FOX’s new one hour drama “Reunion” has a fantastic gimmick. Unfortunately the show doesn’t live up to its potential. The premise is this: The lives of six friends are traced over the course of twenty years. The twist is that each of the show’s 20 episodes will take place in consecutive years, beginning in 1986 and ending in 2005. As the show’s first episode opens in present day, we learn that one of the friends has been murdered — only we don’t know why or by whom.

FOX’s “24” gambled and won big on a similarly gimmicky premise. Four seasons later, the show is still going strong with both critics and the ratings. But “24″ is a much better show. Its roller coaster of twists and turns is a heart-racing good time. The pilot episode picked you up by the throat and didn’t put you down until the last second of the last show. “Reunion” on the other hand is a standard primetime soap. The first episode has its fair share of plot twists, but it simply doesn’t rise to the level of its aspirations. The actors look too old as 18-year olds and too young as 38-year olds. And we’re distracted by the nostalgia that permeates every corner of the show from the music supervision to the wardrobe. Like oh my god, gag us with a spoon. To be fair, we only previewed one episode, and perhaps you need several to really get into the shapeshifting that will likely occur as the years drag on. The show starts in September — until then you’ll have to make do with the official website. And if the show does take off, what on earth will they do for season two?