I'm John From Cincinnati

Yes, I'm John from Cincinnati, and I've seen the first three shows of HBO's new "John from Cincinnati" premiering 10 p.m. Sunday after "The Sopranos" finale. And I can say that the plot and characters have as much to do about me as anyone or anything in Cincinnati. The reference (in the second episode, June 17) appears to be accidental.

Here's what you need to know: The character John Morad (Austin Nichols, "Deadwood," "Surface") who shows up mysteriously at Imperial Beach, Calif., appears to be a total zero at first.

The mystery is: Who is John? Where is he from? Is he an alien? A Christ? Retarded? A mutant from the sea? (In the premiere, John declares: "The end is near!")

And why do these mystical things – retired surfer Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood) levitates, a dead cockatiel comes back to life – occur after he arrives?

When John is asked a question he can't answer, he says: "Some things I know, and some things I don’t." He says that a lot. He appears to be an infant in a fully grown body. He watches and listens to people, then imitates them. A former cop says, "I’ve got my eye on you." So whenever John sees the guy, he says, "I’ve got my eye on YOU!"

When he walks into a bathroom, he has no clue what to do. People grab his hand and tug him along, like a small child.

John gets his name this a conversation with a heroin addict named Butchie (Mitch's son) in the June 17 show:

John: "I don't do well in traffic."
Butchie: "It leads me to believe that you're not from around here."
John: "I’m not from around here!"
Butchie: "No? Or any other metropolis, for that matter. I'm feeling kind of a small town. Not a farm town, but a small town. A small town like, I'm feeling a little Cincinnati."
John: "I am from Cincinnati!"
Butchie: "Get the (deleted) out!"
John: "You get the (deleted) out!"

I'm definitely curious to see the next episode – but I'm not sure it will become my Must See TV as was "NYPD Blue" (also from executive producer David Milch), or the first seasons of "ER," "LA Law," "Twin Peaks," "The Sopranos," "Everybody Loves Raymond" or the great years of "Seinfeld."

I'll write another blog Sunday so you can comment on the show after watching it, and tell me what you think of "John from Cincinnati."