Rescue 9-1-1

Article first published as TV Review: 9-1-1 on Seat42F.

Before watching, one can be forgiven for dismissing the new FOX series, 9-1-1, as a typical procedural. After all, it stars firemen, police women, and EMTs, and the people they help don’t carry over from week to week. But there is a lot more to it than that, even if it’s hard to define exactly what the quality is that it exudes. Let’s try to break it down, shall we?

First, there’re the brains behind 9-1-1: Ryan Murphy, Brad Fulchuk, and Tim Minear. These guys are known for a variety of high-quality cable shows in recent years, most notably American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and Feud. Given those credits, it’s hard to believe they would deliver anything at all close to a run-of-the-mill, case-of-the-week series. And they do not.

The next clue that this will be better than usual are the actors who signed up. Angela Bassett (American Horror Story, Olympus Has Fallen) is Athena Grant, the main police person we see in the cast. Peter Krause (Parenthood) is Bobby Nash, the fire captain. Kenneth Choi (Sons of Anarchy, Last Man on Earth), Aisha Hinds (Underground, Dollhouse), and Oliver Stark (Into the Badlands) all play characters who work for Bobby. Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights, Nashville) is a 9-1-1 operator named Abby Clark serving as go-between for all of these people, making it a rounded series. While it’s true that none of them have spotless resumes, to have so many great performers in one series says something.

The premise itself does feel a bit formulaic when described. In the pilot alone, the characters respond to several calls for help, and deal with the issues. One of the ensemble gets in trouble at work for acting inappropriately, one is a recovering alcoholic, and Athena is dealing with marital issues with husband Michael (Rockmond Dunbar, Prison Break). None of these things sound like they belong to a new, promising show.

However, there is something more to 9-1-1 that transcends the formula. It’s an ineffable element that is hard to define completely. The best way I can describe it is that there is an urgency, a pacing and tone, that belongs on a high-quality cable show, and feels very out of place on a broadcast network. No scene comes across as cheesy, everything is done with sincerity, and when paired with the performing talent, it rises above the sum of its parts.

The primary thing I can say is that numerous bits of the pilot moved me deep in my gut. I welled up, but not in the way This Is Us makes me. I experienced adrenaline rushes, but not as I do when watching 24. I was scared, but not like a bad slasher flick evokes. I really felt the emotions the characters were feeling, and I have to say, that is quite a feat to do in an hour procedural, let alone multiple times. Maybe it was the mood I was in, but having just reviewed a terrible show right before it, I don’t think so.

Some will dismiss this assertion and find it ridiculous. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I’ve already seen some negative reviews of 9-1-1. But I loathe crime procedurals and watch far too much TV to think I haven’t become desensitized. What I can tell you is that this one feels different. This one makes me eager to watch more. It might be the best show FOX has aired in years, and I don’t think that’s making a questionable boast. This is what a procedural should be, the best of its genre.

9-1-1 airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on FOX.

Sons of Anarchy Season Four roars onto Blu-ray

When fans completed the third season of Sons of Anarchy, many members of SAMCRO are in prison. Season four, now on Blu-ray and DVD, picks up fourteen months later. The gang is out, but they don't quite return home to the same place they left. There's a new sheriff in town, Lieutenant Eli Roosevelt (Rockmond Dunbar, Prison Break), who won't even allow them to wear their insignia anymore. Backed up by U.S. Attorney Lincoln Potter (Ray McKinnon, Deadwood), a case is being built against the parolees. Will SAMCRO stand for this? Will they toe the line to stay out of trouble? Viewers of the show should be able to guess the answer fairly easily.

Even as everyone pulls together, there are some who call their loyalties into question. Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is ready to move on, especially after Tara (Maggie Siff) accepts his marriage proposal. Being a member of the motorcycle group hasn't been an easy or a safe way to live, and these lovebirds plan to leave it all behind them. If only quitting were that easy...

Clay (Ron Perlman) makes things worse. The guys have long run guns, but Clay thinks that they should mule cocaine, too. This added business prospect, not only risky, but also morally questionable, causes a schism in the group. Half of the guys are in favor of the extra money getting involved with drugs will bring, while the other half take a different stance. It makes it awfully hard to fight the law when you are sucked into internal bickering.

