Eli Stone, the titular character, is a successful lawyer for a powerful legal firm.  You know the firm – the one that represents big business against the "little guy."  Eli’s life is turned upside down when he starts having visions... initially of George Michael.  The medical diagnosis for Eli's condition is a brain aneurysm.  Eli learns that his father suffered through the same problem, but found his solution in the bottom of a bottle.  Eli's acupuncturist has a different notion -- Eli is a prophet; a modern day Moses.  That premise isn’t too far-fetched seeing as how Eli’s visions tend to lead both him and others to truth.  Armed with these confounding visions, Eli reluctantly starts to fight for the little guy.  The show’s diverse subjects range from autism to sex education to the right-to-life (or death as the case may be).

Jonny Lee Miller (Smith, Aeon Flux) brings Eli Stone to the screen.  He’s very relatable and because of this, his frustrations and trials are easily understood by the viewer, even if they are bizarre.  Honestly, I only knew Natasha Henstridge (Commander in Chief, She Spies) through Species and The Whole Nine Yards and find her performance as Eli’s on-again, off-again romantic partner to be refreshing.  This role of Taylor Wethersby allows her to spread her acting wings and fly.  Matt Letscher (Good Morning Miami, Joey) plays Eli’s doctor brother Nathan Stone.  The character remembers living with their father when he was disturbed and though he loves his brother and will ultimately do anything for him, he’s also got a snappy comeback for everything, which makes him all the more likeable.  Victor Garber (Justice, Alias) continues to be an imposing presence on-screen as Eli’s boss and Taylor’s father, Jordan Wethersby.  The surprise, at least for me – Victor Garber can sing!  Another notable singer in the cast is Loretta Devine (Boston Public, Grey’s Anatomy), Eli’s assistant Patti.  Patti’s extreme dislike of Taylor flavors her character as much as how much she cares for Eli.  Sam Jaeger (Lucky Number Slevin, Girls Club) plays Matt Dowd, slightly slimy yin to Eli’s saintly yang at the law firm.  My favorite character in the cast has to be James Saito’s (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) acupuncturist Dr. Chen.  At first, Chen is the stereotypical “wise Chinese doctor” with a thick accent.  Only after Eli’s condition is revealed, does Chen let Eli in on the truth – that character is a role he plays because that’s what patients expect.  In a smaller standout role, Tom Cavanagh (Ed, Love Monkey) gets to play with his darker side as Eli’s troubled father.

Viewers will immediately take notice of the series’ use of visual effects.  The effects, though often outrageous, blend seamlessly into scenes.  I couldn’t even tell that George Michael’s appearance in the Pilot was a visual effect.  I give a serious hat off to the people who pull this series together technically.

AUDIO/VIDEO/EXTRAS

The thirteen episodes in 1.85:1 ratio of Season One come packaged on four DVDs in a standard size DVD case.  Subtitles are available in English for the Hearing Impaired, French and Spanish.  The fourth DVD has the majority of the bonus features.  Each disc has Play All functionality as well as Episode Selection.

Disc One

DVD trailers on start up for Private Practice (Season 1), Samantha Who? (Season 1), Grey's Anatomy (Season 4), Lost (Season 4).  You can also learn how to register your copy in the Set Up menu.

Disc Three
Audio Commentary -- I Want Your Sex by Creators/Executive Producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Executive Producer Chris Misiano, Actors Jonny Lee Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Victor Garber, Sam Jaeger and Writers Leila Gerstein and Wendy Mericle.

Disc Four
Audio Commentary on Soul Free with Creators/Executive Producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Actors Jonny Lee Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Matt Letscher, Sam Jaeger, Exective Producer/Director Chris Misiano, and Writers Andrew Kreisberg and Courtney Kemp Agboh.

Extended Pilot Episode with commentary by Creators/Executive Producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Actors Jonny Lee Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Sam Jaeger and Director Ken Olin.

Deleted Scenes -- 7 Deleted Scenes with Play All functionality, each roughly between a minute and two minutes long and spanning the length of the season.

Turning A Prophet: The Creation of Eli Stone -- 12 minutes -- Not only do series creators chime in on the origins, but also George Michael, cast members Jonny Lee Miller, Sam Jaeger, Julie Gonzano, Matt Letscher, Loretta Devine, Jason George, Natasha Henstridge, Victor Garber, James Saito talk about the characters and the actors behind them.

Acting on Faith: Eli & George Michael -- A four and a half minute close-up look at George Michael's appearance on Eli Stone.

Creating Visions: The Effects of Eli Stone -- A five and a half minute look at how they put together the visual effects needed to pull off Eli's visions.

Inside the Firm: The Natasha Henstridge Tour -- Good-humored Natasha Henstridge leads viewers through the set of Eli Stone for five minutes.

Eli Oops! -- Three and a half minutes worth of bloopers and beeps.

Sneak Peeks -- Wall*E, Desperate Housewives (Season 4), Brothers and Sisters (Season 2), Miramax Films, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Lost (coming in 2009) and Eli Stone (sneak of Season 2).

FINAL WORD

Eli Stone is an odd mix of Ally McBeal and Joan of Arcadia with ample splashes of George Michael.  It’s a quirky show that will appeal to those with off-beat sensibilities (like myself.)  Upon viewing, this has already been added to my increasingly crowded TiVo list. 

Season 2 is currently scheduled to launch October 14, 2008. 

Between the audio commentaries and the extras, there are enough special features to fill a few hours time.

Final Grade – B