Eli Stone gotta have faith

A male counterpart to Ally McBeal with the music of George Michael? That’s how some critics are seeing Eli Stone, the quirky new legal drama from US network ABC.

The show draws upon the music of George Michael with breakout fantasy songs, an appearance by the pop star, and titling each show after one of his tracks.

Jonny Lee Miller plays Stone, a San Francisco lawyer who wakes one day to find George Michael singing to him “prophet-like” in his apartment. Created by Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Brothers and Sisters, Dirty Sexy Money) this is a show about a man trying to get his life back on track. It also features Victor Garber (Alias) and Natasha Henstridge.

Reviews for Eli Stone have been mixed, but most have found something positive to say.

The Columbus Dispatch felt it was, “a goofy, engaging, follow-your-bliss drama with well-drawn characters who are easy to root for.” It added, “Eli Stone is a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The characters, thanks to a talented supporting cast, come across as more than mere stock.”

The LA Times said it “it reflects the current ABC predilection for whimsy, as seen in such series as Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who? and Ugly Betty…..The CGI apparitions are not always convincing, and the musical production numbers, which come at least once an episode, not as marvelous as they might be — but these things are just the stuff of music videos…. What makes the show worth watching are some old-fashioned character relationships; no single performance tears up the place, but together they make something interesting.”

The NY Daily News said, “Someday, some producer will create a TV show that integrates pop music song-and-dance numbers in such a way that the home audience smiles, sways, snaps and sings along. Eli Stone ain’t it…..the show’s long-term fate is more likely to rest on how engaging it becomes to watch Eli wrestle with his conscience and deal with the impact on the others in his life.”

NJ.com said, “Berlanti seems to have fallen down a rabbit hole, beginning with a wackiness quotient that it usually takes a (David E.) Kelley show months or even years to achieve — and that’s usually the point when those shows become unwatchable.”

The series will air in Australia on Seven.