After the success of ABC’s Revenge last season, I’m a little surprised there aren’t more shows such as Infamous this year.  I’m also more than a little surprised that NBC is saving this one of mid-season.

Infamous is not a copycat of Revenge, but it is another show of its type.  In this case, it’s about a spoiled and wealthy family (think Dirty Sexy Money from a few seasons ago), which is grieving the tragic loss of a daughter and a sister named Vivian Bowers (think Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan).  It’s unclear whether it’s a drug overdose or murder, and it’s also unclear whether she was murdered by someone very close to her.

Into the mix steps Joanna Locasto, the daughter of the family’s former housekeeper and Vivian’s one-time best friend.  She shows up to pay her respects and Vivian’s father immediately invites her to stay with the family as they deal with their grief.  (You see, she told him she happens to be escaping an abusive marriage and doesn’t know where she’s going to go.)

What the daddy (played by Victor Garber, who always adds class to any show he’s in) doesn’t know is that in the years since Joanna and his daughter were BFFs, Joanna has become a police detective, and she has been asked by her bosses to use her connection to the Bowers to investigate Vivian’s death.

Sound juicy?  It is!  The first episode has everything to make for another terrific prime time soap (a la Revenge).  The pilot episode alone has a second surprising death, a handful of other family mysteries, including a dramatic revelation that one member of the family isn’t who everyone else thinks!

I was riveted by the first episode from the very start and I can’t wait until the next episode!  Unfortunately for all of us, we likely won’t see it before early 2013.

As hard as it is to picture NBC with a hit these days, this is the closest thing I’ve seen in a while.  Hopefully, they will find the right timeslot for it and promote it properly.

TV Gord’s Final Verdict:  There’s a great future for this show!