TV Show Review: Rookie Blues

Though it has only been on the air since June, Rookie Blues, the ABC summer series will be picked up for a second season, which is not surprising given that the show is part police drama and part Grey's Anatomy. In fact, those not familiar with the show yet should picture Grey's Anatomy, only with rookie cops instead of interns and guns instead of scalpels.

Where the two shows differ greatly is in cast and character development. While Blues, which is filmed on location in Toronto Canada, makes pretty good use of Canadian actors like Missy Peregrym (Andy McNally), Gregory Smith (Dov Esptein), Charolette Sullivan (Gail Peck) and Eric Johnson (Luke Callaghan), its star power and appeal will never quite match that of Grey's Anatomy. The cast then, though good enough to keep fans coming back for now, will never have the chemistry needed for the romances and one night stands that are bound to follow. A secondary problem with the cast is that only the rookie class is strong. Secondary players like the show's police captain or the veteran trainers are not being developed at the same pace, which renders this part of the cast shallow and uninteresting.

Still, there is something likeable about a show of cops who are straight-out of the Police Academy. It is a newness that will lend itself to crimes which will not always be solved in the most efficient manner and arrests which will go awry more often than not. How far past a second season the show goes remains to be seen, but for now color Rookie Blues as one of the better offerings of an otherwise dull summer of television.

Sources:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/world/news/e3i66ddacf93da504a968cc97fcd6bf03e1

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/07/abc-renews-summer-series-rookie-blue.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442065/