Pimping: Terriers
Mediam: TV show
Genre: Buddy PI/detective
Length: Sadly canceled after 13 episodes
Why?: Well written and acted, character-driven, down-to-earth detective show with rounded, flawed characters - yep, no wonder in was canned.
Terriers is an American series although I kept forgetting that as I was watching it. In a good way. It doesn't have that patina of "gloss" which I associate with modern US productions (it has a more 70s detective show feel to it for some reason), even the ones that are supposed to be gritty[TM]. It's very plot driven so while it only lasts 13 episodes it covers more ground than some series manage in 22. It helps that there aren't any really any filler episodes giving it a more British series plot-arc feel. It also has the trick of many British series of ending at a good place.
The main two characters are Hank Dolworth, an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic who got kicked out of the police under a cloud (of alcohol fumes) but is now clean, and Britt Pollack, the younger partner in the duo and an ex-B&E specialist who has now gone legit. Together they work as (unlicensed) private investigators of the underdog and slightly sketchy/ends justifies the means variety. The ensemble is rounded out by their lawyer and occasional employer (Maggie), Britt's girlfriend (Katie) who is studying to be a vet, Hank's ex-wife (Gretchen) and her new beau (Jason), Hank's ex-police partner (Gustafson) and his sister (Steph).
While none of the characters are unattractive (it is an American TV show) it isn't the a show that you watch for the pretty - it's one you watch to the story and the people. The characters, even those that aren't particularly fleshed out, come across as rounded. Gretchen, for example, gets very little development herself but she still comes across as a person in her own right rather than just a plot-device-with-breasts or an auxiliary to Hank's character.
I've often thought that American shows are very bad at getting shades-of-grey characters right - the good guys have to be heroes even when they are doing bad things. This gets it right imho. Pretty much everyone is flawed, makes mistakes and fucks up (in a few cases really fucks up) but they are very human, character-driven fuck-ups rather than cases of sudden plot-stupidity and, even better, they get called on it (for the most part). They get pissed of at the things that they should get pissed of about rather than the things that they can be dramatic over and none of these things that happen define their characters, they are events that the characters go through/do and then have to deal with the fall out from.
I wasn't entirely sure after watching the first episode (I as wasn't sure if it was another show where bad things were okay if the good guys did them which tends to squick me a bit) but it quickly grew on me. If you like the little-guy-against-the-system, bros-before-legality-but-with-a-conscience type detective show then give this one a try.
Originally posted at http://fides.dreamwidth.org/9281.html. There are
comments there.
Genre: Buddy PI/detective
Length: Sadly canceled after 13 episodes
Why?: Well written and acted, character-driven, down-to-earth detective show with rounded, flawed characters - yep, no wonder in was canned.
Terriers is an American series although I kept forgetting that as I was watching it. In a good way. It doesn't have that patina of "gloss" which I associate with modern US productions (it has a more 70s detective show feel to it for some reason), even the ones that are supposed to be gritty[TM]. It's very plot driven so while it only lasts 13 episodes it covers more ground than some series manage in 22. It helps that there aren't any really any filler episodes giving it a more British series plot-arc feel. It also has the trick of many British series of ending at a good place.
The main two characters are Hank Dolworth, an ex-cop and recovering alcoholic who got kicked out of the police under a cloud (of alcohol fumes) but is now clean, and Britt Pollack, the younger partner in the duo and an ex-B&E specialist who has now gone legit. Together they work as (unlicensed) private investigators of the underdog and slightly sketchy/ends justifies the means variety. The ensemble is rounded out by their lawyer and occasional employer (Maggie), Britt's girlfriend (Katie) who is studying to be a vet, Hank's ex-wife (Gretchen) and her new beau (Jason), Hank's ex-police partner (Gustafson) and his sister (Steph).
While none of the characters are unattractive (it is an American TV show) it isn't the a show that you watch for the pretty - it's one you watch to the story and the people. The characters, even those that aren't particularly fleshed out, come across as rounded. Gretchen, for example, gets very little development herself but she still comes across as a person in her own right rather than just a plot-device-with-breasts or an auxiliary to Hank's character.
I've often thought that American shows are very bad at getting shades-of-grey characters right - the good guys have to be heroes even when they are doing bad things. This gets it right imho. Pretty much everyone is flawed, makes mistakes and fucks up (in a few cases really fucks up) but they are very human, character-driven fuck-ups rather than cases of sudden plot-stupidity and, even better, they get called on it (for the most part). They get pissed of at the things that they should get pissed of about rather than the things that they can be dramatic over and none of these things that happen define their characters, they are events that the characters go through/do and then have to deal with the fall out from.
I wasn't entirely sure after watching the first episode (I as wasn't sure if it was another show where bad things were okay if the good guys did them which tends to squick me a bit) but it quickly grew on me. If you like the little-guy-against-the-system, bros-before-legality-but-with-a-conscience type detective show then give this one a try.
Originally posted at http://fides.dreamwidth.org/9281.html. There are
comments there.