82 replies to this topic

[FrogsRule]

From Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal comes NYC 22, which follows six diverse NYPD rookies as they patrol the gritty streets of upper Manhattan.

I didn't expect to like this show as much as I did. I liked the female Marine MP. I liked the Afghani refugee turned NYPD. I liked the fact that their boss is a boss.

I especially liked that this was not CSI Miami, nor Blue Bloods.

Although this was that always-difficult first episode in a brand new series, the writers did a good job of introducing us to all the characters and starting to make us care about them.

I wish this show all the luck in the world!

[Actionmage]

I had a The Unusuals flashback with the ads for this; I loved Adam Goldberg and Terry Kinney in that show! I loved them last night as well.

Due to the Yoda speech, I figured that the additional postings were tests, of a sort. With the dead body, I was thinking that the TO, Kinney, knew the couple had a history from the last couple of years. The way he tore into Sanchez (the new Smith?), I think I was giving the writers and the TO too much credit.

The PD widow? What a frakkin' harpy! He was there to fix the john, but you just ride him like he's your punching bag gift for this noob cycle. Damn. Still, I hope she's recurring, as her intro infodump seemed to suggest.

I rolled my eyes at the attactive-sister-gets-attention-from-the-single-cops. I just hope it's just well-meaning, pedigreed noob and not a potential triangle. The preview for next week got a chuckle in how the show may deal with this in later episodes.

If I already needed to pee and the ending scene happened to me? I'd slink home and then to the 24 hour dry cleaners. Dang that was good and tense! I need to know more about Adam's character stat! I need to know how much of what he told desperate guy was true. I also liked the wife; she wasn't too screamy or mouthy. I liked that the baby just had the biggest grin when "Momma" went to pick her/him up.

When "Yoda" dressed down the four at the fight, I was "That's what I was yellin' at them!"

Due to the high numbers of cop/procedural shows I watch, I feared the last scene with Sanchez. I was "please don't let them be a secret couple!" I was so, so glad that it was just a bit of encouragement/ I'm rootin' for you.

It was a pilot episode, but as they say on HGTV, it's got good bones. I'm hoping it does well and gets a fall pick-up!

[Cress]

I'm shallow I guess, but I just think Leelee Sobieski looks too petite and fragile, and her cop hat looked ridiculously huge on her tiny head. How can I take her seriously?

I'm a fan of Adam Goldberg, though, and the training officer was good. It was an okay pilot but my attention did drift towards the end. It's certainly less annoying to me than CSI: Miami.

Edited by Cress, Apr 16, 2012 @ 5:31 AM.

[miashay]

It was a pilot episode, but as they say on HGTV, it's got good bones. I'm hoping it does well and gets a fall pick-up!

I agree. It was definitely a pilot, with a good deal of awkward exposition, but I think it has potential. It just needs a couple episodes to find its feet. A lot of shows have similar issues, and I just hope the audience is willing to stick it out.

Between Terry Kinney, Adam Goldberg and Stark Sands, I'll probably continue watching, whether it gets better or not. Of course, I could watch Stark Sands walk around in uniform, alternately smiling and looking stoic for an hour and be happy.

[kirinan]

I liked this. It did have some of the usual cop show cliches, but hey, they're cliches for a reason--they happen, and I liked watching the rookies experience them. I also love that it's filmed on the streets of NY, instead of another city pretending to be NY. I'll definitely keep watching.

BTW, I have a question for any New Yorkers who might read this (I'm from Michigan, although I've visited NYC several times, so I don't know exactly how the NYPD works as far as how fluid precinct boundaries are). I recently did some research involving the NYPD's precinct map for something I wrote, and it looks like the 22nd precinct is Central Park, whereas the rookies appeared to be up in Harlem, which would be a different precinct (maybe the 28th? I'm not positive). Anyway, am I right that they appear to be in the wrong neighborhood to be "NYC22"?

Edited by kirinan, Apr 16, 2012 @ 10:44 AM.

[Actionmage]

I'm not from New York, but I bet they used the 22 like 555 is used for tv/movie phone numbers.

