Persons Unknown is like the product of a couple of drunk guys getting together and floating the question, "What if...?" They imagine these people randomly appearing in a hotel, an utterly contrived scenario for plot convenience. On the same night, they start working on the script and being inebriated, they write horrible dialogue and characters who only act stupidly. And that's how Persons Unknown was born... or at least how I imagine a show like this would be created.
Honestly, my expectations for the show weren't high. 1) It's on NBC. 2) It's airing during the summer. 3) It's another mystery show. With this mindset, I entered the pilot and found pretty much what I expected: an overdone hour of television intended to frighten and bewilder that was empty on every level.
When people are sent into an obviously irregular situation where they are being watched by security cameras and unable to leave a certain area, the biggest question is--why? The pilot roughly skims around this questions in the opening sequence in an awkward manner, but never revisits it. The rest of the episode is spent finding a Chinese restaurant, the night manager, and the reading of fortune cookies which say "Kill your neighbor and you'll go free." Is this all it is, a sick, sadistic game for those watching?
I'm sure there'll will be millions of viewers wanting more episodes, and I can't blame them. Part of me wants to see what transpires. It's like Saw or Cube in TV form and for many, that's good enough.
Score: 5.0/10
