At the end of every summer I always flip through the pages of Entertainment Weekly’s ‘Fall Lineup’ schedule to read about the new shows premiering on channels such as ABC, CW, NBC, etc. While I’ve never been a huge TV watcher (my favorites are really limited to Arrested Development, Law & Order: SVU, and Modern Family), I do like checking out the newest show or two to see if they’re any good. You always have your typical comedies, dramas, and now, apparently, horror shows (American Horror Story on FX), but it’s rare you ever find a really good police/crime storyline with solid characters. There have definitely been some that deserve mention; for example, ‘The Wire’ on HBO, and Southland on TNT are both worth the watch. This year, however, a new show has been introduced on NBC that blows these two out of the water: Prime Suspect.
The show is based in New York City (we all already know that every show/movie/play etc. that takes place here is bound to be amazing. But maybe I’m just prejudiced) and centers around Maria Bello’s character, Jane Timoney. Jane has recently moved into the NYPD’s homicide detective unit and is part of a task force that contains 4 men who constantly pick on her for being a female, supposedly sleeping with the boss to get the position, etc. While this is really one of those shows where in every episode there’s a crime to solve, ‘Prime Suspect’ is different in a very distinctive way. Jane Timoney does not take crap from anyone, and her dry humor is what makes ‘Suspect’ so addictive. She’s a recovering smoker who can’t seem to stick with the nicotine patch, and the way in which she harasses her boyfriend’s ex-wife with her sharp wit is what makes every episode so hysterical. In some ways, she reminds me of a female Dr. House (minus the pill popping).
It’s a show that deserves at least one watch or two. Check it out here: http://www.hulu.com/prime-suspect.