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new sunday night soap holds sexy scares and thrills

Ever have a bad neighbor? A creepy landlord? Imagine that times a million, because the devil lives upstairs.

That is essentially the plot (at least for now) of the new ABC series “666 Park Avenue,” a supernatural drama that is taking its place on Sunday nights after the equally dark “Revenge.”

The world of “666 Park Avenue” is one of desire, secrets and power. When you live at The Drake, somehow your deepest wishes can come true. The residents are wealthy, talented and powerful, or on the cusp of becoming so.  The building owner, rich and powerful Gavin, seems to have all of the answers and is eager to do small favors for his tenants, so long as they do something for him. That is where the twist enters. Usually, this means the tenants do his dirty work, and Gavin swoops in to clean up the mess. Or body. When your time at The Drake is up, Gavin comes calling again, ready to collect the ultimate rent: your soul. Or so it seems. The ABC soap hasn’t confirmed that yet, but it seems to be heading in that direction.

Adorably bland couple Henry and Jane are the newest residents of The Drake, simple Midwesterners with big city dreams. Jane is hired on as the building manager, and her boyfriend runs off to try to make it as an honest politician in the big bad city. Jane pokes around a lot and starts to uncover some ominous secrets in  The Drake, leading to some really nail-biting, scary scenes in the super creepy basement. Between mysterious walls, deadly birds who inhabit the walls and macabre pick pocket teenagers, 666 Park is not only the most exclusive address in New York, but also the creepiest.

I originally felt hesitant to review this show. I have been watching it weekly, but as any fan of “GCB” can confirm, ABC can be a rough place for Sunday night soaps. The network just ordered more episodes of “666 Park Avenue” so for now, it’s made the cut. I enjoy the show because it scares me when I watch it with the lights out, but not so much that I need a friend to watch it with. The plot is promising and different, but the characters leave a lot to be desired. They seem very flat thus far, and at times very stereotypical and horror-movie like. If the show can work on character development without becoming a grade A snoozefest, it could do really well.  I can’t promise that it will be renewed for another season, but it is worth watching if you ever have some extra time and want to be a little freaked out.

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