TV Review-----MISSING

When did Ashley Judd become a bad actress? Seriously. She started with such promise in films like RUBY IN PARADISE, HEAT, and SMOKE? She was very affective in thrillers like KISS THE GIRLS and DOUBLE JEOPARDY. But somewhere along the line she crossed into Hack-dom. Several years ago, I saw a Revival of Tennessee Williams' CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF on Broadway that starred Ned Beatty, Jason Patric, and Ashley as Maggie. Besides the play itself, the draw for me was Ashley Judd as Maggie. It seemed ideal. About 5 minutes into Act One, I realized that it was going to be an incredibly long night. She was terrible. Not one line that came out of her mouth was believable. It made me sad to think that this beautiful woman that showed such potential was in reality just not a very good actress. She has worked minimally as an actress in the past few years, devoting her time to her marriage and political issues in other countries. So why she chose the new ABC show MISSING to return to the Thespian arena is beyond me. I watched the Pilot last night and although it began with a bang, by the end of the hour I knew that I would not be making a return visit. Ms Judd plays the mother of an 18 year old who goes missing while doing an internship in Rome. It turns out that Ms Judd's character is a former CIA Agent who knows how to kick some serious ass, so she goes to Rome and tells anyone who will listen to her that her son is missing and she's not leaving until she finds him. Seriously, she says that at least 15 times in the first episode alone. I can suspend disbelief as much as anyone, but this show is ridiculous. Coincidence after coincidence happens and Ms Judd always seems to be in the right place at the right time to discover clues. She seems to have keys to get into every locked door in Rome. Agatha Christie couldn't pick up on the clues that this character is able to pull out of thin air. Ashley Judd looks gorgeous and is absolutely believable punching out bad guys and performing karate moves that would impress Mr. Miyagi, but it takes a truly skilled actress to make the audience forget the plot holes and just have a good time. The dialogue doesn't help Ms Judd....at. all. MISSING is being advertised as a 10 episode adventure series. After 1 episode, I've seen enough.