BATTLE CREEK, Michigan

Article first published as BATTLE CREEK Review on Seat42F.

Detective Russ Agnew (Dean Winters, Law & Order: SVU) is a frustrated cop in Battlecreek, Michigan, a city of 50,000 whose force is underfunded and underappreciated. When the FBI decides to open up a field office in the same building the police inhabit, Agnew thinks he will show them “The Battle Creek Way,” which is also the name of the pilot episode. Boy, is he in for a surprise in CBS’s new drama, BATTLE CREEK.

BATTLE CREEK is most likely going to be a case-of-the-week, buddy cop series, which is nothing new at all. While both of the main protagonists are men, an idea that almost feels fresh again after the male-female pairings of Castle, Bones, Law & Order: SVU, and so many others in recent memory, it really is a tired old concept done to death in the 90s and earlier before being fairly recently retired.

Yet, the pilot doesn’t feel tired. Maybe it’s because Battle Creek is set in a small town in the Midwest, rather than New York or LA, as most television shows are. As an Ohioan myself, I greatly appreciate this. Maybe it’s the excellent cast, which is better staffed than any procedural has the right to be. Maybe it’s just the snarky dialogue and the impeccable chemistry between the series’ leads. Maybe it’s the fact that House’s David Shore and Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan created this series, lending it a high pedigree. Whatever it is, I really enjoyed the pilot.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’m giving this series a great review. While it is my job to judge a show based on its premiere episode and I do it often, I personally usually give a series more than one episode in order to figure out if they make the list I’m going to continue to watch. I have seen a number of great programs spring from poor pilots. It’s rarer that a series would go the opposite direction, but given the network BATTLE CREEK airs on and its inherent premise, that could certainly be the case in this instance.

Let’s get back to this show specifically, though. Agnew’s partner is Special Agent Milton Chamberlain (Josh Duhamel, Transformers), a golden boy “promoted” to run his own office in the podunk town. Milt knows this isn’t exactly a plum position, but he’s determined to make the best of it, and brings a calming counterpoint to Agnew’s hot-headedness.

If BATTLE CREEK stays focused on just the two of them, it is doomed to grow stale quickly. I hope this won’t end up being the case, as the ensemble is quite capable of more, and it is stacked with a comedy bend that could keep the tone from being bogged down in the cases. There’s Detective Fontanelle (Kal Penn, House), Agnew’s former partner, office manager Holly (Aubrey Dollar, Women’s Murder Club), Commander Guziewicz (Janet McTeer, Damages), Agnew’s boss, and Detective Funkhauser (Edward Fordham, Cuts), as well as recurring roles Detective Jacocks (Liza Lapira, Super Fun Night) and Detective Niblet (Damon Herriman, Justified). Almost all of these are most welcome.

The first hour spends a lot of time on character introductions, and there’s a case tossed in for good measure. At least half the running time is on the former, which is a good sign, but it’s possible that is only done because this is a pilot. The ratio between character development and finite story is what will determine if the show is any good or not. Most CBS series rely very heavily on the latter, to their detriment.

If BATTLE CREEK shall succeed, it should remember to keep the focus on the players, toss in larger arcs and many recurring characters (including some who work for or with Milt, since so far everyone is on Agnew’s team), and make sure it is accurate in its depiction of the setting, something I’m not familiar enough with the real Battle Creek to judge. However, whether the last is handled with authenticity is likely to become more obvious in the coming weeks, and I hope it respects the local flavor that could set it apart.

BATTLE CREEK premieres this Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

BETTER CALL SAUL Worth Picking Up

Article first published as BETTER CALL SAUL Review on Seat42F.

BETTER CALL SAUL doesn’t shy away from its roots. Last night’s series premiere on AMC, “Uno,” begins a little bit after Breaking Bad ended. Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) has relocated to Omaha, Nebraska and is the sad, pathetic manager of a mall Cinnabon. The highlight of his day is going home to his little house, pouring himself a stiff drink, and watching commercials from his glory days. This is where the story ends, and where it begins.

The meat of BETTER CALL SAUL is set six years before Breaking Bad even starts. Saul is known as Jimmy McGill back then, a very unsuccessful lawyer with a crummy office in the back of a nail salon. Desperate for clients, he also cares deeply for his disabled brother, the once-great lawyer Chuck McGill (Michael McKean, Clue, This Is Spinal Tap). Jimmy is at the end of his rope, making very little money representing very cruel teenagers and unable to convince Chuck he should cash out of the thriving firm he helped create.

