Unfortunately, it gets off to a less than stellar start.

The pilot, airing at 10 p.m. Monday, opens with a tragedy that serves as the impetus for Norman (Freddie Highmore, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") and his mom, Norma (Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"), to move to a costal town and to what will become the Bates Motel.

It's filmed a little strangely, with Norman stumbling around a seemingly empty house as if drugged while ominous music plays in the background. I guess it's trying to be suspenseful and hook you, but I found it odd and puzzling.

That all takes place within the first six minutes, which you can watch online if you're so inclined. That leaves 41 minutes in the episode, which is not a lot of time for everything that's going on, from character introductions to a major plot point. (Said point includes an intense encounter that may be disturbing to some viewers.)

There are several teases thrown out that I think are meant to tantalize but sometimes just confuse, and some things I think are intended to be creepy but are just strange and/or dumb.

Plus, some character introductions are so brief you wonder why they're even included. For instance, Emma (Olivia Cooke) is likely going to be an important character, but her one scene in the pilot really serves no other purpose than to say, "This is who I am!"

It doesn't feel like the actors are quite settled into their parts, either. Highmore, who looks perfect as a sad sack teenage Norman, lets his British accent slip through occasionally, and Farmiga's "Mother" (yes, that's what Norman calls her) is all over the place -- from fierce to jovial to domineering to vacant to angry to vulnerable to petulant. Obviously, you want dynamic characters in a show; it's just a lot of emotion in a little amount of time here.

Also, I get that the bond between them is crucial, but it was delivered far too heavy-handedly here. I hope that was just for the sake of setting things up because if not and it's kept up, it's so blatant it may become laughable.

This is being called a "contemporary prequel," and as such will only have loose ties to the 1960 film. Basically, it extrapolates the creepy Norman-Mother relationship and uses it as the foundation on which to build more creepy stories.

Even though the pilot didn't wow me, I still have high hopes for the show. The teasers and promo posters are dark and twisted, and it's got a good pedigree behind the camera in addition to the talent in front of it. (Executive producers are Carlton Cuse of "Lost" and Kerry Ehrin of "Friday Night Lights.")

Plus, I only had access to the pilot. Other critics who have seen multiple episodes said the show picks up by episode three. Many have made comparisons to David Lynch's creepy drama "Twin Peaks," so if you were a fan of that show, you'll want to consider checking into "Bates Motel."

***

Scripted series premiere:  "Twisted," 9 p.m. Tuesday, ABC Family (a teen fresh out of juvie returns home and soon becomes a murder suspect).

Series premieres: "Playing with Fire," 10 p.m. Sunday, E! (the NYC culinary scene); "Wicked Singles," 11 p.m. Sunday, VH1 (hard-partying young Bostonians); "Splash," 8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC (celebrity diving competition); "Urban Tarzan," 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Spike TV (L.A. wild animal relocation specialist).

Season premieres: "Dancing with the Stars," 8 p.m. Monday, ABC; "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," 8 p.m. Monday, ABC Family (final season).

Special timeslot: new episodes of "The Vampire Diaries," "Beauty and the Beast," "Nikita" and "Cult," at 8, 9, 10 and 11 p.m. Saturday on The CW since college basketball pre-empted their regular airings.

Season finales: "Gypsy Sisters," 9 p.m. Sunday, TLC; "The Biggest Loser," 8 p.m. Monday, NBC; "Continuum," 8 p.m. Monday, Syfy; "Deception," 10 p.m. Monday, NBC (probable series finale); "Pretty Little Liars," 8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC Family; "Workaholics," 10 p.m. Wednesday, Comedy Central.

Specials: "The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex," 8 p.m. Friday, Disney Channel; "Ron White's Vegas Salute to the Troops 2013," 10 p.m. Friday, CMT; "Inside the Actors Studio: Tina Fey," 8 p.m. Tuesday, Bravo.

Music specials: "Robert Plant & the Band of Joy: Live From the Artist's Den," 9:30 p.m. Friday, PBS2; "World Stage: Maroon 5," 11 p.m. Saturday, VH1 (the band performs in Shanghai); "PULSE 2013: Pink Floyd Ultimate Light and Sound Experience," 10 p.m. Saturday, PBS; "Celebrating the Music of Johnny Cash: We Walk the Line," 11 p.m. Saturday, PBS (with Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crowe, Shooter Jennings, Shelby Lynne and more); "2013 mtvU Woodie Awards," 8 p.m. Sunday, MTV (college-age music awards show, hosted by Tegan and Sara with Machine Gun Kelly).

Reach Amy Robinson at flips...@wvgazette.com.