Mr. Actionmage felt Goldberg's character was wrong in entering the apartment; I disagreed.
Not Entering: You can call for back-up, not directly in the line of fire, don't add to the gun collection/hostage count
Entering: You don't leave your partner- also a rookie- to face the armed gunman alone( "Oh, you let your partner get shot? ::looks you up and down::Alllright."), you might be able to talk the hostage-taker out of any potential shooting,or negotiate your partner out (so she can freakin' call for back-up- some one has to, right?!)

While I see what the show wanted me to see- how quickly things can escalate if you aren't thinking- some of the missed steps seemed simple enough, like callfor back-up when things are weird, like a missing partner. Or a gang fight, which you wade into after getting more badies on scene. Then again, I've been watching cop tv since the 70s. *g*

I liked Leelee S., liked her end of day segment seeing the cops, but she needs to stop looking at Toney like she did on the basketball court or they need to have a fling to get it out of their systems. Then we can all move on.

[Nightmare Logic]

This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I like enough of the characters that I'll give it a couple episodes or at least until something gets in the way of my DVRing schedule. Sunday's have always been problematic for me but I rearranged a few things so.....for right now I like the Arab dude, the girl from the gang family, the guy who is from a long line of cops, and the former basketball player (don't ask me who their names are yet I have no clue.) I even don't mind the military chick even though her acting skills aren't the best. This show has potential, at least it is better then what Law & Order and CSI is offering up these days.

[Shader]

I enjoyed it, but I liked The Chicago Code so who knows what that means?

I don't mind Stark Sands in any role. He's very good looking in any uniform Hollywood decides to put him in. I think Khan's part is interesting but did anyone catch what the cabbie said to him when he got back in the cab?

I don't hate anybody. That's quite an achievement.

I seem to like cop shows that aren't homicide procedurals. With exception of Bones which is a bizarre not-quite science fiction comedic drama and Criminal Minds which was very interesting in the beginning, I've never enjoyed modern crime shows. Unfortunately both of those seem to have run their course for me and every time one of these new ones pops up that I even partly enjoy it doesn't last long. Yet I had a huge childhood interest in reruns of Adam-12 and Dragnet. So maybe.

I was "please don't let them be a secret couple!"

I thought they were going to be related some how.

I thought all cops wore body armor these days. I guess not.

[BooksRule]

I thought that it was not bad, but I'm not a huge fan of cop shows, so I'm not a good judge (I'll probably watch it because there isn't anything else good on during that time). The main knowledge I have of Adam Goldberg's work was when he played Chandler's looney roommate on a couple of episodes of 'Friends'. I mainly remember his insane high-pitched giggle, and I did hear a little of it when he was confronting the gunman.

I like LeeLee Sobieski (sp?), and was glad to see they made her a Marine with combat experience, instead of the 'innocent young girl who has to prove that she's tough'. Every time I see her, though, I think that if Helen Hunt had a child in secret that she had given up for adoption, LeeLee could be her. They really look alike to me (and Helen is 20 years older than LeeLee, so it could work).

[Misslindsey]

Of course, I could watch Stark Sands walk around in uniform, alternately smiling and looking stoic for an hour and be happy.

Honestly, I tuned into this show for Stark Sands, mainly because I am a huge American Idiot fan.

I am not the biggest fan of cop shows, but this one maintained my interest for the most part. As a lot of my favorite television series' are winding down it is nice to have something to tune into.

[loriro]

Of course, I could watch Stark Sands walk around in uniform, alternately smiling and looking stoic for an hour and be happy.

Honestly, I tuned into this show for Stark Sands, mainly because I am a huge American Idiot fan.

Me too... on both counts. I tuned in for Stark... first saw him in American Idiot on Broadway and then discovered Generation Kill.. that did it! He's a doll.

I'm hit or miss on Adam Goldberg, but Dazed and Confused leads to an awful lot of good will.

I enjoyed it as well. A lot of exposition, but that's understandable. Though right now the characters, somewhat by necessity, were defined by their "type", I'm looking forward to learning more about them and I think it has the potential to be a good Sunday night diversion. I like seeing shows actually shot in NYC, so I enjoyed seeing the neighborhoods (and always have fun trying to recognize areas if I can!).

I'm not the best judge of what will stick around (another Chicago Code fan here), but hopefully this one will get enough time to find its footing. Maybe the pedigree of DeNiro, et al will be to its advantage.