Jimmy is not as far away from Saul as Walter begins away from Heisenberg, but there is definitely a lot that must happen to turn Jimmy into the sleazy, well-connected “success” he will become. This version of Saul is plenty willing to work outside the law; he just only does so in small ways, and his bravado is much more faked.

I don’t think we can condemn Jimmy for his hatred of Chuck’s partner, Howard Hamlin (Patrick Fabian, Big Love, Veronica Mars). Jimmy thinks Chuck, trapped at home without power because of a crippling disability, is being taken advantage of. Chuck obviously has a big heart, not wanting to hurt the business he built because of how it would affect the employees. But Jimmy sees his big bro as a bit of a schmuck who Howard is pulling one over on. Is Jimmy right, or does he just not have the mind-frame to see Howard and Chuck’s more altruistic viewpoints?

It’s easier to blame Jimmy for what happens or will happen to a pair of young scammers. To try to win a client who is (understandably) reluctant to sign, Jimmy gets the boys to fake an accident. What Jimmy doesn’t know is that this leads them into the den of psychopathic drug dealer Tuco (Raymond Cruz), a place Jimmy ends up as well by the end of the hour. Jimmy may not know who he’s messing with, but he does do something incredibly dumb that gets him and the boys into the situation, so he is to blame.

That makes me wonder how viewers are supposed to feel about the protagonist. Breaking Bad proved you can make a show about a character who is often unlikeable, but there’s something about Saul that makes me care. In Jimmy, this is even more prevalent. He’s the little guy, pushed down, and all his antics are him fighting back against what he sees as a rigged system. This is a sympathetic position, whether he’s right or not.

The style of BETTER CALL SAUL is very reminiscent of Breaking Bad. It is slow burn, with very artistic direction, confusing close-ups, and the very real feel of a larger story than what is being presented. This is by the same guys who did that show, and you can easily tell that, the connections being more than just a character or two.

Joining Jimmy, Chuck, and Howard, the cast includes: Mike (Jonathan Banks), whom fans will remember from the mother ship, and who gets only one (very special) scene in “Uno;” Kim (Rhea Seehorn, Whitney, Franklin & Bash), a lawyer who works for Howard, but seems to at least like Jimmy a little bit; and Nacho (Michael Mando, Orphan Black), a criminal I didn’t notice at all in the first episode, so he may not have shown up yet. This seems a good mix of new and old faces from various worlds, leaving open a number of possibilities as to how the series can move forward.

I like Better Call Saul. Odenkirk is still doing the great work he did in Breaking Bad, deepening the character and showing more range. While I have pointed out a number of similarities to that other series, it also has the bones to be its own story completely, not reliant on its predecessor as it goes on, with references being more funny that necessary. It’s early to make a judgment, but AMC’s decision to already order a second season makes me optimistic my faith in BETTER CALL SAUL is not misplaced.

BETTER CALL SAUL moves to its normal night and time this evening, airing episode two at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.

"Maintenance" Keeps COMMUNITY On Track

Article first published as "Maintenance" Keeps COMMUNITY On Track on TheTVKing.

The latest installment of NBC's Community is "VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing." Buoyed by several memorable guest stars, many of them non-actors doing a great job in rare appearances on screen, the study group is split in two this week for a couple of enlightening stories, leading to a new side being revealed for at least a couple of players. It's an emotional and entertaining episode that continues some of this season's arcs.

After an absolutely terrific opening featuring the under-used Dean (Jim Rash) rapping and breaking down, Jeff (Joel McHale), Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), and Hickey (Jonathan Banks) head off to clean a storage closet. They find 120 mint-condition chemistry text books hidden in a vent, and soon are in a drug deal-esque story to unload them. Things get more complicated when Britta (Gillian Jacobs) is brought in as a middle(wo)man, Chang (Ken Jeong) stumbles on the stash, and Jeff has a crisis of conscience, and in the end, their buyer (compose Paul Williams) walks away without a deal.

Apart from the obvious genre parodying, which is enjoyable, the element that really steals the plot is the turning of Shirley into a kingpin. Brown plays the religious mother so sweetly most times, and despite her prejudices, hypocrisy, and judgmental nature, Shirley is usually very likeable. But when her dark side emerges, usually covered with a layer of honey, watch out! "VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing" may just be the nastiest we've seen her yet, conveying much with a tilt of her head or a lift of her eyebrow.

I also like that Jeff is the one has doubts about their enterprise. He's really turned a corner in what a good person he can be, and while he still makes some bad choices, such as being the one to encourage their illicit activity in the first place, he can't stand to see Shirley go evil and feels bad about his fault in it. I don't think his moral compass was nearly so strong at the start, and it's gratifying to see this growth.

