Devils

“Devils,” full of interpersonal intrigues, betrayals and sexual sparking, weaves actual economic events into its plotline, and features a subplot about the shadowy Daniel Duval (Lars Mikkelsen) running the WikiLeaks-like Subterranea, which seems poised to blow the lid off NYL. All of which makes for a bracing story, even if it takes a few turns that leave a viewer struggling to keep up.

There’s nothing that’s awful about Devils; it’s not eye-rollingly dumb and the performances are decent. It’s just that the first episode grinds along so slowly, you just wonder when the real story is going to kick in. It does, at the end, but by then you might be too bored to care.

“Devils” isn’t compelling, courageous, or sharply observed enough in tackling the real-world issues to speak to today.

Well-shot but so-far charmless City soap opera.

There’s not enough of either star [Patrick Dempsey and Lars Mikkelsen] in an opening episode that moves quickly and slickly but ultimately feels too much like a poor man’s Wall Street.

Despite its frantic pace and shiny surfaces, Devils lapses into dullness more often than it ought to.

Hard bodies and blank expressions may mix well in porn, but they don't make for effective melodrama. With Devils, the fall season ends not with a bang but a surly grunt.