Well, it’s been four episodes now, and as I said I’d do in my review, I stuck it out and decided not to judge the show based solely on the pilot.

I like it. I don’t love it by any means, but I’m starting to really get into the stories involving these witnesses that need to be hidden away lest they end up dead.

Mary McCormack is impressive. She’s actually perfectly cast in this role. She’s an attractive woman for sure, but not one of those actresses with “model” good looks playing a part that is just unbelievable. She actually feels like a real U.S. Marshall. She has an almost “mannish” style about her, even looking incredibly awkward in sexy dress during the episode with the Bachelorette party.

And her partner Marshall is also a fun character, although we really don’t know much about him, except that he was looking for another job at the beginning of last night’s episode.

The only downside I see to the show is her ridiculous sister and mother, who mooch off her, wont get jobs and are just plain annoying. Despite glimpses that both seem to be making efforts to improve their lives, I still get a desire to fast-forward during their scenes.

The recent episode about the little boy who ends up with a foster family was actually quite touching.

So what about you guys? Are you still watching? Has it gotten better or worse for you?

In the first episode, she deals with a brand new woman from Russia who was promised breast implants, and some mob guys who all talk like the dudes from The Sopranos.

There was another story too, but I lost track of what was going on admist the confusion of three different cases going on at once. Not to mention the stuff about her birthday and Mary’s messed up family and relationships.

It might not have been that bad had I gotten more into what was going on, but the writing wasn’t amazing and the acting was so very over the top.

Perhaps I’ve just seen this type of thing before, but it just didn’t feel fresh or new to me. McCormack tries to play a cop with an attitude, but it didn’t work for me. I never laughed at her “tough guy” jokes that just felt horribly forced.

Now, pilots are notorious for not being that great, so I may give it one more try. The thing is, I like the idea of the main plot. I can’t remember any previous crime drama focusing on Witness Protection as it’s sole area of law enforcement.

But the relationships she has with her sister, her mother and Raphael just never felt real to me. There was a whole lot of yelling and banter that felt very contrived.

Did anyone else watch it? Did I totally miss the boat on this one?

McCormack hails from The West Wing most recently, but has also appeared in ER, 1408, For Your Consideration and more.

McCormack plays Mary Shannon, who is a U.S. Marshal who works with a top secret Federal Witness Protection Program (WITSEC). She’s based in the Alburquerque/Santa Fe area and is responsible for all the Federal Witnesses that are placed in her care.

Fred Weller is her partner, Marshall Mann, who of course is a total opposite of Mary.

I have stated the fact that when 4 out of 5 new shows revolve around some form of law enforcement, it starts to get old. I wanted to like New Amsterdam, but once again…it involved a guy who was also a detective. It seems you cannot have a show without some sort of legal angle these days.

That’s why series like Lost, or Pushing Daisies, or Battlestar Galactica are so appealing to me.

Still, I’m a sucker for finding hidden gems in the summer so I’ll give this a shot and post a review on Monday.

Any takers?