First off, let me just say that comparing this to other police/FBI dramas is not the right thing to do, although at first glance they appear to be in the same category as Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye. While this does deal with the true story of Sue Thomas and her admission into the FBI, the show takes time to shine the spotlight on Sue's difficulties adjusting to her new life and co-workers as much as it does following them on cases.
As far as a crime drama, this show is about average. However, you should really look at it as a biography of her life and dealing with her disability first. Since they do deal with that topic a lot, there are certain episodes where the writers tend to spell everything out for you in one scene rather than showing us what is going on so they can fit everything in that they want to. Unfortunately when they do that, the story suffers because of it and makes it seem like they are catering to grade school children rather than adults. However, the pacing is okay in most episodes, and it is rarely a big deal.
The actors are pretty top notch, especially Deanne Bray, whom I first discovered while watching Heroes. She shows her emotions better than most, probably because she has had to deal with a lot of roles that had little to no dialog. In this role, she actually has a TON of dialog, and I am always impressed by how well she can read lips and return conversation while hearing almost nothing. That must have taken years to get good at, and is pretty inspiring to say the least (much like the real Sue Thomas). The supporting cast, including her best friend and love interest, have great on-screen chemistry together. This is a bit surprising since I normally only see that with the main characters, but everybody on this show looks like they could be friends in real life.
All in all, it's a great family show if you are looking for a drama with little to no violence. Check it out on Animal Planet when it starts to syndicate; they picked it up because of Sue's dog Levi having a big role in the show. Levi is awesome, by the way. If you want to see a dog that can interpret sign language (and really, who DOESN'T want to see that???), then give this show a try.
As far as a crime drama, this show is about average. However, you should really look at it as a biography of her life and dealing with her disability first. Since they do deal with that topic a lot, there are certain episodes where the writers tend to spell everything out for you in one scene rather than showing us what is going on so they can fit everything in that they want to. Unfortunately when they do that, the story suffers because of it and makes it seem like they are catering to grade school children rather than adults. However, the pacing is okay in most episodes, and it is rarely a big deal.
The actors are pretty top notch, especially Deanne Bray, whom I first discovered while watching Heroes. She shows her emotions better than most, probably because she has had to deal with a lot of roles that had little to no dialog. In this role, she actually has a TON of dialog, and I am always impressed by how well she can read lips and return conversation while hearing almost nothing. That must have taken years to get good at, and is pretty inspiring to say the least (much like the real Sue Thomas). The supporting cast, including her best friend and love interest, have great on-screen chemistry together. This is a bit surprising since I normally only see that with the main characters, but everybody on this show looks like they could be friends in real life.
All in all, it's a great family show if you are looking for a drama with little to no violence. Check it out on Animal Planet when it starts to syndicate; they picked it up because of Sue's dog Levi having a big role in the show. Levi is awesome, by the way. If you want to see a dog that can interpret sign language (and really, who DOESN'T want to see that???), then give this show a try.