I wanted to like this series, but it tries too hard to be edgy and gritty instead of being real. It's hard to empathize with any of the main characters since the reason for their personal dilemmas seem to be all self-induced - adultery, drug abuse, alcoholism, collusion, etc. We've seen it before a thousand times -- and most of them done better.
Every cop cliché is played out in full here. The acting (and directing) is uneven at best - and at times, atrocious. Ron White, Daniel Kash and Sharon Lawrence are competent enough, given the sometimes hokey dialogue and extreme character traits they've been saddled with, while the minor ethnic characters get to revel in ethnic stereotypes with little regard for authenticity. The exceptions are the comedic foils Milton Barnes & Shawn Singleton - who, for some reason, aren't credited on IMDb. They have some funny moments, but their contribution is so jarringly out-of-place, it feels as if they've been transplanted from an episode of The Jeffersons.
Creator and co-writer George F. Walker made his name with gritty, East-end Toronto stories for the stage. The urban pastiche he created for the theatre, however, doesn't translate to the intimacy of the small screen. Where his plays are invasive, abrasive, and vibrant, the same full-bore scattergun approach doesn't work when it's just you and the TV.
Every cop cliché is played out in full here. The acting (and directing) is uneven at best - and at times, atrocious. Ron White, Daniel Kash and Sharon Lawrence are competent enough, given the sometimes hokey dialogue and extreme character traits they've been saddled with, while the minor ethnic characters get to revel in ethnic stereotypes with little regard for authenticity. The exceptions are the comedic foils Milton Barnes & Shawn Singleton - who, for some reason, aren't credited on IMDb. They have some funny moments, but their contribution is so jarringly out-of-place, it feels as if they've been transplanted from an episode of The Jeffersons.
Creator and co-writer George F. Walker made his name with gritty, East-end Toronto stories for the stage. The urban pastiche he created for the theatre, however, doesn't translate to the intimacy of the small screen. Where his plays are invasive, abrasive, and vibrant, the same full-bore scattergun approach doesn't work when it's just you and the TV.