It's worth nothing that much of this season has concerned Greendale's precarious financial situation. The Dean announces paychecks will be late at the start of this episode, and it's likely the text books were hidden precisely because they were worthless misprints, perhaps another mistake the Dean made to drive them further into the hole. Will the Save Greendale Committee be able to preserve the school? Or might this make an excellent main story for the movie referenced in the hashtag #sixseasonsandamovie?

The other side of "VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing" involves Annie (Allison Brie) and Abed (Danny Pudi) searching for a roommate. This is necessary because they can't afford the rent on their own. Annie would like her brother (production staff member Spencer Crittenden) to live with them, while Abed argues for his girlfriend of one month, Rachel (Brie Larson). To settle the disagreement, Annie and Abed drag the other two into a high-stakes round of the old (fictional) VHS game Pile of Bullets.

Bringing up such an outdated form of entertainment as a VHS game is both fitting for Community and hilarious. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan does a fantastic job as the star of the tape, and his tag at the end of the episode with Gina Gershon makes for some pretty funny meta stuff. The show frequently brings up old trends from the past, and this is another link in that proud legacy.

Of course, things for Annie and Abed aren't so easily solved. As Annie's brother points out, there is a serious vacuum left in the apartment since Troy's departure. No one can really replace Troy in the role he held in their lives, and by trying to force someone into that hole, the two risk ruining whoever they set their sights on. Instead, they need to get a stranger to help pay the rent for practical reasons, then tackle the emotional void on their own.

Abed is already showing signs of development with his crutch gone. Rachel is good for Abed, letting him know when he's acting in an unacceptable manner and charmed by his better qualities. Abed almost loses her in his obsession with the game, but does wake up enough to realize her importance and win her back, creating one of his real, honest moments as he confesses his underlying concerns. She is patient and forviging, and there's a real sense of hope that she might be just what Abed needs to become a whole human being.

"VCR Maintenance and Educational Publishing" may not be a particularly special episode, but it's another good one, keeping the show alive to the millions of fans happy to see it survive. Might it be too much to ask from NBC to give us one more season and a film?

Community airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Enter THE WRITERS' ROOM

Article first published as Enter THE WRITERS' ROOM on TheTVKing.

Sundance, a channel not available in all areas, unspooled an intriguing new series this summer entitled The Writers' Room. Even if you don't get that network, though, all six episodes of its freshman run, recently completed, are available on amazon.com to download or stream.

The Writers' Room is hosted by Oscar-winning writer Jim Rash (The Descendants), who also co-stars as the crazy Dean on NBC's Community. In each half-hour installment, Rash sits down with the creator, writers, and sometimes actors of a popular, well-written show. He not only talks to them about their work, but also makes them prove their mettle in fun exercises.

The first episode I watched was the fourth. The guests are New Girl creator Liz Meriwether, series star Jake Johnson, who plays Nick, and writer / producers Dave Finkel and Brett Baer. These four expound upon their process, and Rash challenges them to each pick a different oddity, then combine them into a script idea. It's a very entertaining premise, especially to those fascinated with writing as a medium and television as an industry.

After that, I watched the first episode, which was even better. Featuring Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, series lead Bryan Cranston, and quite a few writers, they told stories from the set, contemplated mass suicide, and even went into how the show was pitched. Some of what they said is already familiar to fans of the show, but much is new material, just now revealed to the general public.

Rash is a very capable host. He knows a lot about the subject at hand himself, being a writer, but he also has that charm and natural humor that serve him well in Community. His job here is not to be as outrageous as the Dean, but to keep things moving and to toss in a few jokes. This, he does very well. This could easily be the writer's answer to Inside the Actor's Studio, with Rash an even more magnetic James Lipton.

Another cool feature of The Writers' Room is that pop-up facts appear on screen throughout each installment. These give more information than those on the show have time to get to in the brief installments. It's unknown whether they come from edited-out material or things that have just been researched, but they are relevant and interesting. At least until the series can be expanded to an hour-long project, they help with the value of the production.

Other episodes available include interviews with the staffs of Game of Thrones, Dexter, Parks and Recreation, and American Horror Story. So, in short, The Writers' Room only attracts the best of the best, with this half dozen being among the truly great shows currently airing.

As a writer myself, I love this show and hope for more episodes, perhaps covering shows such as Mad Men, Hannibal, The Newsroom, The Walking Dead, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Yes, the last one is canceled, but one can hope, can't one?) It does not appear to be renewed yet, but it deserves to be. The writers of a show are so often forgotten or overlooked, but they are the ones who come up with the stories fans love. It's time they got to speak out in their own voices.

Check out The Writers' Room on amazon.com now.