Tell-Tale TV Series Premiere Panels: Frequency

The CW is venturing into time travel once again, but this time it’s via a ham radio. Sure, Frequency doesn’t have superheroes, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting.

Raimy realizes that her father’s old ham radio still works, and it works a little better than examined. She can talk to her father back in 1996, and she can even save his life., but there’s always a price.

What did you think of the premiere? Join the discussion by leaving your thoughts in the comments.

Our panelists are:

• Lissete Lanuza Saenz, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV
• Shabnaj Chowdhury, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Katie Houlis, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Allison Nichols, associate editor for Tell-Tale TV
• Jennifer Stasak from Just About Write
• Lindsay MacDonald from ScreenerTV

Give it to me straight. What did you think of the premiere?

Lindsay: I really loved it. It stayed really true to the original film, while still putting a lot of spin on it to make the TV series feel fresh. It’s got a lot going on since it incorporates time-travel, a serial killer, and police corruption. I think it’s got a lot of really strong elements.

Katie: I am definitely intrigued. The cross-time-communication aspect makes it unique and sets it apart from all the other time travel shows on TV, and I’m curious to see how it holds up going forward.

And I already love the main father-daughter relationship. Peyton List and Riley Smith’s performances were both fantastic.

Jenn: I’ve never seen the film, and this was the last pilot at Comic-Con’s Preview Night that I screened. I expected to be tired and bored, but I felt the exact opposite. I really was enthralled by it — by Raimy, by Frank, and by the premise.

The show already has enough going for it that sets it apart from other shows, while incorporating familiar elements (hello procedural drama!) to make it relatable. The relationships, ultimately, are what will keep this show grounded.

Lizzie: I had so many feels while watching this pilot that I’m not sure I can actually approach this question in a detached way. That’s how much I loved it.

I lost my dad not too long ago, and he was a big sports fan, and I remember watching the 96 WS with him, and …it was just too much. I didn’t just tear up, I outright sobbed. And I intend to keep sobbing with it.

Shabnaj: I enjoyed it. I’m definitely wary about what comes next because I have very little ideas of how they’re going to sustain a show like this for multiple seasons, but I’m certainly interested.

I think the pilot wasn’t the strongest, and at some parts I found it confusing, but I like Raimy and especially Frank enough to get invested in them down the line.

Allison: I’m with Shabnaj. I’m intrigued but still confused as to where we go from here. Raimy and Frank are the reason why I’m sticking around.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Lindsay: I didn’t feel totally sucked in by any of the characters. The plot really overshadows the characters at this point, so I didn’t really get a great feel for anyone’s personality.

Katie: I’m mostly concerned about how the premise can sustain itself over multiple seasons or even just one season. You can only change the future/past so many times before it becomes a major headache to try to keep track of differences to the timeline.

Jenn: When I talked to the creators at SDCC, they described their show as a family drama, a procedural, and a time-travel show all rolled into one. I’m worried that the show has TOO much to balance right out of the gate, and am hopeful that it will be able to sustain its premise while also giving us oh-so-important things like character development and plot progression.

Lizzie: That I might run out of Kleenex?

All jokes aside, it’s hard to see how this lasts more than a season – but I have faith in the producers, and I love the story they’re trying to tell, so I’m in.

Shabnaj: I’m not sure I cared so much about Raimy’s relationship with her boyfriend. This is obviously a relationship they can peel back on as the show goes on and as we learn more about them, but I thought the scene where the boyfriend is unable to recognize her because the past changed the present lacked the emotional punch it could have had there been more emphasis on the relationship at the start.

I don’t know. I thought for an important scene, it kind of fell flat because the boyfriend, whose name I never even caught, barely made an impression.

Allison: I’m definitely concerned about how the show will sustain itself. Like Jenn said, there’s a lot going on, so balance is a concern. Can the show juggle all of these different storylines?

Aside from Frank and Raimy, none of the other characters made a lasting impression. I don’t even remember anyone else’s name.

What/Who do you want to see more of?

Lindsay: I hope the show focuses on the time-travel and serial killer aspect rather than Frank’s investigation of the corrupt cops on his task force. That subplot is the least interesting of the three, and not what I imagine viewers will be tuning in for.

Katie: I guess more of the supporting cast? I’m not particularly invested in Raimy’s boyfriend or Gordo at this point (it actually took me a while to realize that he was not Raimy’s brother).

And I agree with Lindsay. I’m much more interested in the serial killer plot than the corrupt cops one.

Jenn: I’d like to see more of Raimy as a cop. We really got the chance to only see her as Raimy, the person and daughter, in the pilot.

Lizzie: I don’t care for anyone other than Raimy or Frank. Maybe the mom. Maybe. Not really feeling it right now.

Boyfriend? Meh. I won’t shed a tear if he’s gone. Basically I just want more of what I saw?

Shabnaj: As I have mentioned, I really enjoy Frank (mainly because I think Riley Smith is a very natural, likable actor), so I would love to see more of him.

I want to see what his relationship with Raimy’s mom was like, see him interact more with present-day Raimy, and get more background information on him as a cop.

Allison: I second Jenn’s wish. I would love to see more of Raimy as a cop. I was surprised that Raimy chose to be a cop, seeing as how she believed her father was dirty. 

What was your favorite moment/quote?

Lindsay: I really loved the scene where Frank accidentally burns the box with his cigar, and Raimy sees it happening in real time. It was a great homage to the film. I also thought the photo in the can buried in the backyard was a very clever moment.

Katie: The entire scene where Raimy and Frank have their first radio conversation after Raimy finds his old photograph, and she explains that he’s going to die the next day is so great.

List and Smith both put so much emotion into the scene, especially considering they have to deliver all of their lines to a radio and don’t get to physically act opposite one another.

Jenn: Oh gosh, the scene where Raimy is waiting to know whether or not Frank is alive was so good, and then the very end when she notices the Ham radio light back up again. It was a great way to end the episode.

Lizzie: The first conversation was pretty special – List and Smith told me during SDCC that the other was actually there when they were recording, so they could make sure the get the emotions right, and boy, did they deliver.

Shabnaj: I really love the first conversation between Raimy and Frank on the radio as well. The slow realization that ended with an array of conflicting emotions was just played so fantastically by List and Smith.

The baseball talk was fun. Also, I live in Queens, and I found it kind of endearing how he kept calling her “Queens.”

Allison: The very first conversation between Raimy and Frank sold me on their relationship. Even before they knew who they were to each other, they had such banter and chemistry.

Frequency airs Wednesday at 9/8c on the CW.

Frequency Review: Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1)