Platinum

A show that has smarts, guts, style and attitude to spare. [14 Apr 2003]

"Platinum" may be just the black drama that TV has been waiting for. ... It's considerably more fun, irreverent, ironic and energetic than its predecessors. [14 Apr 2003]

Platinum... may not be great but already is better and more ambitious than most of what UPN has to offer and has ever offered. [14 Apr 2003]

It's impossible to tell by the uneven debut episode if the tone of the writing will be consistent. ... The dramatic portions of the show flow easily... But the writers seem unsure how they want to portray the violence in "Platinum," of which there is plenty in the first episode. [11 Apr 2003]

Its depiction of rap's gangsta element is laughable, at least in the first episode. And the quick-cut editing often seems more haphazard than cutting edge. Platinum otherwise is distinctive, provocative and possibly even trailblazing. [13 Apr 2003]

Both provocative and funny. [14 Apr 2003]

The show may not be quite as artistically or intellectually refined as HBO cult favorites like The Sopranos or Six Feet Under, but Platinum is well made, imaginative and fun.

Like "Knots Landing" and "Falcon Crest," it relies on the familiar romantic tangles and corporate scheming of a TV family business. But unlike anything TV has seen, it infuses an Aaron Spelling-identified genre with a large cast of black characters, a hip-hop soundtrack, lots of street vernacular, and a boldly rhythmic editing style. [14 Apr 2003]

Think of it as a def Dallas, an African-American Dynasty for 2003, a blend of MTV and BET that finds itself on UPN. ... Sex, violence, music and some eye-catching casting make this effort worth a look. [13 Apr 2003]

Though the storytelling isn't groundbreaking, the setting is unusual by mainstream TV standards.

A cool video-meets-soap concept that looks as fresh as anything in years. ... [But] the dialogue falters and the acting is, in spots, forced.

Platinum does a decent job of establishing its world and its family, setting up the internal jealousies and exposing the undercurrents. But the show is a bit too willing to fall back on easy stereotypes (the evil tycoon, the cowardly reporter) and a bit lazy when moving the story along. Music videos are a nice diversion, but they shouldn't be used as filler to avoid plot. [14 Apr 2003]

Tonight's preview/pilot can get so intoxicated with hip-hop scratching - jump-cuts, slo-mo, video backtracking - that it forgets to remember style best serves substance. [14 Apr 2003]

The real music scene invigorates the fiction... but the storytelling is often murky and too inside. The bigger problem with Platinum is that the two main characters, sibling record moguls, are the least compelling figures. [13 Apr 2003]

Imperfect but promising. [14 Apr 2003]

It doesn't have a style. It has lots of them: hip-hop MTV one minute, "NYPD Blue"-style hand-held confrontation the next, with a lot of stutter-step editing, loud soundtrack music and thuggish posturing the next. Because its premise bears such promise and because it boasts at least a trio of strong performers, "Platinum" is a particularly stinging disappointment. [14 Apr 2003]