Give TNT credit: It keeps presenting the best cop shows on TV. Too bad viewers, especially the young viewers that advertisers crave, aren’t watching in large enough numbers to keep these programs on the air.
“Southland” survived a few seasons, buoyed only by critical praise, but 1940s-set “Mob City” lasted just one season in late 2013, despite a stellar cast and a creative team that included writer/director Frank Darabont.
When: 10 tonight, TNT.
Starring: Edward Burns.
Now TNT introduces “Public Morals” (10 tonight), written, directed and created by, and starring, Edward Burns, who was a cast member on “Mob City.”
Set in the early 1960s, “Public Morals” lacks the low-fi realism of “Southland” and the ambition of “Mob City,” but it does focus on a relatively unexplored, specific police story.
The somewhat sprawling pilot episode introduces a wealth of characters and pretty quickly establishes their relationships. By the end of the episode the title makes sense, and viewers come away with an understanding of what kind of cop show “Public Morals” intends to be.
New York City police officer Terry Muldoon (Mr. Burns), is a leader in the Public Morals Division, a plainclothes unit of the NYPD that polices vice crimes, including gambling and prostitution. But what it really does is take bribes to keep that crime underground.
“We manage it,” Muldoon tells division newcomer Jimmy Shea (Brian Wiles). “Think of us as landlords. If you want to be in business, you’ve got to pay your rent. Everyone is making money and no one is getting hurt, and I fully expect it to stay that way.”
We’ve seen aspects of cops on the take in plenty of other police dramas, but focusing on the use of bribery as a management tool is at least somewhat novel.
Muldoon is partners with Charlie Bullman (Michael Rappaport), who exhibits a soft spot for a school teacher-turned-prostitute (Katrina Bowden, “30 Rock”).
When Muldoon isn’t home with his immediate family, he’s trying to manage extended family relations, including a tiff between his cousin, Sean O’Bannon (Austin Stowell), and his Irish mob boss uncle, Mr. O’Bannon (Timothy Hutton).
By the end of the “Public Morals” pilot there’s a murder that might start to unravel Muldoon’s gambit.
Future installments — episodes two through four will be available for a mini-binge starting Wednesday via video on demand, the Watch TNT mobile app and at www.watch.tntdrama.com — reveal the identity of the killer and the investigation into whodunit while advancing character relationship stories, some of which beget more murder.
“Public Morals” blends somewhat predictable plotting with decent character development and recognizable period, cultural flourishes.
TV writer Rob Owen: rowen@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2582. Read the Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook.
First Published: August 25, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
