I've only seen a minute of "Revenge" and yet it's pretty clear "Deception" (10 tonight, NBC) is reminiscent of that hit ABC show (at least the "Revenge" of the first season; I hear its lost its way this season). Even the name is an echo; there's plenty of deception in getting revenge, no?

That's not necessarily a strike against "Deception," since few shows reinvent a genre. It's all about execution. By that measure, after screening three episodes, I'd say "Deception" has potential, mostly because of the cast.

When it opens we meet Vivian Bowers, but just briefly. Next thing you know she's dead from a drug overdose. Turns out she was the troubled heiress to a pharmaceutical fortune made by a shady family. Before all that, she was besties with Joanna Locasto (Meagan Good), who is the daughter of the former family maid, before the two had a falling out. Now Joanna is a cop; she hasn't seen the family for years.

Matt just reminded me that the Four Tops did "Bernadette." And whenever I think of that song (which still kills it after all these generations), I think of the first time I heard it, in the 1990 John Larroquette-Kirstie Alley movie "Madhouse." (Yeah, I can't believe I saw/remember it either.) And whaddya know, YouTube has the clip. Like I said in the title, it may not be the best way to pay tribute to Levi Stubbs. (Apparently, Billy Bragg had us all beat years ago.) But it just shows that Levi and the Tops could inject some much-needed soul in even the most mediocre of movies. (Just look at those white dudes automatically get rhythm when the song plays!)