Sunday night, Canada’s Bravo logs the North American premiere of Gone, a new procedural drama series headlined by Lost Child‘s Leven Rambin and two Law & Order franchise alumni, Chris Noth and Danny Pino. It’s a twist on the usual missing person’s crime drama, with a former abductee at the center of a small, elite FBI task force. That also makes it different from Ransom, another kidnap-based drama about crisis negotiations that generally follow the money.
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]
Rambin plays Kit “Kick” Lannigan, now 26, who runs a dojo and teaches self-defense, which she has mastered alongside weapons training. After spending ages 6 to 11 (played by newcomer Danica Ketcham) in the custody of a couple who kidnapped her, she’s finally settled into a normal adult life.
In the first episode, Frank Novak (Noth), the FBI Agent who rescued her, comes calling with fellow Agent John Bishop (Pino). They need her help, and Frank is fully aware that the ask will require her to dredge up old wounds.
Since the first season banked 12 episodes, I think you can guess how that first case goes (although I have questions about who’s taking care of her dog). The rest of the cast includes UnREAL‘s Tracie Thoms as Agent Maya Kennedy, who was there with Frank 15 years earlier and still works with him, Smash‘s Andy Mientus as James, Kick’s BFF and a fellow former abductee, and Kelly Rutherford as Kick’s estranged Mom, Paula, who has turned Kick’s experience into her own media empire.
Matt Lopez (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) created the series, which is based on Chelsea Cain‘s novel, One Kick.
The pilot is a solid outing, lining up the essential pieces of the extended team. It also sets the stage for us to learn more about James and Bishop, whose pasts are hinted at but not yet entirely revealed. We do see that Kick has a basic code, and when her first case presents her with an ethical dilemma, she doesn’t pull her punches.
Gone premieres Sunday at 9pm ET on Bravo in Canada, and on Bravo.ca, Bravo GO, and via On Demand. It will air on WGN America in the US later this year. Here’s a sneak peek.
Photos Courtesy of Curtis Baker/NBC Universal and Video Courtesy of Bravo