I think Khan's part is interesting but did anyone catch what the cabbie said to him when he got back in the cab?

He pointed to Khan's badge and said "This, I dig".

Edited by loriro, Apr 16, 2012 @ 8:22 PM.

[Shader]

He pointed to Khan's badge and said "This, I dig".

Cool, thanks. I didn't catch it and the look on his face was odd so I wondered if it was important.

I'm looking forward to a non-pilot episode.

Every time I see her, though, I think that if Helen Hunt had a child in secret that she had given up for adoption, LeeLee could be her. They really look alike to me (and Helen is 20 years older than LeeLee, so it could work).

I agree.

[Numb Nut]

I expected this to be awful so it wasn't that bad; I've seen worse rookie cop pilots. I heard that it's being shot in Harlem but I don't know where the 22 is. (I've never had to call the cops, thank god, so I don't know one precinct from another.) I like most of the established actors so I'll tune in again just to see them as cops. (I can't remember the last time I saw Sobieski.) I prefer Goldberg in dramas (his comedic shtick drives me nuts). I instantly recognized Felix Solis from The International (where he authentically played a NYC detective); I hope his character gets more to do. I'm on the fence with the newer faces; so far they're all one-note and they don't have the "it" factor that would make me follow their careers. Plotwise, I'm hoping for more than a procedural or a U.S. version of "Rookie Blue."

Edited by Numb Nut, Apr 16, 2012 @ 9:17 PM.

[taiko]

Well according to http://www.nyc.gov/h...precincts.shtml this NYPD website there is no 22 Precinct, there is the 20th, Central Park and the 23rd. So it seems it will be like Southland's fictional Alvarado ( a north/south running street in the middle of the LA City basin) Division which has handled cases in the 9 divisional areas making up LAPD 's South Bureau and Central Bureau

edit because of a miscount, some stations are not divisional area stations in the LAPD

Edited by taiko, Apr 16, 2012 @ 9:49 PM.

[Turkish]

very time I see her, though, I think that if Helen Hunt had a child in secret that she had given up for adoption, LeeLee could be her. They really look alike to me (and Helen is 20 years older than LeeLee, so it could work).

I refuse to believe that this isn't the truth. I wonder if the two of them have ever been in the same room together. The resemblance really is uncanny.

[Ginandtonic]

It was OK, I'll give it a few more episodes to see how it goes, but I don't like the LeeLee Sobieski character. Actually, it's not the character I have a problem with, it's the actress. She seemed so tense & uncomfortable in her uniform. She had the same facial expression the entire show with her lips held together, & she never looked like she belonged. Out of everyone, I would expect the military MP to be the most comfortable, not the least.

[FrogsRule]

Ginandtonic, but that's why I liked her character. :-) I would think that the military and NYPD would be such completely different animals, with the military more inclined to a strict hierarchical, more regimented form of police work. While the things these rookies are facing makes them think on their feet, adhere to basic guidelines, but less regimented.

So I'd think she would be the least comfortable in that job. (Sort of like when I went back to grad school after having worked for a while, and had to re-adjust to no-schedules-and-no-clocking-in.)

Beyond the characters (and I truly like how they brought together such a diverse cast), I also like that in 01-01, they seeemed to make it clear that this isn't going to be a B&W, good guys-bad guys show. They let life be as messy and complex as it really is.

[RooKanga]

Mr. Actionmage felt Goldberg's character was wrong in entering the apartment; I disagreed.
Not Entering: You can call for back-up, not directly in the line of fire, don't add to the gun collection/hostage count
Entering: You don't leave your partner- also a rookie- to face the armed gunman alone( "Oh, you let your partner get shot? ::looks you up and down::Alllright."), you might be able to talk the hostage-taker out of any potential shooting,or negotiate your partner out (so she can freakin' call for back-up- some one has to, right?!)

Agreed - plus. the way Sanchez handled her part, once Lazarus was in the apartment...fooling the nutcase with the gun into opening the door and then taking him out with one punch? That was good!

I liked it and look forward to the next episode.

