Early Edition: The First Season review, Early Edition: Season 1 DVD review
Starring
Kyle Chandler, Fisher Stevens, Shanesia Davis-Williams
Director
Various
Early Edition:
The First Season

All photos © Paramount

Reviewed by Will Harris

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ou say you like the idea of time travel but the whole paradox thing gives you a headache? Have we got the show for you. “Early Edition” doesn’t actually involve time travel in the traditional sense – i.e. no one is actually moving backwards and forwards through the years – but its main character does have control over his destiny and the destinies of others.

Gary Hobson (Kyle Chandler) is just an ordinary guy who’s going through a rough time. His job as a stockbroker doesn’t mean much to him, his boss is a jerk, his wife is divorcing him through no fault of his own, and he’s living in a hotel. In short, it sucks to be Gary. Maybe that’s why fate decides to hand him a gift in the form of the daily delivery of tomorrow’s newspaper. Yes, you read that right: every morning, he wakes up to find the next day’s newspaper lying on his doorstep, thereby providing him with in-depth details of what’s going to happen over the course of this day. At first, he does the same thing anyone would do with such information -- he makes a lot of bets and makes a lot of money -- but he soon realizes that he’s been provided with the opportunity to save lives. So what does he do? Well, he quits his job and becomes a full-time lifesaver, of course, wandering the streets of Chicago with newspaper in hand and righting wrongs whenever possible.

There are several things that make “Early Edition” interesting beyond just its initial premise. First and foremost, Gary’s a profoundly ordinary guy, and that’s intended as a compliment. He’s been thrust into a unique situation and he’s trying to do the right thing, but as Joe Everyman, he doesn’t always have the knowledge or ability required to handle the occurrences that cross his path. Example: you know a plane’s going to crash, but how do you figure out what item within the chain of events will stop it from happening? He’s found himself with two confidants: Marissa Clark (Shanesia Davis-Williams), the former receptionist at his firm, and Chuck Fishman (Fisher Stevens), a longtime friend who still works as stockbroker but is forever trying to get “investment tips” from Gary, if you take my meaning. They essentially serve as the angel and devil on Gary’s shoulders, giving him alternating points of view about various situations.

The producers of “Early Edition” do a great job of keeping the viewer guessing, rarely going for obvious plot developments. They also succeed in providing a pleasant blend of drama and humor, with Stevens doling out most of the latter. It’s disappointing that the show introduces such an intriguing character as journalist Meredith Carson (Leslie Hope) only to have her vanish after only two appearances. She falls for Gary but finds herself unable to resist the lure of getting tomorrow’s scoops today, and the story plays out realistically -- well, relatively speaking, anyway.

Before we wrap things up, we’ve got to mention the paradoxical aspect of the show, or, more specifically, the show’s steadfast desire to ignore the paradoxes the newspaper is clearly creating. Think about it: if Gary is getting tomorrow’s newspaper, then the future is already written, but if he’s changing the future, then he’s creating a paradox and -- oh, wait, here comes the headache. Okay, fair enough, “Early Edition” would probably give physicists apoplexy, but it’s a clever, well-written show that makes good on the creativity of its premise and provides quite a few heartwarming endings along the way.

Special Features: The set includes the original episode promos, which is pretty yawn-worthy as bonus material goes. I’ll buy that Kyle Chandler was busy with “Friday Night Lights,” and I can even accept that Fisher Stevens has been kept hopping with a steady run of acting, producing and even directing gigs, but I can’t believe they couldn’t sit down long enough to film a short retrospective featurette.

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