While watching television has never been high on my to-do list, I have found a couple of new shows I like. The main one is Detroit 1-8-7. It is a gritty cop show that follows the day-to-day activities of a top Detroit Homicide unit. To-date, four of the scheduled twelve episodes have aired. Critical reception has been mixed. I find it compelling enough to record each week.
The main complaint from the critics is that the show brings nothing new to the genre. While I would agree with that assessment somewhat, I don’t think it is entirely accurate. Few shows have managed to capture the reality of the streets of a city like Detroit. Memphis Beat certainly missed the mark. I’ve lived in the Memphis area and worked in Memphis and the show was a big disappointment. The less said about the realism of Miami Vice, the better. NYPD Blue had a similar gritty realism. However, it is difficult, and perhaps unfair, to compare a new show to arguably the best cop show of all time.