[Dowel Jones]

After the first ten minutes or so, including the opening scene in the squad room, I was afraid that this was going to go down the "Rookies" route, being a "how many mistakes can I make in a day without getting killed/fired?" kind of show. I was surprised; I'll give it some more episodes. Different approach from Southland though, dump the newbies out on the street and see what happens. I would hope that's not the way they do it in real life. One thing that made my hair stand up on end was the confrontation with the skinhead at the end. I was expecting them to know each other and pass a greeting. The training officer was absolutely right, though. You gotta be a first calss bonehead not to use that radio.

[taiko]

It is a shame, the Southland forum has its own LAPD consultant, a retired training officer who claims to have served with the actual officer who was the model for Cooper, the training officer on Southland. Calling retired/active NYPD officers.... On other NYPD shows they did things differently. On Third Watch, the widow of a murdered cop got her son assigned to her husband's partner as a training officer. On Blue Bloods the Police Commissioner's son is assigned to his very own sergeant but they already seem to be equals and the officer is not even the sergeant's driver.

[Peekay]

I'm not ashamed to admit I'll be sticking with this show no matter what because of Stark Sands (who hasn't apparently aged a single day since Generation Kill, how's that possible?), but of course Terry Kinney and Adam Goldberg don't hurt, either. The pilot was decent, even if it was so far nothing to write home about, and I liked the POC ratio.

Plus, the creator of the show was involved with The Wire, so I'm cautiously optimistic. One of the articles I've read says the show does pick it up around Ep 4 or 5 and comes into its own, so I'll look forward to that.

[Mia Nina]

I liked this show a lot. I hope it's here to stay.

[NYTeacher]

I was excited to see this show because I read good reviews of it and I work exactly where it was filmed. Many scenes were shot exactly at 114th street and 8th Avenue (although at this area of the city it is known as Frederick Douglas Boulevard). I have no idea when it was filmed because we didn't see the film crews. The only thing I can think is that it was shot during our winter break. As the guy was heading into the bodega to get coffee, I was saying "No! Don't go there, they have horrible coffee!"

I think it has great potential. I hope they step up their game regarding social media--who uses Myspace anymore?

This area is actually in the 28th precinct. I would be happy to answer any locale questions.

Edited by NYTeacher, Apr 19, 2012 @ 5:57 AM.

[Arjumand]

As the guy was heading into the bodega to get coffee, I was saying "No! Don't go there, they have horrible coffee!"

Well, he came out without the coffee he was making for himself as well as the tea he was supposed to get Khan, so I guess they're safe!

I hope they step up their game regarding social media--who uses Myspace anymore?

This, so much. Though perhaps it was the only social media thingy they could afford to mention - otherwise they'd have to make something up like Faceplace or Tweety or something ghastly like that.


As regards the show itself, I quite liked the pilot. Though with a disclaimer, that when we saw the opening shots, and I saw the characters preparing for the day, my first reaction was: Not fuckin' Leelee Sobieski! Nooooooo! Just can't stand her, don't like her affect, her slightly twitchy icequeeny waspiness that she brings to every role. And then Yoda says that they're too caught up in each other? Ugh. Yes, Leelee's milkshake brings ALL the boys to the yard.

I mean, there's only two women among the rookies, why does one of them (ok, the one I like least) have to be saddled with some crappy forbidden love shit?

I like Stark Sands, though, and Adam Goldberg, and Judy Marte, even though Sanchez did the dumbest thing of all, even compared to the other dumb things they did - walking in to a domestic all blithely assuming she could handle it. I don't know if it was The Shield or Southland which taught me this, but domestic disputes are the most volatile situation for a cop.

I like Khan a lot ("You have a big mouth, for a midget!"), and I hope he won't be all hotheaded and do something dumb as a reaction to being needled by those other cops.

I'll watch some more episodes, though I might go through Ice Queen's scenes at a faster than usual frame rate.

That final Adam Goldberg scene though, with Shamrock guy, I actually held my breath. Very well done.

Edited by Arjumand, Apr 21, 2012 @ 3:30 PM.

[Nightmare Logic]

Adam Goldberg was the one character I didn't like. Its not the actor. I think I saw him in other stuff its just in this he kinda annoyed me (I'm not exactly sure why) .....and I have no problem with Leelee Sobieski I don't think she was that bad.

