But this year, I saw a preview with Colin Hanks. Related to Tom Hanks, who can hardly do wrong in my book? Check. Viable credits of his own, including Orange County? Check (House Bunny is cancelled out by Band of Brothers). Delightful slightly dorky awkwardness? Check.
And he's in a buddy cop show. Which just so happens to be produced by Matt Nix, creator of Burn Notice.
My expectations were high, and the pilot lived up to it. In a time when there are a million serious police dramas, The Good Guys is refreshingly fun. Colin Hanks plays the straight man, a young by-the-books cop who follows procedure and uses technology and resources to his advantage. His partner Dan, played by Bradley Whitford, is a wily old-school officer with outrageous stories and a penchant for "bustin' some punks" by whatever means necessary.
The partner are stuck working in small crimes, but somehow manage to get tangled into something much bigger- and, almost inevitably, screw up the investigation through Dan's unorthodox methods.
One of the hallmarks of the series is that they start with the ending, and then flash back to 48 hours earlier for us to see the story unfold. They like to jump back and forth in time to explain the story, but it's done well and I'm never left scratching my head.
There is, of course, a little romance too- but like on Burn Notice, it's a side plot and seems realistic. Also like Burn Notice, the action abounds, with explosions, gunshots, and car chases in just about every episode.
I should also mention that the choice of music- mostly punchy classic rock- is perfectly queued to the scenes, making it all the more enjoyable.
Really, what else can I say? When most of my shows are off for the summer, I'm thrilled to have found a new one that's so good. It's got perfect proportions of action and comedy. The characters are dynamic, the writing is fantastic, and it's just goofy enough to crack me up every time. I'm not the only one who agrees- you should be watching this show if you're not already!
(Available to watch free on Hulu, or airing Mondays, 9/8C, on FOX.)
1 comment:
I'm likin' this show too. It hasn't yet run anything specific into the ground, although I'm ready for Bradley Witford's character to start shaping up a little. And like Burn Notice, I thought Nix would make the location a character of its own, but it remains pretty separated, which I hope means they'll be able to pull closer and then distance themselves to their location when the story suits, instead of making every episode about being in Houston. THAT gets old real quick.
All in all, potential.
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