Review: Eastwick - Pilot

Many people will confuse Eastwick as a remake of the 1987 Jack Nicholson/Cher vehicle "Witches of Eastwick", but the movie itself was based the 1966 John Updike novel of the same name (followed later by a sequel called "The Widows of Eastwick.") In the novel the three main characters, Alexandra Spofford, Jane Smart, and Sukie Rougemont are abandoned by husbands and form a coven. In the novel the "witches" already have power when Darryl Van Horne arrives in Eastwick. In the movie the three women are unmarried, two are single mothers and none have any actual powers until Van Horne (played by Jack Nicholson) shows up. All three are seduced and impregnated by Van Horne and the movie ends with them living in his mansion with said children. It was made in the 1980's and feather hair and shoulder pads aside, the 80's sensibilities are very apparent.

After the movie there was a little known 2002 pilot and a stage play which didn't get much in the way of attention.

The series pilot goes off the movie and novel in a few ways. Roxanne, Joanna and Kat, the three main characters, barely know each other and don't really like each other until a local woman (played by Veronica Cartwright - who was also in the 1987 movie) is attacked by fire ants while all three receive odd coins that draw them to make wishes in a fountain at the same time. While at the hospital where the fertile Kat is a nurse supporting a beer drinking out of work husband, the three get together for drinks and express wishes of meeting someone new. Enter Darryl Van Horne - played by Paul Gross - who buys a historical mansion and the newspaper where the doormat Joanna works as a struggling reporter where she pines for the handsome young photographer and has to put up with an editor with a breast brushing fetish.

So far we have a very interesting pilot that could lead to some fascinating possibilities. Each woman wakes up to their power very quickly and each power follows a bit of a formula (one psychic, one seems to control the forces of nature in surprising ways, one can make men do what she wants just by looking them in the eye.) There's a Pushing Daisies feel to the opening narrative which isn't a bad thing. The three main characters are likable and you can empathize with them which is important to sustain a television series. So far there isn't enough to nitpick about the episode, except the dialogue can be a little too clever at times but not enough to make ones eyes roll. Gross has some big shoes to fill following a role made popular by Jack Nicholson, and he's forward to a point that makes you wonder why he isn't beat up more but so far he put out the right vibe some someone (or something) dark and dangerous. Final vote, give it a watch, it looks like it might surprise everyone - long s it doesn't fall into routine like Desperate Housewives did.