Ringer (TV series) Ringer | Official Site. Ringer (TV Series 2011– ) Ringer: Full Trailer. Can SMG Save the CW? It Almost Works. Printer-friendly version E-mail page to friend PDF version CHICAGO – The highly-buzzed “Ringer” essentially kicks off the Fall 2011 season tonight by bringing back one of the most beloved TV stars of the last twenty years in Sarah Michelle Gellar. Not surprisingly, she’s the best thing about the program, as the writing and direction could really use some work if Gellar expects to be attached to it for as long as she was associated with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
There’s promise and potential here, but it’s not yet fulfilled. “Ringer” is one of several high-concept shows this season in which it’s truly hard to imagine what it’s going to be about in January much less in season two or three. RingerPhoto credit: The CW Of course, the premiere is almost all questions. Bridget/Siobhan starts by patching what seems like some broken bridges with her husband Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd of “The Fantastic Four”). Ignoring the questionable future, how is “Ringer” now?
Pilot: Beyond Bad Even for Buffy Fans. I am a huge fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar. Have been since her seminal role as the title character in the cult classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She is fantastically witty, awesomely sharp, and a brilliant actress in everything she has been in, from pretty decent films like The Grudge to awfulness like Southland Tales. That is a good thing since Ringer is beyond bad. It is laughable, but not in a Showgirls let’s-see-it-with-drunken-friends sort of way. And that sucks because Gellar should be shining in the dual roles of long-lost twins who harbor deep dark secrets.
It goes all so horribly wrong from minute one when, in a Buffy-style action teaser that takes place nine days into the future, Gellar is chased in an empty loft by a masked baddie. So, who is the “right” girl? But instead of testifying against the mob boss, Bridget rushes to be with Siobhan, who she hasn’t seen in six years. Or she thinks is. Ringer airs every Tuesday night at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central on The CW.RATING: 4 / 10. Double trouble. I can’t say I’m on the Sarah Michelle Gellar cult train, which is crammed with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer’’ fans. “Buffy’’ was great because of the writing and production by Joss Whedon; Gellar was fine, but largely thanks to the extraordinary, character-driven material.
Whedon knew how to deploy her and her stiff acting style for effect. I’ve never quite bought her in any other role. So her featured presence on “Ringer,’’ as both an ex-stripper and her wealthy twin sister, doesn’t dazzle me, or blind me to the fact that the concept behind this show is pretty weak. I’m fully prepared to be shocked, I tell you shocked, at how good “Ringer’’ becomes, but I had an eyebrow raised during the entire pilot, which airs tonight at 9 on Channel 56. The show - developed for before making its way to the CW - wants to be a neo-noir thriller, thick with atmosphere and unforeseen twists, but it plays out like a mopey wannabe, with musical cues that sloppily mimic Hitchcock movies. Le double flop de “Ringer” CW Enlists Bing to Get Viewers to Seek Out New Shows.