"Cult" premiered Tuesday, Feb. 19, on the CW, and while the pilot does have its flaws, it also has just enough to leave us willing to tune in for a second episode, thanks in part to the cast.
"Cult" stars familiar faces to CW viewers with Matt Davis ("The Vampire Diaries") playing Jeff Sefton, Alona Tal ("Supernatural") playing Kelly Collins/Marni Gerritsen, and Jessica Lucas ("Melrose Place") playing Skye Yarrow, with Robert Knepper as Billy Grimm/Roger Reeves. It's very much a show that wouldn’t work anywhere but the CW (could you imagine turning on CBS, NBC, FOX, or ABC and seeing a series like this?), and while the pilot had its weak moments, it also was intriguing enough to draw us in.
Jeff gets drawn into the world of "Cult" and its fan base when his brother, a big fan of the show, goes missing, and it seems to be connected to the world of the show. There are too many similarities for him to ignore, but he may end up regretting ever hearing (and typing) the words, "Well, hey, these things just snap right off," with what it draws him into. He has Skye, a research assistant on the TV show on "Cult," working with him, and it couldn't be clearer (at least to us) that they're the "will they/won't they" couple.
Meanwhile, Tal and Knepper both play characters on the show and the actors portraying those characters. For Tal, Kelly is a detective looking into a cult and looking for her missing sister and nephew, while Marti is the actress who plays Kelly. As for Knepper, Billy Grimm is the chilling cult leader whose face is all over television screens—even at gas stations—and his actor character, Roger Reeves, is just a bit unsettling as well, even from the brief glimpse we get of him in the pilot as Jeff bumps into him and is clearly ruffled. In fact, the "Cult" show on "Cult" seems more fascinating than the "real world" of the show at times. However, the crossover between the two is compelling, and things did end on a high note in the "real world" by the end of "You're Next."
So should you watch "Cult"? It wasn't the weakest pilot of the CW's this season ("Arrow" was easily the best, with "The Carrie Diaries" coming in second), and it is worth at least watching another episode before making a decision, so even if you don't DVR the show each week, there are always other ways to check it out.
"Cult" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on the CW. What do you think of the show after the first episode? Will you tune in for more?
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