Push, Nevada

By James Poniewozik

Solve this noirish embezzlement mystery, and you may win a million bucks. That's a reason to tune in (make it $2 million, and I'll watch E.R.!). But the reason to stick with it is to see if this ambitious but self-conscious series becomes more than the sum of its affectations--flat line readings, characters with names like Mr. Smooth, precious tilted-camera shots to remind you how weird it all is. The producers (including writer-producer Ben Affleck) seem to want to use the contest as bait to draw viewers to a genuinely different kind of series. If they have a vision--not just a marketing gimmick built out of spare Twin Peaks parts--Push could even be worth watching for nothing. --By James Poniewozik