'Stalker' review: CBS drama isn't worth following

THE SHOW "Stalker"

WHEN | WHERE Premieres Wednesday at 10 on CBS/2

WHAT IT'S ABOUT A vulnerable woman driver shrieks in fear as her car is drenched in gasoline and then torched. Welcome to "Stalker," the new drama series that at least introduces itself clearly, even before the opening credits.

Maggie Q ("Nikita") is the oh-so-earnest leader of an L.A. police team that targets stalkers, with Dylan McDermott ("Hostages," "The Practice") as an incoming transfer from NYC. She's got personal reasons for the gig, of course, and so does he. Prepare for serious stalk-kink.

And they're not the only ones. The show's camera is a bit of a creep itself, peeping on Q at home as she disrobes and brushes her teeth. There's also the score, forebodingly warning that any woman alone is A Victim Waiting to Happen.

MY SAY As if CBS' "Criminal Minds" weren't offensive enough, here's a companion piece to juice the sordid stuff. "Stalker" (from "Scream" and "Vampire Diaries" creator Kevin Williamson) is sleeked-up with glassy offices, walk-and-talk hustle, and back stories to suggest something sober in mind. But no. It's all about the women-in-terror kick of frying them alive. (Oct. 15's episode promises a bride who's shot during her wedding.)

BOTTOM LINE Reprehensible.

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GRADE F