ROOKIE BLUE
Det. Jack Bailey (Collin Hanks) is partnered in the Dallas Police Department's Small Property Crimes with Dan Stark (Bradley Whitford), a past-his-prime old-school cop out to "bust some punks" who still has a job only because of a single act of heroism years before. With an ex-girlfriend as the Assistant District Attourney and a knack for getting himself in sticky situations, the sky is the limit for what Bailey can get himself caught up in.
Bursting onto the scene from Canada, is "Rookie Blue," a show that follows a group of Canadian rookie cops. A fan of TNT's "Southland," I was hesitant to check out "Rookie Blue" because experience has taught me that cop show rarely put the cops first, preferring instead to involve intricate plots that end up becoming formulaic. "Rookie Blue" was refreshing. The episodes are not about the crimes, they are about the rookies.
Andy McNally (Missy Peregrym), is a rookie whose father was a cop that left the force under difficult circumstances. Her character is, and I use the word again, refreshingly real. She is accident-prone, occasionally awkward, lacks flawless courage, and is someone that most people can relate to. Her fellow rookies are no different. No one is perfect. They all have flaws that are suggested, and, I expect, will be dealt with in greater detail as the show moves forward. We are following them through their police career's School of Hard Knocks. They come out bruised and sore, but also wiser. I rarely find a crime drama where I can connect that well to the characters.
Despite being based on Hollywood police ensemble archetypes, these characters manage to come off human, rather than players in a game. The actors fit their roles remarkably well and as this show is set in Canada, there are different customs and procedures than audiences are used to seeing, resulting in occasional surprise as they act differently than anticipated.
While "Southland" is documentary-style, "Rookie Blue" is more contemporary, but does not feel staged. The show takes place in the world more than it does in the inner sanctum of the police station.
"Rookie Blue" breathes new life into the dramatic crime show and has the potential to become a successful show, particularly among character-drama audiences.
Channel: ABC
Genre: Crime- Drama
TV-Rating: TV-14
Recommendation: HIGHLY RECOMMEND
THE GOOD GUYS
Matt Nix, the creator of "Burn Notice," scores with another light-hearted foray into the crime series. What could be considered the freshest crime shows on TV, "The Good Guys" is a perfect combination of contemporary crime dramas with "Starsky and Hutch" adventure.
Det. Jack Bailey (Collin Hanks) is partnered in the Dallas Police Department's Small Property Crimes with Dan Stark (Bradley Whitford), a past-his-prime old-school cop out to "bust some punks" who still has a job only because of a single act of heroism years before. With an ex-girlfriend as the Assistant District Attourney and a knack for getting himself in sticky situations, the sky is the limit for what Bailey can get himself caught up in.As a show, this series is top-notch. Nix's style keeps things fresh and, most importantly, the show does not take itself too seriously. The bad guys are not so detestable and insidious as bumbling and accident-prone, though never to slap-stick extremes.
Each episode opens with a small property crimes case that manages to connect and evolve into a major case, providing surprising twists and turns and memorable moments, not to mention quotes ("Yeah, boxes filled with crime!"). I often find myself laughing out loud at Stark's quirky, gung-ho attitude and commiserating with Bailey's failure to get back together with A.D.A. Liz Traynor.
I highly recommend this series to anyone wanting a fun-filled evening with two memorable characters.
Channel: USA Network
Genre: Crime- Action/Adventure/Comedy
TV Rating: TV-14
Recommendation: MUST SEE
CAPRICA
Why is viewership down? According to my friend's feedback on the advertising strategy for the show, they are not hyping the true selling points of the show.
Anyone who ever watched Battlestar Galactica, to which "Caprica" is a prequel, knows that the show is more than just a simple "stranded in space hunted by destructive robots" show. When Ronald D. Moore stepped in to help revamp the concept, the show became an intelligent look into various socio-political issues that the world currently faces. Themes of government and religion, their interaction and place in society, became the undercurrents for the show's plot lines. The milieu of the show was also intelligent and realistic, not the glamor-rock sci-fi of the 80s and 90s.
"Caprica" continues in a similar suit. It is intelligent, engaging, innovative, and just plain excellent. This show is the prequel to "Battlestar Galactica," taking places several decades before. The show's main character is Daniel Greystone. He is a tech-iindustry tycoon.
Unbeknownst to him, his daughter develops a program to create a duplicate of herself that exists permanently in the virtual world, an Internet-type universe that is accessed through holobands, a device developed by her father's company.
When she becomes the victim of a terrorist attack, bringing back in the religious conflict themes Battlestar fans will recognize, Daniel discovers her program and become obsessed with bringing her back, as well as finding methods of utilizing her software for military applications in order to win a national defense contract for mechanized soldiers, later dubbed "Cylons."
However, the show's main plots are not limited to Daniel's story. Those he crosses paths with begin to play a part in his story and subsequently, complications begin to arise. Daniel's company begins to suffer, his wife is struggling to come to terms with her daughter's death, and he continues to be consumed with cracking his daughter's software.
The world crafted by the writers and art directors is superb, including fashion motifs from the 40s and the 50s, including the fedora, used to unexpected effect, suspenders, and many other smaller details.
Indeed, "Caprica" fails to disappoint fans and newcomers alike. No review can truly do it justice. My only advice: watch it. You will be enchanted, captured, and held hostage to its roller coaster of plot lines, a situation which is hardly undesirable.
Channel: Syfy
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rating: TV-14
Recommendation: MUST SEE
