7/10 · 25 September 2010]

If Lone Star can avoid becoming repetitive and soapy then it might be on to something good. Like The Riches last year it has the simple idea of a con man, Robert Allen (Played with charm to the fore by James Wolk), who discovers life is richer without crime when offered an executive job in a Texas mega-oil industry.

Not only is he a con man, his father is too, then to sweeten the plot there's there's the two women in Drew's life.

All in all, this was pretty good stuff: but the question is, is there is enough here to make you wonder how it's going to work out? I think so - and more than that I want to see how it's going to work out - can he be the executive or will he opt for the simple life in Midland, r will his father tire of it all, and there's bound to be other spanners in the works - it's good stuff, folks.

Anyways, we did really enjoy the first episode, but the viewing figures of 4.1 million don't bode well. It is a lot more interesting than just junk TV and if you like drama I'd definitely say it's worth catching an episode....

In my opinion it's definitely worth seeing.

[enemari · 8/10 · 27 September 2010]

The characters in this series are so well picked out and I love the main character(Bob). You can see that everybody got along very well and you can see that in the series as well and it's always nice to see that.

The storyline is different and makes you curious what will he do next, living 2 lives is pretty intense, specially when his father is also a con and never has lived another kind of life.

I love "Lone star" and I hope it will only get better and hopefully many people agree with me, so this series could have a second season as well.

Keeping my fingers crossed for this one.

What a Shame This Show is Gone

[aimwilk · 9/10 · 18 October 2010]

This show made me a little ticked off at first, because it was going to make me like a guy who was a con artist with two wives... well, I did! I loved the main character, a man struggling to get away from the insane values his father taught him. I was just beginning to really look forward to watching this show when it was taken off the air. I wish the network had given the show more than 2 episodes to catch on, though I know statistics show that ratings don't usually grow over time. I think in this case, the show could have caught on and been something. The premise was definitely different - the actors were likable and believable, and something about it just left me awaiting the next scene at all times. It's too bad the network took all available shows off their site, because those of us who liked it would've liked to have seen what had been filmed.

Great Premise- show has loads of potential!

[sammieportman · 8/10 · 28 September 2010]

I really enjoyed the pilot, and I hope the network won't pull it until its had a chance to gel and mature. I think we'll see it come together nicely in the next few episodes. The story is cute, has loads of potential for really great Uh Oh moments and I think that now they won't need to cram quite so much information in the future episodes, so it will feel less hectic and more put together.

The leading man has just the right amount of charm and charisma to pull off the scams and just the right amount of heart to regret it. I actually want to see just how he is going to pull himself out of this mess. Both his wives are sweet and you like them equally for different reasons- and while its awful that he's married to both of them and you should hate him for it, its clear he loves them both, too, which makes you not hate him.

All and all, it beats another cop show and if they stay away from trying to recreate Dallas, then I think they have a series that could stick around for a long time.

A lot of strengths and one fatal flaw... for me

[eMTeePeeCestMe · 5/10 · 30 October 2012]

To get the praise out front, I have nothing but positive thoughts about the casting, direction and even the quality of the writing that went into the episodes that aired. I watched, and would have continued to watch if it had continued.

I liked so much about the show, but I couldn't get past my nagging annoyance at the basic premise that a life long con man (Bob Allen) fell in love with two clueless marks at the same time. The morality of it doesn't bother me, part of the joy of fiction is to be able to root for the clever villain from time to time. It was the impracticality of it is what ruined it for me. I believe in love, and complicated tragic love is the best of all... at least in fiction. However, saying that this man lied on a near constant basis to both these women and came away calling it love over extended my suspension of disbelief.

The fix could have gone at least a couple of ways:

• "Dexter" style. A bit bold and dingy even for FOX. Own that this is a fundamentally damaged if not broken man in need of far more then just the love of a good woman. A man so "off" from human norm that he can't even begin to feel or identify something like love even thought he desperately craves to have it at any cost.

• "How I Met You Mother" style. Would have meant changing one scene in the premiere episode. When Bob Allen was asked at or near the end of the premiere, why? Regarding his choice to maintain the double life even as it was becoming dangerous. He answered (more or less), "Because I love them (the women) both." Had he answered, "Because I love one... and one can destroy me." I would have been completely hooked. Which one does he love? Can that same woman destroy him? Does she know what we know... or maybe even more? It's a cheesy gimmick, but season after season shows make the central plot mystery device work.

I was surprised that in the near universal critical praise the show received from professional media, that no one seemed to share my apprehensions about the show. And I was sorry that it left the air before the bodies started to stack up... "Dexter-style."

How was this even approved?

[duncan6894 · 3/10 · 6 October 2010]

This show is about a low-grade narcissistic sociopath with obvious daddy issues. The premise is that this man is leading multiple lives and how he is "juggling" them, but he sounds like a whiny child always wanting more and will do anything to get his own way.

When it would take 3 people's worth of hands to count the number of good shows Fox cancels, all I can think is that the Fox exec's thought that this was a relatable character.

The only extra star for this show is that as abhorrent as his character is, the main character plays it well.

Hopefully this will be moved off onto the garbage pile of much better shows and they can do something worthwhile with the air time, like re-runs of Happy Days or blissful static.

Dumb and Pointless

[Bob_the_Hobo · 3/10 · 19 November 2010]

I don't know how this even got on air. "Lone Star" is a big, dumb mess that in my opinion failed miserably. The acting is horribly bad, the script is dumb and does nothing to keep my interest, and the plot is overdone and uninteresting. Chalk up another failed fall show.

James Wolk plays a Texas con man who leads a double life - meaning he has one wife and one girlfriend, and he's two people. I forgot the names and confused the characters for most of the episode so pardon me for not giving you the whole scoop.

Wolk is awful, he seems to think that a wink and a charm will stand for anything. His character is the absolutely typical con man; suave, dry, careless, smart. He's the boring stereotype. The women who play his wife/girlfriend are just as bad. Even Jon Voight shows his declining quality as an actor. David Keith seems to be the only one who cares in this series, he makes do with what he has.

Don't expect to get anything out of "Lone Star".