The comparisons were inevitable and obvious. NBC’s newest murder mystery, “Deception,” starring Meagan Good, looks a lot like ABC’s “Revenge,” a show that has chronicled the lifestyles of the rich and homicidal since last season.
Nearly every mention of “Deception,” which premiered Monday night, is sure to cite the new show’s clear nod to the ABC hit. Although scandal and the wealthy have always made for must-see TV, in an interview with USA Today, Good bulleted the disparate plotlines as if they were practiced talking points.
“I think this is really different, in the sense that it has all these elements from great shows that people love, but it’s really its own thing because of the love triangle, the family drama, the murder mystery, and because this girl is living a double life,” said Good, making a case for a fresh take on an old subject.
But “Deception” has something in common with another ABC hit — something that isn’t getting much attention. I’m talking, of course, about “Scandal,” the Kerry Washington-led ensemble soap in which another strong (if flawed) black leading lady has made it her job to solve problems while being mired in her own.
In “Scandal” — which returns with new episodes on Jan. 10 — Olivia Pope (Washington) is a professional fixer. Week after week, a new crisis lands in her K Street boardroom as the revolving door of political scandal keeps spinning. Add to that the steamy love affair Olivia is mired in with the married president of the United States, and Scandal layers intrigue on top of a pretty formulaic serial.
In “Deception,” Good plays Joanna Locasto, a 30-something detective who grew up in the home of the Bowers as the daughter of their housekeeper. As children, Joanna and the Bowers’ druggie daughter (every rich family has one), Vivian, were besties. Decades later, Vivian turns up dead under shady circumstances, and Joanna is called upon to go undercover, living once again in the Bowers’ home while trying to uncover their carefully guarded secrets.
Both Joanna and Olivia can be viewed as outsiders of a sort. Although Olivia is the quintessential Washington insider in terms of her career trajectory, her personal life is another matter. She’s the perennial other woman when it comes to her relationship with President Fitzgerald “Fitz” Grant. Joanna’s angle as an enduring “houseguest” in the Bowers’ compound also emphasizes her role as an outside, an other. Like Olivia, Joanna isn’t an official member of the family, regardless of how fond they may be of her.
