MVP definitely worth my time

Last year while searching Youtube for a specific clip from Hockey Night In Canada I came across a trailer for MVP, a show that eventually debuted (this past Friday) on CBC. I must of watched the trailer at least twenty times. It intrigued me. It was like no other Canadian show I'd ever seen before. MVP is the story of a fictional NHL team called the Mustangs and it's about them and their loved ones in their lives off the ice. Now I'm a sucker for good drama, especially the soapy serial variety. I'm a huge fan of Grey's Anatomy, for instance, with it's intense ongoing storylines, a large ensemble of appealing characters, supercouples, dynamic relationships and villains and from the promos and trailers (of which I saw plenty of these past few months) I got the impression that perhaps MVP might follow Grey's formula so I tuned in the other night to watch it. So, was I happy with what I saw? The answer to that question is a definite yes. MVP did have those components of a good soapy serial drama as mentioned above. I'll go down the list:

intense ongoing storylines - By the end of the episode, there were definitely some storylines that are sure to continue for a long time to come. There's the story of mother-daughter duo Evelyn and Molly McBride (played by Deborah Odell and Natalie Krill), who, left grieving over the untimely death of Evelyn's hockey-legend husband and Molly's father, have gone from millionaires to paupers upon the discovery that all their money is gone. There's also the story of Gabe McCall (Lucas Bryant), the newly-named captain of The Mustangs. He's facing a great deal of pressure from his stern father, who also happens to be the team's coach, and is growing increasingly discontented with the glam and glitz of life at the top in the very public and unforgiving eye. He's looking for something more and he thinks he's found that when he meets and falls for Connie Lewis (Kristin Booth), the ultimate "nicegirl" who's unlike any woman he's ever met. The only problem is, she doesn't fit even closely into his world, and nor does he in hers. There's also the bad-boy womanizer of the team, Damon Trebuchet (Peter Miller), who, while acting like the biggest jerk alive, is seeing the ghosts of his dead wife and child in the late hours of the night. There's also the new guy on the team, rookie Trevor Lemonde (Dillon Casey), chosen first in the draft, who's leaving smalltown life and his small-town girlfriend Tabbi (Anastasia Phillips) behind for the big city and the pro sports world that's going to either make or break him.

a large ensemble of appealing characters - There is a large cast of characters on MVP. I've mentioned the main ones above but there are several others, and from what I've seen it's a good bunch of hot-looking actors that have been cast. As for character appeal itself, so far it seems that the male characters in the show definitely have more depth written for them than the female characters do. As of yet, the majority of the female characters, except for Connie, appear to be shallow and a bit one-dimensional. If the promos are any indication though, we will be seeing a lot more out of these characters in the episodes to come.

supercouples - Every successful drama needs a supercouple or two. Think of Buffy and Angel, Zach and Kelly, Vaughn and Sydney and Ross and Rachel. All those couples gave the shows they were in massive fanship. A supercouple essentially consists of two characters who viewers root for to get together and stay together romantically because of their extreme appeal as a couple. Grey's Anatomy has supercouples in spades, be they Isabelle and Alex, Meredith and Derek or Callie and George. Viewers flock in droves to the show each week to see if their favourite couple finally gets together. If MVP is to become a hit they need a supercouple. They may just have that in the form of Gabe and Connie. The first episode seemed to set things up so that they'll end up being that supercouple. Only time will tell if fans will buy them as such. I know I'm ready to.

dynamic relationships - This may be the most important element for a drama to have. MVP seems to have many dynamic relationships, thankfully. There's of course the aforementioned relationship between Evelyn and her daughter Molly, which appears to be less than stellar. There's also the friendship between Gabe and Damon, one who is the perennial good guy and the other who is the perennial bad guy, which leaves you wondering how they're even friends. Gabe also has a rather cold relationship with his father who's also his coach, which makes for some interesting dynamics. We also saw some of Trevor's relationship with his parents, who love him dearly but disprove of his girlfriend. These various relationships all add vast potential for future storylines and character development.

villains - The protagonist is only as good as the antagonist. It's a saying many television shows forget. Villains don't have to be like the evil-doing No-Heart from Care Bears (he was pure evil) but there do need to be characters who contradict or make things difficult for other characters. The best villains are multi-faceted with both good and bad qualities. A show needs well-written villains because they are what make the stories so good. The better the conflict, the better the story. Zero conflict, or weak conflict equals a weak story. In MVP, the bad guy appears to be Damon Trebuchet. He prevents Trevor from feeling accepted as a new player on the team. He treats women like crap, and video-tapes his sexual encounters with various women without their permission. He crushes fans' ideals when he refuses to give autographs or attend charity events. He's an all-around bad guy, yet we feel bad for him when we see him talk to his dead wife's ghost. Damon, as it turns out, is his own villain.

Now, having gone through all of the necessary components of a good soapy serial drama, it's obvious MVP has what it takes. Some shows crash and burn after their first episode while others improve. MVP has the potential to be a hit but it also has the potential to be a miss. It's too soon to tell which will be the case. After all, only one episode has aired thus far.