Detroit 1-8-7: Season One
Cop shows are the easiest to put on the air. Every network has had its share of weekly mysteries. Some of them have been some of the best shows ever (HBO’s “The Wire”, FX’s “The Shield”, NBC’s “Homicide” and “Hill Street Blues” to name a few), but most are countless "CSI" spinoffs, and ripoffs, that fall into mindless entertainment. “Detroit 1-8-7” wants to be different, but its changes are almost irrelevant.
It was originally going to be a mockumentary show with a documentary crew following around the cops of the station. That concept was removed when the pilot was re-shot because too many shows on the air use that conceit. The handheld style remains, but it is never used effectively. A show like “Friday Night Lights” uses that method so the actors can react organically and not always stand on their mark if it doesn’t feel natural. This just looks like every other cop show … sans tripod.
Michael “Stop Calling Me Christopher” Imperioli stars as Detective Fitch, who is grumpy but solves cases. Something darker is hinted at in the pilot, but it isn’t that interesting. Mostly, he’s just the token name actor with a cast of unknowns. Imperioli is a fine actor, but he has so little to work with. Most of the dialogue is eye-rolling, and the cases are too easy to forget while watching.
What the show does have going for it is a subtle style. The score for the show is the usual bland “This is an exciting part!,” but when the episode uses actual songs, it's smoother. The city and the police office have a nice unpolished feel to them, even though everything seems too well lit.
I love TV and tend to follow a lot of TV news but honestly couldn’t remember if this show was still on the air. “Detroit 1-8-7” was cancelled by ABC last season as part of the slaughter most networks perform on most new shows. I’m sure this had a few fans, but there are too many shows that can do the same thing with more style and cleverness.
There are no bonus features, just the 18 episodes that aired on ABC.
Season/Series: 2 Yaps Extras: N/A