Review: Dragnet

Dick Wolf has a lock on NBC with his Law & Order triad, and ABC’s obviously itching to get a little bit of his particular brand of steady-as-a-rock crime-solving on their network. What could be easier than resurrecting a pre-sold franchise? Nothing, and that’s just what’s a little bit disappointing about this new series.

Tell me again how this is supposed to be such an improvement on the previous incarnations of Dragnet on TV? I guess they get points for talking about genitalia and premature ejaculation – and in a pretty flip way, to boot -- but don’t tell me that Jack Webb wouldn’t have included explicit shop talk if he were doing the show today. Webb brought a groundbreaking realism to the little screen, and is clearly the artistic granddaddy of a whole genre of cop shows. Things were very different back in 1967, when Webb brought Dragnet to network TV for the second time. Just consider its lead-in at the time – Ironside – a thoroughly competent, but far from legendary, and very typical police action series of the time. That was the standard; compare that to Webb’s methodical and real-life take on the same-type material on Dragnet. Worlds apart, and today’s crime shows owe everything to Webb’s version of police work. And though it’s an easy (and ignorant) jape to mock Webb as Friday’s stylized line delivery, his trademark cop patois was groundbreaking and, not surprisingly, is a part of American pop culture that will live forever. Sure, laugh it up at Webb’s ferocious take on drugs and hippies ala 1967, but it reflected the times, just as this new version of Dragnet purports to update things to today. Just because Webb’s TV cop didn’t get the chance to openly chat up prostitutes during his investigations, doesn’t make this new Dragnet better because Ed O’Neill can.

This being said, this new Dragnet has lifted all the trademarks from the original series – Friday’s laconic voice-overs, ample use of Los Angeles exteriors, the greatest theme song ever – and used them to good advantage. Probably the biggest change from the original is the length; Webb’s Dragnet was a quick half-hour, and ABC’s version is a full hour. Obviously the crimes are a little more intricate, and the solving much more so with time to kill, but they’ve done a good job of stretching. Ed O’ Neill is just fine as today’s Friday; he’s tough and serious, and makes Friday his own. He exudes professionalism, a touch of world-weariness, and is definitely the kind of cop you want on your case. Ethan Embry is appealing as Friday’s partner, new to robbery/homicide, and with today’s emphasis on youthful demos it’s easy to see why they changed the partner character from being the same age as Friday. Embry’s Det. Smith has a lot to learn, and Friday’s the perfect mentor.

I’d say the strongest draw for this new Dragnet is watching Ed O’Neill, and the interesting use of Los Angeles as a vital backdrop for the show. Competition for the first three weeks is NBC’s stylish and slightly crazed Kingpin, but after that it’s back to Boomtown, which isn’t working the way everybody hoped. And after you watch Dragnet, whisper a little thank you to Jack Webb, and let’s hope Dick Wolf’s doing that, too.

Dragnet runs Sunday nights at 10pm on ABC.

 
Review: Kingpin

I’m not quite sure what to think about NBC’s Kingpin. It’s incredibly well made, with terrific performances and a lot of verve, but a little troubling to me in ways that have nothing to do with its merits as a television production. Kingpin clearly aspires to a Sopranos level of complexity and moral ambiguity, along with as much visceral action as network television will allow, but I think there’s a world of difference between HBO and NBC, and therein lies my slight hesitation to wholeheartedly endorse this fine effort.

Maybe it’s because there’s a more implicit threat in Kingpin, a more direct and vital look at the drug trade -- clearly a black hole that sucks the soul out of some Americans – than we usually see. What’s really disturbing is that while The Sopranos plays like yesterday, complete with the intricate feudal rituals of an outmoded and ultimately (probably) vanishing lifestyle and business, Kingpin feels more like today, tomorrow and the next day, with a whole new and vicious crime modality on the horizon, full of ambition, greed and sickening promise. That’s what makes Kingpin a fascinating hour of television, and maybe that’s why I’m uncomfortable. I’d feel less ambivalent if this were on a pay network, where the intellectual and artistic relationship with the viewer is more demanding and explicit, and for that reason maybe it’s more okay to glorify the bad guys – as Kingpin clearly does with its lead character, at least. In a culture that’s becoming increasingly divided between rich and poor, and where money always is better than no money – and we don’t particularly seem to care how you make it – these drug lords have plenty of dough. And at the risk of sounding like some nut from a censor group, what are young people to make of a handsome, smart and rich lead character who makes his living this way? Sure, he’s conflicted and mindful of the contradictions in his character – just like Tony Soprano – but infinitely more dashing and appealing in the manner of a traditional hero figure. Maybe if Yancey Arias was a less dynamic actor this would all be moot, but he’s extremely gifted and therefore dangerously poised to easily glamorize his character just by being in his skin.

I understand why NBC would want to trailblaze with an hour like this, with so many intriguing things going for it: a really terrific cast, a stellar production provenance, and a setting and milieu that hasn’t been over-mined (save for the movie Traffic and about a million grade-Z action pics). The Latino component of Kingpin can’t be under-valued, either; they are the biggest minority group in the country and growing stronger everyday. In order to keep up with the changing demographic face of the U.S., even TV networks are going to have to reach out and court members of this new economic force who may not be as enamored with New York yuppies or Seattle psychiatrists. Throwing a Latino face or two into a sitcom rep company isn’t quite going to cut it, and it may take bold moves like Kingpin to see if mainstream American television will be able to offer something with as much targeted content as what’s on the Latino networks. I hope that this compelling portrait of the criminal element doesn’t backfire; as simplistic as it may sound, TV can make friends as well as create suspicions. It would be a shame if destructive cultural stereotypes were promulgated by the same skilled execution that makes Kingpin a clear artistic success. Am I giving TV too much credit? When TV is good, it’s pretty damned influential. And Kingpin is good.

Sociological reservations notwithstanding, Kingpin’s a terrific looking show, with an interesting cast full of almost-familiar faces such as Sheryl Lee and Brian Benben, and of course the charismatic Yancey Arias. Especially strong – and hopefully enough to create a bit of hero worship on her own – is Angela Alvarado Rosa as a steadfast DEA agent working this daunting beat. Nearly felled by a two-timing contact’s bullet in the first hour, we’re already on her side and it’s good to have someone as strong as Rosa playing one of the few traditional good guys on the show.

Definitely check out Kingpin for yourself. It’s on my must-watch list now, and should be a wild ride for its current six-episode run.

Kingpin runs Sundays and Tuesdays at 10pm on NBC, through 2/18/03.