A rat within the organization, secret ancestry, letters with incriminating details, an old murder come to light, and some serious rivals are only some of the many obstacles the characters face in season four. It's a roller coaster ride which tests every characters' mettle. Loyalty and betrayal, danger and excitement, love and death rule this year, by most accounts a worthy continuation of a well-respected series.

Some complained that season three strayed too far from the beaten path, taking the characters in directions that were not universally approved of. Most agree that season four is a return to form. While that does mean it falls back into a certain formula, there are also some sweeping arcs and moving stories that raise the game. There is a re-invigoration of the strongest elements on the show, and things seem a little less meandering than in the previous year. There will never be a consensus on a show that divides people like Sons of Anarchy does, but most point to season four as a solid effort.

Despite how hard the series may seem on the outside, as it is about a bunch of criminals on motorcycles, after all, the true reason this series works is because of the characters. A fantastic cast which includes not only Perlman, Hunnam, and Siff, but also Katey Sagal, William Lucking, Mark Boone Junior, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Theo Rossi, Ryan Hurst, and Dayton Callie sell each and every installment. These characters are layered, and by the brilliance of the performers, are made sympathetic, despite the dark deeds that they do. Add to this, fantastic writing and great direction, and Sons of Anarchy remains one of cable's most compelling dramas. People who watch this show expect a high level of quality, and season four, like the previous years, delivers.

Season Four's Blu-ray release does not lack for extras. There are extended episodes and scenes, deleted scenes, and several of the episodes have an audio commentary option, including the two part finale. There is also a gag reel and featurettes on fans of the show, and a stop by the House of Blues. A touching tribute to Piney (Lucking) may just bring tears to your eyes.

Sons of Anarchy Season Four is available now wherever Blu-rays and DVDs are sold.

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Terriers yet another quirky crime show?

    FX has television's newest crime show, Terriers, though I'm sure it won't hold that 'new' status for long. Why are crime dramas the most common type of series on television? Sure, I get the draw of a few of them. Bones, for one, has a very eclectic cast played by extremely talented actors, so I watch it. Plus there is personal development and arcs that last through multiple episodes. FX has delivered two unique shows that can barely be called crime shows: Damages and Justified. I am fans of both of those as well. But with the huge overpopulation of the CSI and Law & Order franchises, as well as the failure of most crime investigation shows to break a procedural mold, I am by and large against them. USA is the one network that strikes a delicate balance, winning and losing in almost equal parts.

     I can't tell from the pilot which side of the coin that Terriers lands on. On one hand, there was one case that was solved in the hour. On the other, there is a very interesting character in Hank Dolworth, a recovering alcoholic pining over his ex-wife. He is played by Donal Logue (Life). I have seen Logue before, but certainly never with this much depth. It is a role of a lifetime for him. He is a former cop who now goes around with his best friend Britt (Michael Raymond-James, True Blood) and, while sometimes getting in the way of the cops, finding things that are lost. Or at least, that's how they're described in the pilot. I liked Raymond-James better in his last series. He plays the dumb sidekick here, but not as well as plenty of other actors have played it.

     The only other notable star is Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break) as Dolworth's former partner, Detective Mark Gustafson, who is still on the force. Dolworth's lawyer, Maggie (Jamie Denbo), is okay, and might possibly have potential. Both Britt's girlfriend Katie (Laura Allen, Dirt) and Dolworth's ex-wife, Gretchen (Kimberly Quinn) don't really add anything new to the mix. The question is, will these side characters become important, or will the entire series be about Dolworth? And if it is, can television support another single character-driven procedural? I'm thinking not.

     I'll give the show another chance, given the excellent network it airs on, but at this point, I'm not optimistic. If you'd like to check out Terriers, it's on FX Wednesdays at 10pm, and the pilot will surely rerun this weekend.


Article first published as TV Review: Terriers Yet Another Quirky crime Show? on Blogcritics.