Fox's new drama "Alcatraz" debuted Monday night with a two-hour episode (though, it was more like two episodes played back-to-back). I have had a "Lost"-sized hole in my heart since the night of May 23, 2010, and am hoping this will fill it.

"Alcatraz" has a lot of similarities to "Lost" -- an island, a mystery, some supernatural happenings, and Jorge Garcia playing a very Hurley-like character.

Other first impressions of the show:

• Interesting concept. Alcatraz closed in 1963, but this show supposes the prisoners weren't transferred elsewhere, and now they're showing up in present day, having not aged a bit.
• The lead lady is kind of annoying. Sorry, Sarah Jones, but I don't buy you as a cop/detective/FBI special agent. I wish dramas wouldn't cast for looks because it makes the leading ladies seem generally helpless instead of strong.
• How long can this go on? In the two hours so far, we've had two criminals appear and the lead characters have worked to track them down. The show will get boring if that's all that happens. 
• Can the mystery be revealed without the show jumping the shark? Maybe it's preemptive of me to say that. I'm just worried the build-up is going to be too much and the reveal too weird/incomprehensible/ridiculous. We probably won't find out until the end of the season, but it's going to have to be enough to keep viewers interested in watching a second season.

Are you watching "Alcatraz"?



-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl