What's it about?
A crime drama that takes a look inside a New York City homicide department. The series stars Maria Bello as tough-as-nails NYPD homicide Detective Jane Timoney, an outsider who has just transferred to a new squad where her new colleagues already dislike her. Jane is confident and focused - and also rude, abrupt and occasionally reckless. She has her vices, and rumors of a questionable past follow her everywhere - but at the end of the day, she's an instinctively brilliant cop who can't be distracted from the only important thing: the prime suspect.
So, how was it?
This show has by the far the biggest, most talented cast of any pilot so far. Maria Bello is fantastic as Jane, a woman who can't let her vulnerability come through in a room full of crass, chauvinistic male cops, and instead channels all her focus and power into catching the bad guys, regardless of what any of her coworkers might think of her. Brían F. O'Byrne is committed and believable if not likable as the tough guy who takes his anger out on Jane. Kirk Acevedo is always a welcome presence on any TV show and now lends his talents as fellow detective Carter. The rest of the cast is filled out by lesser known (at least by me) actors who all excel at natural speech patterns and interactions and lend the entire show an aura of realism.
The odd thing is that the basic premise of the show itself undermines this sense of realism built so carefully by the actors. This show is a remake of a British show of the same name starring Helen Mirren. The biggest difference is that the original premiered twenty years ago, in 1991. The over-the-top, blatant sexism and discrimination that Jane faces may have been believable then. And I'm not trying to say that sexism isn't still a very real issue, but the pure in-your-face attitude seems somewhat dated in a world where it's fortunately not as okay to be so open with your prejudices. I'm obviously not in the NYPD, but I would imagine that sexism is much more of an unspoken (if ever-present) undercurrent rather than constant, everyday harassment. In a season where several pilots are coming out focused on the concept of men learning to accept that they now live in a woman's world (LAST MAN STANDING, MAN UP, even NEW GIRL to an extent), a show focused on the concept of a woman trying to make it in a man's world feels old-fashioned.
Luckily the actors, the production quality and the writing (apart from the basic premise) all seem strong. If the show focuses more on Jane's character and her unique way of handling cases, it could remain interesting. If the show instead focuses on her constant battle to get the men to accept her, I'm not sure I'll be staying invested.
Rating:
** Okay. I may give it another episode or two to see if it gets good.
I'll reserve total judgment until I see where the focus of the show goes beyond the pilot. The pure talent of the cast is remarkable and I wish them all the best, so hopefully this show will grow into something more complex and relevant than the pilot made it seem.
Your turn, Fellow Addicts! Did you also find the premise to be dated? Or am I off base here? What did you think of the pilot? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)
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