Gritty cop drama in motor city

Detroit has been getting a fair amount of drama love due to its fall from grace as the heart of American manufacturing.  Last year they had Hung which led a teacher to turn to prostitution and this year we have the police procedural, next up is Detroit 1-8-7. The selling point is the crazy high murder rate and a return to our screens for The Sopranos alumni Michael Imperioli.

The plot is simple enough, the cops arrive at the scene of a double homicide in a pharmacy, at first it looks like it was the result of a botched robbery, but seasoned veteran Detective Louis Fitch suspects more is at hand and robbery was not the motive. As is always the case, there is a rookie in the precinct who is eager to prove himself to the less personable Fitch, Fitch offers all his advice via a phone call, even if only standing a few feet away. A third murder on a bridge is being investigated by Sergeant Longford and Detective Mahajan but when forensics link the crimes they find their suspect and track him down a confrontation with hostages.  Fitch puts his life on the line to negotiate, bearing a darker side to his unknown personality.

When compared to other new police procedural dramas this season, Detroit 1-8-7 is by the far the grittiest, most the action takes places at or on cloudy days making it feel rundown and depressing even during scenes of comic relief. This at least sets it apart from the competition in some respect, but in real story terms there is nothing new here to get overly excited about – it is the same old story in different packing. Further more it is still network television, so although it tries to be gritty it can’t quite extend down to the depths of FX’s The Shield or HBO’s The Wire, it tries to appeal to a larger audience perhaps trying to capture the audience who loved the father of modern police procedural drama NYPD Blue.

Some of the best comedy can be found in drama, this is often due to well thought out characters rather than set ups and punchlines which can feel unnatural and forced funny.  Amongst the grit of the pilot there is a fair amount of humour from both Fitch and Washington as they struggle to find a way to work together.  This is really important as the darkness will only feel dark if we have light to compare it to.

Imperioli is very welcome back on our screens and it is great to see him turn to a brooding thinker rather than the rash ambitious gangster, he plays his silence well and lingers in your mind long after the after characters are forgotten, for they are not nearly so well drawn.  There is an  interesting scope and darkness to be pealed away to reveal why the character keeps those around him at such a distance.

What is interesting is that the show was originally envisioned and shot as a faux documentary, but abandoned this after the city of Detroit banned camera crews from following real officers after a controversial police shooting during filming of the A&E documentary series The First 48. Scenes from the pilot were re-shot,  but from time to time remnants of the concept survive. Although we have lost scenes such as Fitch grabbing one of the documentary cameras to smash a car window that brilliantly break the wall and show us something we have not seen before.  This shift in focus has still not fully happened in the pilot and we are left with is a show that is either evolving or devolving in front of our eyes. Right Detroit 1-8-7  has more promise that most cop shows, but falls far short from the best.

Created / Written by: Jason Richman
Directed by: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Starring: Michael Imperioli, Natalie Martinez, Jon Michael Hill, James McDaniel, Aisha Hinds, D.J. Cotrona, Shaun Majumder, Erin Cummings
Date premièred: 21st September 2010
UK Details: TBC

So named because I’m running away.

Women who kick ass are all the rage this season, these fast fisted females appear in Nikita, Lost Girl, Hawaii Five-O and of course Chase the new drama from Jerry Bruckheimer. Since the show creator is former Lost writer Jennifer Johnson, there is a chance of avoiding the fanboy wet dream stereotypes that rear their head when any female takes centre stage in an action story. I am not really a fan of police procedural drama, I find they can be repetitive and predictable, the occasional gimmick such as throwing in faux psychic can lighten things up, but even with The Mentalist I find myself waiting for  the three episodes a year that forward the Red John storyline over the nineteen other who done it episodes. So does Chase buck the trend and offer any surprises?

In the pilot episode we are introduced to US Marshall Annie Frost (Kelli Giddish) as she chases down a criminal through picturesque
Texas, after catching him they fight, she takes a few hits and gives her few of her own (including the classic roundhouse kick to the face), before using her smarts to choke him with her belt. Back at the station Annie and her team are given a new recruit Luke Watson (Jesse Metcalfe) and sent off to locate a man who robbed and killed a man leaving his wife and daughter for dead. They study up on his life and contacts which leads to a couple of close escapes before finally catching up to him as he attempts to cross the boarder into Mexico. Annie chases him down in a suitably over the top fashion and arrests him. Basically the episode was longer version of the  opening teaser.

This is indeed everything I hate about this type of show. You know they are getting the guy and as the title suggests it is just a case of chasing him down and arresting him.  There was no clever police skills used (unless you count music knowledge), generally Annie just follows her instincts and is exactly right every time. The only mistake made is by the rookie and this just serves to drag the episode out longer. The bad guy was so over the top bad he didn’t even feel like a real threat, despite all the random people he kills, his soft side seemed tacked on a pointless. At one point he shaves his head, but since the Marshalls are told about this, the act instantly becomes a pretty pointless measure. The clunky dialouge signposts what sort of series arch they have planned, the three lines said by Annie on the subject land with a thud – “My mother died when I was 8″, “I use to cover for my dad too” and “I don’t know if my dad is alive”, then there is the mysterious phone call she receives in the closing seconds. Hmm I wonder what that phone call is about?

Annie as a central character is a little bland, sure she avoids many of the clichés seen in female action stars, but she also lacks the depth and flaws that would make her an interesting character of any sex.

This show is a great example of how high production values don’t equal a good show. Instantly forgettable.

Created / Written by: Jennifer Johnson
Directed by: David Nutter
Starring: Kelli Giddish, Cole Hauser, Amaury Nolasco, Rose Rollins, Jesse Metcalfe, Sierra Palmer
Date premièred: 20th September 2010
UK Details: Living Early 2011

Justified starts with U.S Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) sat down with a known fugitive, he offers him the choice to leave town or die, pulling a gun on Raylan seals his fate, but that is one too many shootings and Raylan is reassigned to is home town in Kentucky. Here childhood friend Boyd Crowder(Walton Goggins has turned into redneck racist and is not only responsible for the murder of one of his gang members but also for launching a rocket into a black church. Tracking down Crowder leads Raylan to cross paths with his past, an ex-wife, a childhood admirer and the mystery of surround his estranged father. Ultimately it all leads to showdown where he is placed in a similar situation as the first scene and has to make the call about shooting his childhood friend.

Based on the character created by Elmore Leonard the pilot sets up that all too familiar police dynamic and while Raylan maybe more gentleman than brute force, his unconventional methods still rials up his boss. With The Shield finishing on such a high last year, it was great to see the return of the brilliant Walton Goggins to the TV screens, he manages to infuse real character in what could a horrible stereotype in other hands. The pilot serves to set up the interesting characters and dynamics, but as a result feels a little back story heavy with many key events taking place prior to the first episode. With a setting that takes us out of the cities we have become use to in other cop shows, there is certainly scope for fresh storylines. However, although bold in the early stages highlighting the consequence of a policeman shooting his gun, by the end you get the feeling that as long as it is a bad guy getting shot, that is all the justification needed.

In the pilot episode of Memphis Beat we are introduced to Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee) a policeman with very good instincts. When an abused old woman is brought into the station, Dwight learns she was once a great radio DJ who first introduced him to Elvis (he is now an Elvis impersonator in  his spare time).  Emotionally involved in the case his new boss does not approve of his unconventional methods, constantly taking him off the case, this however does not stop his investigation until he finds her abuser.

From the first shot of Jason Lee you start to wonder if this is suppose to be a comedy, then you see the scrawny DJ Qualls in uniform and you know think it is a comedy, then when the first criminal’s trousers fall down, you sigh as it becomes “that type of comedy”. But that is where the comedy ends and a run of the mill police drama starts. Characters are flat and one note facing few, if any consequences for their actions. Only two things stand out, the music (an excellent from soundtrack from start to finish) and the setting. Dwight’s amazing instincts are often mentioned, but there is no explanation about where this comes from, he is no Mentalist and his skills serve only to move the plot forward in a quick and convenient way.

So in a quick summary, Memphis Beat sees Southern gentleman cop Dwight Hendricks solve crime with his unique powers of insight which goes against his by the book boss’ wishes. Justified meanwhile takes place in neighbouring state where U.S Marshal and southern gentleman Raylan Givens upsets his by the book boss because of a trigger happy finger.

Memphis Beat did nothing to peak my interest, I did not get involved with the main character and the horrible mix of comedy and drama was off balance and distracting. I have made it through the first series of Justified and much like the pilot there are some stand out moments that raise it above the usual network offerings, but it is not bold or fresh enough to stand up against other police dramas such as The Shield and The Wire. Law enforcement will always be a popular choice for drama, like medical shows it allows for an easy, self contained story each week, but it is such a well trodden path that you have to throw in something new to win me over.

I’m already dreading the next police drama on my review list Rookie Blue.

Memphis Beat
Created / Written by: Josh Harto and Liz Garcia
Directed by: John Fortenberry
Starring: Jason Lee, Alfre Woodard, DJ Qualls, Celia Weston, Sam Hennings, Leonard Earl Howze, Abraham Benrubi
Date premièred: 22nd June 2010 (TNT)
UK Details: TBC

Justified
Created / Written by: Graham Yost based the character created Elmore Leonard and his short story “Fire in the Hole”
Directed by: TBC
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy, Erica Tazel, Jacob Pitts, Joelle Carter, Natalie Zea,
Date premièred: 16th March 2010 (FX)
UK Details: 5th May 2010 (FIVE USA)