[loriro]

his, so much. Though perhaps it was the only social media thingy they could afford to mention - otherwise they'd have to make something up like Faceplace or Tweety or something ghastly like that.

the thing that was weird though, was that they also mentioned "Twitter", so it seems it was more a lack of current cultural awareness as opposed to legal ability to mention certain social media!

I do admit, it was the one thing that had me shaking my head during the pilot, thinking "did they really just say "MySpace"??? LOL

[jessied112]

Well, I finally caught the pilot and I think I'll stick around. I've always been a sucker for this kind of cop show, you know, the ones not involved in labs or being all FBI Agents or whatever. But I think I had trouble with this because I couldn't help but compare this to one of my favourite summer shows, Rookie Blue. It's not like it's completely the same, but I immediately found similarities just based on appearence and attitude. I know, I know, I'm gonna try to be neutral for the second episode. But the moment Sanchez got held hostage, I immediately said 'McNally, what are you doing? And getting Swarek in trouble again!" But I did find her character endearing. Sure, she was a complete dumbass for leaving the apartment in the first place, disregarding orders ON HER FIRST DAY, but also walking into a domestic situation and endangering lives? But she did the smart thing in improvising with the baby and then knocking him to the ground. So by the end of the episode, I stopped calling her Andy McNally from Rookie Blue. Hopefully, though, she doesn't do something stupid again. Lazarus wasn't too bad but I don't have many opinions about his character yet.

I groaned when I realize that Leelee's character, Jennifer, and her partner (Jayson or something?) might begin dating soon. Sure, I expected one romance to blossom in the precinct, but I guess I'm not looking forward to it. I did like Stark's character, Kenny though. Him and Khan seem like a great team so I do like both of them. I'm the most curious about these two for sure.

Yoda seems cool as well. He doesn't take any shit and although I really hope that real cops don't let rookies roam around on their first day, it seems interesting that he would trust them like that. Although all of them did shitty jobs, especially since only two of them reached for their radios but never even called anything in (so good job Lazarus and...I want to say Jayson was the other one to call in the gang wars) so I really hope they step it up and start calling things in.

All in all, it was a good pilot. Lots of mistakes, but I want to tune in for more. I love the diverse cast and I do like how we got some background on some of them already. Although I didn't need Lazarus' whole sob story right off the bat.

[loriro]

I enjoyed this episode and think that it flowed better than last week's (which was obviously weighed down a bit by a lot of exposition). I'm enjoying the storyline with the gang kid and his sister (I hope it isn't dropped completely), and I'm finding Stark Sands' character the most "natural" (both in terms of the way the character is drawn out -- son of a cop -- but also in it's portrayal). But I also admittedly have more than a little crush on SS, so I'm predisposed to like him in pretty much anything!
wa
I'm also finding that Sanchez is the character that is most trying my patience right now. She's thinks in absolutes and is shown as being WAY to stubborn. And I noted TWO more screw ups by her tonight to go along with entering into the middle of a domestic dispute without backup last week. First, she blabbed to the owner of the house that got firebombed that a rival gang was looking to move in on the block, which seemed to lead directly to the owner trying to take the law into his own hands... thus going from victim to perp. Second, when she did make the connection between the neighbor being the one who actually firebombed the house (admittedly telegraphed from the opening scene), she didn't read him his rights, so anything he said to her wouldn't be admissible. (sure it wouldn't be hard to make the case anyway, but still!!! )

I like the way they moved the rookies around to different partners, and LeeLee seemed more relaxed this week in her role (must have been her partner ;) ).

Overall... i'm liking the show and I hope it finds its footing. It seems more grounded in reality than many cop shows, and I REALLY am enjoying the way they are making Harlem a character of its own.

[Cress]

Yeah, Leelee was better. This episode was very watchable.

[FrogsRule]

I am so afraid to keep hoping that this show will stay this good! :-) Such a pleasant surprise!

I do hope that it's not all gangs all the time, however. I know that's an issue in Harlem, so obviously it cannot be ignored. But there's so much more to it.

Really like Terry Kinney (Yoda). Liked him in the Mentalist too. But he's lost weight, hasn't he?