Wrecked Advance Review – “All’s Not Lost.” Lost Meets Gilligan’s Island.

Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2016, 10/9c on TBS

Rating: ★★★★★

“If we can survive that plane crash, we can survive that island.” – Owen

Which one is Gilligan?

A group of strangers finds themselves stranded after their plane crashes on a remote island. Will the survivors be able to work together and find a way off the island, or will infighting spell their doom? Not to mention, is anyone looking for them?

It is almost surreal to write a review of a comedy series about a plane crash while the nightly news continues to show floating debris from Egypt Air Flight 804. As I write this, it is unknown if the crash is the result of mechanical failure or terrorism, and yet I’m laughing at a bunch of people involved in a plane crash.

While watching “All’s Not Lost,” I found myself entertained but wondering if this was the pilot of a TV show or something from Funny or Die. If you don’t know that show, it is an Emmy-winning comedy video website created by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy that features actors like Steve Carell, Charlie Sheen, Jim Carrey, and more doing funny routines. Instead of a flowing storyline connected by a series of scenes, “All’s Not Lost” feels more like Funny or Die with a collection of comedy bits that share the same plane crash theme. That’s not necessarily a bad thing and while I found the pilot amusing, I’m curious to see how the writers will keep the show fresh for an entire, albeit short, 10-episode season.

Who are these people and should you care?

While most pilots spend a significant amount of time introducing the main characters, such is not the case with “All’s Not Lost.” Halfway through the series premiere, the only character introduced is Owen (Zach Cregger), one of the surviving flight attendants. Everyone else is reduced to a caricature. There’s the ditzy blonde played by Mariana Paola Vicente, and an injured guy played by Rhys Darby. Asif Ali portrays a man who cares more about his iPhone than the other survivors. Along with the rest of the people stranded on the island after the crash, the audience isn’t given any kind of backstory and only learns a few of their names through casual conversation.

Unfortunately I never got a sense of direction of where the writers are trying to take Wrecked or whether there is any real storyline they are trying to tell. Instead, the series premiere thrives on chaos, as is evident by the trailer below, and has no shortage of things falling from the sky and people running around on fire. The only saving grace for “All’s Not Lost” is the debris field of plane parts that helps showcase the seriousness of the survivors’ situation by creating a surprisingly realistic look on screen.

Things like bodies on fire or crushed body parts, which would normally be disturbing to viewers, are shrugged off as part of what makes a plane crash funny. While I was amused by much of what the writers are trying to convey, there are some who might be bothered by some of the things they see.

Despite the morbid nature of the series’ premise, Wrecked is worth checking out, especially if you enjoy watching videos from Funny or Die. “All’s Not Lost” has several entertaining moments but whether those funny bits are enough to sustain an entire season remains to be seen.

Tune in to Wrecked Tuesdays at 10/9c, only on TBS.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.