Warning: Spoilers Ahead

September 20th 2011. It was a Tuesday. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy officially ended, allowing both gay men and women to serve in the military. The GA board of pardons denied the clemency request of Troy Davis, who was convicted of killing a police officer in 1989. And, the highly-anticipated crime drama Unforgettable about a New York City police detective, Carrie Wells, with a perfect memory premiered on CBS to 14.1 million viewers.

Even though the series’ ratings remained relatively steady with the season 1 finale pulling over 11 million viewers, the show was cancelled anyways — but not for long. Unforgettable was soon resurrected by CBS as a summer series, where it ran for another 2 years until it was cancelled once again last year shortly after the season 3 finale. However, it still wasn’t over for this show that, quite frankly, won’t die because it was announced earlier this year that A&E had picked up the series for a 13-episode season 4. Note that this was done without any petitions, without any protests and without any of the common ploys by fans in an attempt to resurrect their favorite show. A&E made this decision simply because they recognized a series that was unique and of high quality that they wanted to make part of their family — and, we are so happy for that decision.

It has been a long wait, but we finally get Carrie (Poppy Montgomery), along with her sidekick Al Burns (Dylan Walsh), back this Friday as they continue to fight crime in New York as part of the city’s Major Crimes Unit. And, with the season 4 premiere being delayed from its original November 14th date, we get not just one but 2 episodes this week.

The first episode — and the season 4 premiere — is titled “Blast From the Past” and pretty much starts where the season 3 finale left off with the introduction of Carrie’s alleged husband, Eddie Martin (Skeet Ulrich). It may not have been obvious with Martin’s sketchy appearance and abrupt introduction in last year’s finale, but as it turns out, Eddie isn’t in New York to chase down his wondering bride but is actually working a case. He and Carrie had worked together in Daytona after she left Syracuse (and, yes, they’re technically married), and he ends up in NYC after chasing some shipments of meth along the east coast.

Not too much happens in this episode, as it is used primarily to introduce several new characters. As had been announced several months earlier, there’s another big cast shake-up in season 4 with the exiting of fan-favorite Jane Curtis as Dr. Jo Webster, Dallas Roberts as Elliot Delson, and Tawny Cypress as Detective Rollins-Murray. The latter I couldn’t applaud more as Rollins-Murray never seemed to fit in, and honestly, there should be only one female detective in the core group of characters, and that’s Carrie Wells. Rollins-Murray is replaced by “Denny” Padilla (E.J.  Bonilla, “Revenge”) who takes a quick liking to Detective Wells, much to the dismay of Al.

While I’m optimistic about this new Detective Padilla, I am quite disappointed with the departure of Jane Curtis. Dr. Webster was unique, quirky, and provided the much-needed comic relief to the series. This new M.E., Dr. Delina Michaels (Alani “La La” Anthony, “Power”) , is at first glance just meh. She’s beautiful, voluptuous and quickly catches the eye of both newbie Padilla and also our techie, Jay Lee (James Liao). But, beyond being some glorified eye candy, I’m not seeing much depth to her character just yet. Hopefully, that will change as the season progresses.

That’s the first hour of the premiere. In the 2nd episode titled “Gut Check,” we have the show’s spin on the famous Bernie Madoff case. In this instance, the character is Barry Madon, and he’s on trial for embezzling nearly 20 billion dollars from potential investors. The key to the prosecution’s case is his company’s CFO, Rosie Webb (Rachel Dratch, “SNL”), who has agreed to testify against her former employer. However, after an attempt is made on Rosie’s life while in protective custody, Al and Carrie are tasked with escorting Rosie back down to Miami for the trial and to insure her safety.

Again, not too much happens in this episode, but I must say Rachel Dratch steals the show in her portrayal of Webb. Because she can’t fly due to recent surgery, Al and Carrie are forced to endure a 1300-mile road trip with this woman, and she nearly drives them insane. She won’t shut up, she can be insulting, and she keeps making disgusting remarks about the recent surgery on her gut. What’s more, you really can’t tell where Rosie’s loyalty lies — with Al and Carrie who are trying to protect her, or to her former boss, Barry, who she is somewhat smitten with.

The episode ends with the moment I’ve been dreading, and that is saying good-bye to our Elliot Delson. I know, he’s arrogant, he can be a prick, but I like him, and he is a very effective leader of the Major Crimes Unit. But, with all the praise Elliot gets for his unit’s work on the Barry Madon case, he lands himself a promotion at the Miami Dade Field Office of the FBI. No more of the Elliot Delson glaring eye, no more of the juvenile bickering between Delson and Dr. Webster, and no more of the apple martinis that Elliot forces Al and Carrie to drink in celebration of his new position. Yes, if you haven’t guessed already, I’m pretty bummed about this one.

Even with the buzzkill cast shake-up, this still was a great start to a new season of a series whose return I’ve been anticipating for quite a while. And, what’s more, it’s one of the few shows who’s offering new, original content this holiday weekend. So, instead of the same old movies you’ve probably seen a 100 times or the Andy Griffith or I Love Lucy specials, tune in tomorrow night for 2 hours of Unforgettable. Coming from someone who’s been with this show since day 1, trust me you won’t regret it.

The 2-hour season 4 premiere of Unforgettable  airs Friday starting at 8/7c on A&E.

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