Pilot Thoughts: NYC 22

CBS's new cop drama NYC 22 started last night; if you missed it, you can watch the premiere here. It's about six rookie cops in Manhattan, just starting out, and okay, I understand why a lot of critics are asking whether we really need another fairly generic cop show. I do. But so far, at least, this has a few positive things that set it apart: the main characters are really at the bottom of the police hierarchy, so we see some fairly different stuff than we do on detective-based shows. The fact that there are six main characters means we get a bunch of different stories going, and I was impressed that the writers resisted the urge to tie them all together neatly. And after one episode, I could tell all the main characters apart without having to think about it, and none of them were annoying me yet. Neither of those points are ones that can usually be made after one episode of an ensemble show.

And I have to say . . . well, maybe I'm part of the problem. Maybe I do have an overwhelming bias toward crime shows. But as Sundays become more and more the time set aside for thinky, fashionable prestige shows - Mad Men, Game of Thrones, etc. - I realize that although I like those shows, and was recording most of them last night, NYC 22 is closer to what I actually want to watch in that particular timeslot, right before bed on a Sunday night. Some action. Some crime-solving. Those are relaxing. A little character drama, but not so much that I have to spend a lot of energy thinking or caring about it. Basically good people trying to do good things. A little inspirational moment at the end - not enough to make the whole thing treacly, but enough to help get me ready to face the week. It's too early to say for sure, but the pilot suggests that NYC 22 might actually be the Sunday show I've been wanting.