Usually I don't talk about crime procedurals on here. There's a simple reason for that: they're all basically the same, following very similar formats with very similar characters. The exception is a show like Psych, which isn't really like any other show out there and deals much more with comedy than the drama of the murders they investigate. The other, more personal reason, is that I am a weirdo. Back in, like, 2005, before I got a handle on my anxiety and insomnia, I would fall asleep on the couch watching reruns of Law & Order on USA. A lot. This lead to Law & Order, and SVU and Criminal Intent in particular, becoming a sort of soporific comfort to me. I know all of the character's voices by heart and it gives my brain something predictable to focus on that isn't my own anxious thoughts. Since then (yeah, six years now) my preferred way of falling asleep is with some sort of crime procedural in the background. Some are better than others (Numb3rs, House [totally a crime procedural but with diseases], Without A Trace, any version of L&O) and the CSIs are pretty useless because of their screaming theme songs and the fact that there will be long, stupid interludes when no one says anything because they're using a mass spectrometer or whatever. This doesn't mean I love all CPs - I hate Bones, tried and failed to get into Hawaii 5-0, and can only stand OG CSI (unless I'm drunk, in which case bring on the Horatio Cane!). But it does mean that I'm more willing to give them a chance to be included in my detective-themed lullaby roster than your average television connoisseur.
Last week a friend requested that I write about Damages and Detroit 1-8-7 on here. Now, I love Damages but going back and watching all of those really intense episodes sounds, well, intense. Sounds like a good project for the summer hiatus months. But I figured, hey, here's a crime procedural I haven't seen - at the very least it might be nice to have something new to fall asleep too. I remember hearing about it back at the beginning of premiere season - it didn't get very good reviews, everyone seemed to think it was pretty boilerplate and then dismissed it. But as it turns out, Detroit 1-8-7 is not only a great CP, it's also a show that's good enough to warrant a post from me.
To begin with, this is a story about Detroit. We all know that Detroit is a dying city. One of the poorest and most crime-riddled places in America, Detroit has suffered greatly from the collapse of the American auto industry and was hit extremely hard when the mortgage/lending bubble burst. But there are still people living there, and there are still people who take pride in their city. Detroit 1-8-7 explores the nuances of crime in a place where almost no one goes unaffected by it. Not every murder is some great mystery to be solved; sometimes it's just a kid who got hit by a stray bullet from a robbery. But each episode tells a story about the people who soldier on in Detroit, from a wide variety of perspectives.
Some might (and, I'm sure, have) argue that the detectives themselves are all pretty tried-and-true cop stereotypes. In a few cases, sure (I'm looking at you, Detectives Washington and Sanchez), but the rest of the actors solidify and humanize their characters. Aisha Hinds sets her strong, black, female lieutenant apart from S. Epatha Merkelson's, and gives the character a depth that is rare to see on CPs. Ditto Michael Imperioli, whose off-kilter Det. Fitch manages to stay far enough away from the Bobby Goran/Gil Grissom/Dr. House school of crazy genius to make a truly original character, one who is reluctant to share any personal life details with his partner but gets upset when he discovers said partner has assigned Fitch's ringtone as "Crazy" (by Patsy Cline, not Gnarls Barkley or Britney Spears). Shaun Majumder is great not only for some comic relief, but also to bring in a perspective that is often lost in the world of black and white. The same could be said for Natalie Martinez's Det. Sanchez, except she's a terrible actress. In contrast, I love the weight that James McDaniel brings to his role as Sgt. Longford, except I see this Tuscan villa storyline heading somewhere and that somewhere is manipulative tragedy. We'll see. Stone? Stone is eye-candy.
The story of Detective Washington mostly grates on me. I didn't like the obvious emotional manipulation of the pilot, I don't care about his baby and I don't like his judgy, overly-needy wife. Thankfully there are enough other and better characters so that I don't have to focus on him too much, but I am so much more interested by Fitch or Longford than about the cliche rookie cop storyline. Also, the dude who plays him is not a good actor. However, I am willing to overlook a few bad spots in a sea of awesome.
The show is shot documentary-style, with all the gritty realism that goes along with it. Thankfully there are no talking heads - in fact, it took me a few episodes to realize it was being shot like a documentary because there is no addressing the camera at all. But the cinematography style, along with the fact that they shoot on location in Detroit brings in a whole other level of realness. This show would not be anywhere near as good as it is without the Detroit locations. Not only do I think it's great that they're bringing money into the local economy, but I wish that more shows were able to be so involved with their location. Psych, for example, does a great job of substituting Vancouver for Santa Barbara, but anyone who has ever been anywhere near Santa Barbara can tell that it's not. When Detroit 1-8-7 takes the viewer through neighborhoods that could not be anywhere but Detroit, it not only benefits the authenticity of the show, but again brings it back to Detroit. This show is not just about showing what Detroit is like today. It wants to tell its audience a story, about the ways in which Detroit used to be great (grand old historical neighborhoods, vibrant culture scene) and not-so-great (race riots, duh), and in doing so convince them that the human spirit will triumph and through the power of that spirit Detroit will find itself on top once again. Some people may find that hokey. I find it to be compelling and inspiring television.
Oh, and have I mentioned the music? Old Motown classics bring a whole other set of emotions both joyful and tragically poignant, as they're sprinkled liberally throughout each episode. When was the last time you saw a crime procedural and thought, "Oh man, I really want that soundtrack!"? I'm gonna guess never. Just another crowd-pleasing way to completely ensconce the viewer in the Detroit world and remind you of music that you may have forgotten but never stopped loving.
It's so nice when a show takes you by surprise and delivers so much more than expected. I would recommend Detroit 1-8-7 to those who are not only fans of crime procedurals, but are fans of good television drama, period. Go check it out, and learn a little about our American story, while you're at it.
You can find links at Project Free TV, which continues to be the most reliable source to find pretty much any TV show ever.
Images via ScreenRant, MLive, Daemons TV, Pop Tower
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