Day Break follows the travails of Los Angeles detective Brett Hopper, who finds himself reliving the same day over and over again, a day rife with a growing conspiracy that seems to have Hopper himself at the center, though the hapless detective is (at first, anyway) not certain why. Hopper, like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, is able to retain information (and bodily injuries, unlike Murray) from day-loop to day-loop, and so slowly grows in his understanding of what's really going on. As events unfold over the ensuing 12 episodes, Hopper finds that virtually everyone surrounding him, from his girlfriend Rita (the exotic and nicely understated Moon Bloodgood) to his sister Jennifer (Meta Golding) to his partner Andrea (Victoria Pratt) to his fellow detectives Shelten (Adam Baldwin in a nicely nuanced ambivalent performance) and Spivak (X Files alum Mitch Pileggi, equally ambivalent and weirdly creepy) all have secrets sometimes literally buried in their pasts, all of which Hopper slowly uncovers.

While Day Break aims for the kind of revelatory gasps that Lost seems to deliver on an episode by episode basis, with unexpected relationships between various characters, it never quite rises to the heights of Abrams and Lindelof. What is does deliver is an intriguing, if slightly worn, premise highlighted by a compelling lead performance by Diggs, who seems poised to become a major action star in films after his work in this series. As is mentioned in one of the commentary tracks, Diggs wisely chooses not to play Hopper as victim, even as he is repeatedly victimized throughout the series, and his defiant, steely demeanor is what anchors this series and gives it a sort of Hitchcockian eloquence as it portrays a seemingly paranoid man caught up in a trap that no one else is aware of or believes is happening.

Ultimately what keeps Day Break from achieving true classic status is the lackluster payoff delivered in the final episodes (none of which were broadcast). Though the roots of the conspiracy are ultimately revealed, there is no ultimate explanation given for why or how Hopper was caught in his own private groundhog day, or how in fact he is finally able to break free. The purported ultimate reveal, when the point of view suddenly changes in the final seconds of the last episode, is a major letdown, despite the commentary track's assertion that it's a brilliant denouement. The identity of the person shown was no big surprise to me, though there was evidently some minor controversy at the time of the episode's release on the internet, even without the one frame "reveal" showing the true identity of the character. What seems to escape Day Break's creative team is that even showing us this character at the end really explains nothing in the long run.

Day Break nonetheless provides uniformly excellent performances (including guest villain John Rubinstein, truly heinous as an evil attorney--is there any other kind?) and delivers some nicely visceral action sequences along the way. While it is certainly no Lost, Day Break is certainly better than a lot what is found on television these days.

The DVD

Video:
The enhanced 1.78:1 image is crisp, with good color, though occasionally on the dark side with some contrast lacking.

Sound:
Both the standard Dolby and 5.1 soundtracks are really well executed, with some superb effects in the action sequences.

Extras:
There are commentaries (sometimes multiple) on all episodes, as well as some short feaurettes offering interviews with the cast and creative team.

Final Thoughts:
Day Break has enough going for it that mystery and action fans will appreciate it despite its shortcomings. While it is no classic in either the mystery or action genre, Diggs' performance elevates it enough above standard television fare to make it recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet