Who's the BOSCH

Article first published as BOSCH Review on Seat42F.

Amazon’s new drama pilot, their first ordered to series, BOSCH, begs the question: do we need another police procedural? True, BOSCH is also a character study of a tormented man who is on trial for killing an unarmed suspect, so he’s not solely focused on whatever new cases he gets into (against orders, of course), but none of this is very original or groundbreaking. Perhaps the title character in this show takes a things a step further than his broadcast network peers, the writers digging a little deeper, but the first hour feels like yet another retread on very familiar ground.

The thing is, I just can’t jump on the Bosch band wagon. When Luther, Elementary, House, and so many other shows have given us a very similar leading man, there just isn’t enough here that feels fresh or new. Sure, there are cosmetic differences, of course, the quality of this program is at least as high, if not higher, than those others I’ve named. But at the central core, Bosch is lacking originality. And, like nearly half of the shows on television today, it takes place in L.A., a totally uninspired setting.

It’s possible to stay in the crime genre and make something fresh. HBO’s True Detective last year proves that. But BOSH isn’t True Detective, so it fails on an essential level.

The best thing I can say about BOSCH is that it casts Titus Welliver (Lost, Argo, Sons on Anarchy) in the main part. Welliver definitely deserves leading man status, and he easily handles the material, being allowed to show his depth and range in a way he hasn’t yet. From his buried pain over what he did, to the face he has to put forward both for the sake of his profession and so that he can try to live with himself, he’s not a shallow man. Bosch is no House; he is quite likeable. Circumstances have brought him to where he is, not mistakes he made with foreknowledge.

He is joined by an excellent ensemble. The other major characters include Scott Wilson (The Walking Dead), Annie Wesching (24), Lance Reddrick (Fringe), Amy Aquino (Being Human), Abraham Benrubi (ER), Amy Price-Francis (King), Alan Rosenberg (Cybill, Luck), Valerie Cruz (Off the Map), and Jamie Hector (The Wire). So many familiar names, and all of them memorable. One cannot complain about the casting.

What will set BOSCH apart a bit, for those who love the genre so much that they haven’t yet grown tired of it yet, is the dual narratives. Because Bosch is facing his own challenges while working at his job, and his personal story probably won’t only pop up a couple of times per season, as it would on CBS, there’s something interesting in every episode. It’s not enough for me, but it will likely be enough for many viewers.

So, at the end of the day, I don’t think it matters if BOSCH has smart writing, convincing acting, and well-developed characters. All of those things are true, and the series definitely is near the top of its field, but the market is too saturated. With Amazon just trying to break into scripted drama, it may have been a safe path to choose something tried and true, but it’s also a boring one. We didn’t need another show like BOSCH, and while it may make Amazon seem like a legitimate contender in the original content market, it also signals they may not forge their own identity, which is sorely needed to set them apart.

Bosch’s first season is available now on Amazon.com.

He's the BOSCH

Article first published as He's the BOSCH on TheTVKing.

Do we need an other police procedural, even if it's couched in a character study of a tormented man? That's what Amazon is delivering to us in Bosch, one of their first two drama pilots, currently streaming free on their website. The titular detective is simultaneously on trial for the murder of an unarmed suspect, while still digging into fresh cases, against orders. Can he escape jail and find peace?

It's hard to argue that Titus Welliver (The Good Wife, Lost, Sons of Anarchy, Argo) doesn't deserve a leading role. He absolutely does, and he definitely handles the main part of Bosch well. He lets us see the hurt it causes him to know he killed someone, beneath the bravado he must maintain to sleep at night and continue to do his job. He's a good man who accidentally did a bad thing, with cause, and thus a likeable protagonist.

The problem is, we already have plenty of these. Shows from Luther to Elementary to Justified to House have already given us pretty much the same archetype. There are differences of course, but these tend to be only cosmetic, and what sets each apart tends to be the quality of the writing and the ensemble, rather than any real originality in storytelling.

Bosch does lean towards the higher end of the spectrum. Part of this is because of the dual narratives, the court case and the current investigation, balancing each other nicely. Another part is the enjoyable ensemble, which includes Scott Wilson (The Walking Dead), Lance Reddick (Fringe), Amy Aquino (Being Human), Annie Wersching (24), Alan Rosenberg (Cybill, Luck), Valerie Cruz (Off the Map), Abraham Benrubi (ER), Amy Price-Francis (King), and Jamie Hector (The Wire). It's a great group of performers.

Bosch is better than most of the other crime shows. The writing is smart, the acting is convincing, and the characters are well developed. These are adjectives I frequently use to describe good shows, and it applies here, too.

But because the market is inundated with this type of drama, though,, it's not necessary to make another. I don't know if Amazon hopes that by delivering something so familiar, we'll see it as a legitimate television content provider. What is more likely, though, at least for those of us that consume lots of TV, is we'll see it as lazy, yet another clone for an already crowded genre.

What would set Bosch apart from its peers? Well, letting Bosch leave the law enforcement profession behind would be good. Or seeing him actually go to jail, the story following him as his life changes, and then the fight to overcome that. I'd like to see Bosch himself do more than just stay in the structure he's accustomed to. But this seems quite unlikely, as it's a much more challenging type of show to tell. Or, at least they could make the setting somewhere other than L.A., which has been done to death.

Making a brand new crime show worth watching isn't impossible; HBO's True Detective has proven that. Bosch just isn't True Detective-caliber, even as it's a notch above anything on the broadcast networks.

Bosch's first episode is available now on Amazon.com

The Chicago Code faces "Black Hand and the Shotgun Man"

     FOX's The Chicago Code had a great pilot, but to my surprise, it continues to deliver extremely well-made episodes every week. Those expecting just another cop show are mistaken, as this series is certainly much, much better than most of its peers on television. The series gets into some real human drama, the heart of the people that make up the city of Chicago. The main characters struggle with moral compromises and how far to go for justice. There are cases of the week, but there are also much larger plots that consistently get plenty of screen time, too. It is expertly written and acted. I cannot recommend this series enough.

     This week, Jarek (Jason Clarke) and Caleb (Matt Lauria) bust a drug dealer named Romero, only to find the situation is much more complicated than they have assumed. Romero's son has been kidnapped by a rival gang, and while Jarek is fine with using Romero to save his son, federal agents show up and demand Romero be handed over to testify in another case, after which they intend to stick him into witness protection. Jarek is not one to give up easily, and is not about to let Romero's seven year old pay for his father's mistakes, so he has his niece, Vonda (Devin Kelley), and her partner, Isaac (Todd Williams), distract the F.B.I. men long enough to allow him to save the kid.

     Jarek often crosses the line, but doesn't get into trouble because of his results. While this may not be entirely realistic, it is easy enough to explain away, as Police Superintendent Teresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals) has given him a long leash in an attempt to go after a very big fish. As such, even when the case is not connected to Jarek's main target, he is allowed to defy orders more than other cops. Which, of course, makes for extremely good action sequences. If you are missing Jack Bauer, Jarek Wysocki should help ease the pain.

     Teresa herself pushes boundaries, but as she has to play politics, she isn't able to go as far as Jarek. Which may explain why she goes so easy on Jarek. He gets to do the things she cannot. He is her tool to get done what needs to be done. Last week, it went so far as to Teresa staging a suspension for Jarek, a real suspension, but pre-planned between the two of them, so that she can maintain a public image, but the job can still get tackled. This week, Teresa uses her more diplomatic talents, convincing the F.B.I. chief (Adam Arkin, Sons of Anarchy, Chicago Hope) that both they and she can get what they want. She is tough, but fair, and doing a heck of a job cleaning up quite a mess.

     I absolutely love the dynamic between Jarek and his partner, Caleb. Caleb is a goody two-shoes, who is well educated and wants to go far in law enforcement. It's Caleb's unique combination of reminding Jarek not to stray too far from the right path, but also not to get in his way, that has allowed Caleb to stay Jarek's partner, despite the high turnover rate that position holds. Caleb recognizes the value in Jarek's methods in a way others have not, and seems to have a good moral compass and wisdom. He doesn't always agree with Jarek, but he knows how to pick his battles. For instance, he is now harping on Jarek's large consumption of energy drinks, but doesn't try to talk Jarek out of fooling the feds to save a little boy.

     Caleb also gives Jarek crap for cheating on his fiance with his ex-wife, a plot that sees some serious development this week. Jarek's son catches Jarek and Dina (Amy Price-Francis, Life Unexpected, The Cleaner) together in the middle of the night. Dina wants Jarek to leave his very young fiance and come back to her, but knows him well enough to not force a choice. However, once Jarek affirms to his son that he has no intention of getting back with Dina on a more permanent basis, Dina accepts a date with another man, annoying Jarek.

     Perhaps it is cliche in TV that the man who is super good at law enforcement has a screwed up personal life. But that doesn't mean it's not entertaining. Jarek is a deeply flawed man, but that may be why he is able to understand the bad guys well enough to take them down. He knows flaws better than most. Jarek doesn't seem particularly enamored with his fiance, so I do find it strange he doesn't just dump her for Dina, whom he seems to value more. However, not knowing their back story all that well, it's hard to know exactly what is informing Jarek's decision making process in this case.

     Speaking of back story, this series has a cool element where one of the major, not necessarily main, characters narrates some history, often times with brief flashback scenes, informing on what has brought them to the point they are currently at. It's not like Lost where the flashbacks take over the narrative, or are extremely important to the ongoing plot. But I do like to know how past decisions influence present ones, and it is accomplished in an unobtrusive way. Very neat.

     Finally, in an ongoing arc, Liam (Billy Lush) continues his undercover investigation into Gibbons (Delroy Lindo). Last week, to keep his cover, Liam committed arson, later finding out his deed led to a man's death. Thankfully, rather than just forgetting this twist, Liam is really struggling with guilt over what happened. Gibbons, who orchestrated the arson and murder so that Liam is under his thumb, asks Liam to be his driver for a day. But it's a ruse. He takes Liam to visit grieving families, including that of Liam's victim, basically letting Liam know he is now owned.

     I am not convinced that the man died in the fire. His body may have been dumped there to blackmail Liam. Even if he did die in the fire, he was certainly placed there on purpose. I don't see Liam facing long-term consequences for the man's death, other than the personal demons he must wrestle with.

     Of course, Liam isn't owned, because he's a cop, and was ordered to participate in the fire. Gibbons doesn't know this. It is done cleverly, with Gibbons never actually saying anything threatening to Liam, actually smiling and acting like a mentor. Yet, there is a cruel ruthlessness underlying Gibbon's friendly disposition. What Gibbons doesn't know is that Liam is about ready to quit the operation, until Gibbons's strategy backfires, renewing Liam's commitment to the take down. Had Liam quit, it likely would have taken a long time to get a new undercover office in as deep as Liam is. Gibbons is causing his own downfall.

     Which makes me wonder what the long-term story will be for this series. Gibbons, obviously, is the first big target, and a main character. But I don't see Gibbons staying in power more than another year, at most. Any longer, and the show risks growing stale. Chicago is know for corruption, so surely there are many paths that can be taken after Gibbons goes down, though hopefully the next will be in a different direction. Rather than getting ahead of myself, though, I'm going to force myself to slow down and enjoy the ride. Because it is extremely entertaining.


     The Chicago Code airs Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET on FOX.

Article first published as TV Review: The Chicago Code - "Black Hand and the Shotgun Man" on Blogcritics.

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Life Unexpected tries too hard to be unexpected

Before you begin reading this review, you may want to re-read my season finale review from last April.

     Last year, the CW presented a little-watched show that was a surprise pick-up for a second season this year. Life Unexpected was incredibly charming, and I was thrilled when it got renewed, well after I thought it dead. I was even more surprised, and disappointed, to watch the season premiere, "Ocean Uncharted." It wasn't that it was a terrible hour of television; it's just that I know from past efforts that LU can do so much better than this. My biggest complaint is that the show just feels like it's trying too hard. It's stunt storytelling to bring in ratings. The show needs more viewers, but it won't get them if it replaces good writing with shock factors.

     The three most important characters all face earth-shattering events in the premiere. Baze (Kristoffer Polaha) is wondering what would have happened if he had only shown up at the church earlier. Would Cate (Shiri Appleby) have left Ryan (Kerr Smith) at the alter if Baze had arrived before their vows were exchanged? The self-reflection isn't bad, and actually shows Baze's maturation. Nor do I fault him for looking twice at the hot new waitress at his bar, Paige (Arielle Kebbel, Gilmore Girls). It's what happens because of Paige and why Paige will be sticking around for a while that I have a problem with. Don't worry. I won't spoil the surprises.

     Cate and Ryan have just returned from their honeymoon when the premiere episode begins. They took Lux (Brittany Robertson), so that she could have a vacation. Obviously, this did not allow them a traditional post-wedding trip, and we'll see if that has any consequences. Back at work, they learn that a new co-host will be joining them in the mornings, author Kelly Campbell (Amy Price-Francis, 24). She gives marriage advice, without being married herself. And Kelly is there to do more than just join the pair. Not only that, but Ryan seems to be hiding something significant from Cate. I know there needs to be suspense, hooks, and shakeups to get people to watch, but look how many things I mention in that short paragraph for just one episode. Trying way too hard.

     Lux doesn't have it any better than her parents. As soon as she arrives back in town, her boyfriend Bug (Rafi Gavron) wants something very big from her. As Lux has done before, she starts to fall for another boy (Shaun Sipos, Melrose Place) while pulling away from Bug. Even though the guy was new, the plot felt stale. And his twist has been done on many television shows before.

     There is a bright spot on the horizon, though. Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Beverly Hills 90210) will soon be joining the cast as the new boss of one of our main characters. Emma sure brought a breath of fresh air to Buffy when she joined the show mid-run. Let's hope she can deliver the same for Life Unexpected.

     Life Unexpected premieres this Tuesday at 9pm on the CW

Article first published as Life Unexpected Tries Too Hard to Be Unexpected on Blogcritics.