I was predisposed to liking Harper’s Island for a variety of reasons.
First, it was a good murder mystery in the vein of the finest Agatha Christie.
Second, it was being exec produced by Jon Turteltaub, who was part of the team that brought us Jericho. Dan Shotz and Karim Zreik are co-exec producers – two names also known to every true fan of Jericho. Add to that a score by David Lawrence – he also scored … Jericho – and all that’s missing is Skeet. And Sprague, but she’s busy on 24 right now.
Whatever the case, I caught up with the first two episodes on Sunday and I was very pleased.
It’s creepy, it’s funny, it’s surprising. Absolutely everyone is a suspect until he or she dies, and they’ve thrown in a little supernatural bit with that little girl who seems to be communing with the dead.
Similar to Jericho, you have the prodigal daughter returning home after a self-imposed exile and the old friends who are thrilled to see her return.
I honestly can’t imagine how this could go past one season, but if anyone can figure it out, it’s this crew.