HBO’s new drama “Luck,” following the intersecting lives of people at the racetrack, is like a horse race itself. It can be exciting if you have a stake in the outcome, but otherwise, it is dull to watch the same nameless horses run again and again.
    
The main action of the first two episodes comes from a ragtag band of gamblers and their pursuit of riches. Marcus, Renzo, Jerry and Lonnie all get together to place a bet for the Pick Six, a series of six horse races. Thanks to Jerry’s knack for picking and some good fortune, the group winds up with $2.6 million to split amongst themselves.
    
The latter half of the Michael Mann-directed pilot showcases the gripping drama of whether or not the team will run the gauntlet and get away with the prize. Some of the drama is taken away because they placed bets on every horse in the final race, assuring they would win. However, only two of the horses netted the $2.6 million, while the other horses in the race varied in winnings if they won.
    
It’s not as complicated as it sounds, considering the show goes to great pains to repeat the scenarios. While it is not as harrowing as placing all their money on just one horse in the final race, it’s a more believable gambit.
    
But things do not end with the win. The group still has unexplained IRS troubles to deal with, which is why they wait until the next day to claim the winnings. They continue to lay low in the aftermath, from fear of violence or scheming of others to get away their hard-earned money.
   
 It’s interesting to see how each character deals with the fortune. A fun irony places Jerry, the mastermind of the win, blowing most of his money at the poker table before winning most of it back.
    
Here is where the horse race analogy comes in. The show’s second episode is so much like its first because it relies on the action of a simple game. Will Jerry finally win at the poker table or completely run out of money? By now, this short-term drama is already beginning to grow tired. As a viewer, it is difficult to root for someone who continually puts his money on the line for seemingly no reason.
    
This results in much of the intrigue of the show coming from character moments, but they are too few and far between. Kevin Dunn is sympathetic as the gasping-for-air, wheelchair-bound Marcus. Marcus’ reaction to the winnings is to hide and lecture the others for showing they have money by gambling (Jerry), buying stylish suits (Lonnie) or trying to claim a horse (Renzo).
   
 In the end, Marcus is watching his next bet by himself. Even though his horse wins the race, he has no one to share his win with, and his smile droops. Dunn conveys this feeling so well, looking around nervously at the track for someone to talk to. It is easier for viewers to root for Marcus to get his friends back than it is to worry about what happens in the next race.
    
This might sound like sacrilege, but in the show’s early goings, the story centering on Chester “Ace” Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) is the least engaging. It is too obtuse in these beginning stages, metering out to viewers small spoonfuls of Ace’s past and his plans to go after those that caused his three-year incarceration.
   
 Hoffman himself is a series strength, if only because he routinely makes poorly written material captivating through his delivery and presence. A line like “I don’t trust anyone, even myself” is so melodramatic, but Hoffman’s defeated delivery, sitting on his hotel bed and talking to his friend, makes it work.
   
 Likewise, Ace’s violent outburst in the pilot episode feels out of place for Ace’s character from the rest of the first two episodes, but Hoffman, once again, saves the moment with his delivery, mumbling almost as an afterthought about ripping the buttons off his shirt.
    
Yes, there is some good material in “Luck,” and certainly a number of good actors, including Richard Kind and Nick Nolte. But when the main story — Ace’s — is the least compelling, one has to wonder about devoting an hour to “Luck” each week. When so many of the side plots — the female Irish jockey, the famous trainer — are dull or going nowhere, one has to wonder how much of the hour is entertaining.
    
But one thing is certain. Few better theme songs exist in television than the one “Luck” has. It’s just a shame that Massive Attack’s “Splitting the Atom” will linger in one’s mind longer than the show’s narrative.


— Robby O’Daniel is a graduate student in communications. He can be reached at rodaniel@utk.edu.