The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 18, 2014 2 By Jacqui Wiens TV Media C rime intrigues audiences like nothing else on tele- vision. The wildly suc- cessful "CSI: Crime Scene In- vestigation" and its various spinoffs catapulted the genre into a new era of popularity that has yet to subside. The police procedural has seen some evolution since it appeared, and each new series tries to put a spin on the basic format. Typically, each season is broken down into more or less self-contained episodes that follow one crime and its resolution before the next epi- sode. TNT is trying out something unorthodox with its original series "Murder in the First," which follows the investiga- tion of one crime for an entire season, reflecting a more real- istic time frame. Catch a new episode Monday, July 21, on TNT. It's a bold move, and it seems to be paying off for the network. The premiere episode of "Murder in the First" drew in an impressive 4.9 million viewers over the course of two airings, making it the net- work's most successful series premiere in two years. With a score of 68 out of 100 based on critic reviews on metacritic. com, it seems that the profes- sional audience is digging the format. (On the other hand, the website had two incredibly dif- ferent viewer reviews as of press time with one user giving the show a 10/10 and the oth- er rating it a big fat zero with the main complaint seeming to be prevalent nudity.) "Murder in the First" stars Taye Diggs ("Private Practice") and Kathleen Robertson ("Beverly Hills, 90210") as San Francisco homicide detectives Terry English and Hildy Mulli- gan. As the series opens, it is revealed that Det. English's wife has been suffering from pancreatic cancer and is on death's doorstep. Diggs gives life to English's struggle to keep his emotions under wraps in a high stress environ- ment as the most precious thing in his life slips slowly away. English's partner, Det. Mulli- gan, is a divorced, single moth- er trying to balance the chal- lenges of her demanding ca- reer as well as the challenges of having a preteen daughter. When Mulligan sees English struggling with personal prob- lems, she steps in and sends him home to his wife. "Murder in the First" begins as English and Mulligan head out to investigate a shooting in a drug den in San Francisco's Tenderloin District. They even- tually discover that their vic- tim, Kevin Nyers, is the biologi- cal father of tech prodigy Erich Blunt, portrayed by the Harry Potter franchise's Tom Felton. Blunt is the CEO of APPLSN, a Silicon Valley startup dedicated to bringing immersive apps to the masses. The show gives Blunt a Mark Zuckerberg vibe, and it is quickly revealed that he is being sued for allegedly stealing a former employee's work. After a meeting with the plaintiff in question, a visibly agitated Blunt returns to his private jet. When his young flight attendant (with whom he may or may not be having an affair) spills wine on his shirt, Blunt fires her in a less- than-kind manner. Although he apparently had a change of heart and hired her back, Blunt's recently fired flight at- tendant is found dead in her home, turning the detectives' sights on the young CEO. As the investigation contin- ues, it seems that Blunt is the obvious suspect. Keep in mind, however, that the entire 10-ep- isode season focuses on the original murder. Many police procedurals have proven suc- cessful in setting up one plot line at the start of the show, only to reveal the conclusion by the end of the episode. "Murder in the First" will have more room to set up and flesh out false leads than its prede- cessors. Throughout produc- tion, in fact, the actors were kept in the dark about the eventual resolution. Speaking with "Paste Mag- azine," Tom Felton said: "I'm pleased to say that, even as the character, I didn't know un- til the very last minute. They were very keen not to share the information with us, and it's definitely a ... roller-coaster of a ride." That sense of never know- ing whodunit gives the show a powerful appeal. Even when Blunt is shoved forward as the most likely killer, he is such a charismatic character that you don't want to believe he killed anyone. As more suspects are introduced, interviewed and discarded, there will always be a nagging doubt. Did that per- son do it? Did English and Mul- ligan just let a murderer walk away? The brains behind the show are headed by veteran produc- er and co-creator Steven Boch- co. For years, Bochco, who has 10 Primetime Emmy award wins and another 24 nomina- tions to boot, has been leading the way in police and criminal television shows. His resume includes popular phenoms such as "L.A. Law," "NYPD Blue" and "Hill Street Blues," which all took home Golden Globe awards. As unusual as the format of "Murder in the First" is, it is in many ways a throwback to Bo- chco's older show "Murder One." As the first network dra- ma to attempt such an extend- ed story arc, "Murder One" faced criticism for playing up the misdirection a bit too much. The criminal was even- tually revealed to be a minor character who hadn't had much screen time, and it ap- parently let down a lot of view- ers, as the ratings for season 2 plummeted. The premise behind "Mur- der in the First" is an exciting twist on a common trend. It will be interesting to see if a longer arc can capture an audi- ence. Tune in to TNT Monday, July 21, to catch a new episode and see if you can figure out who's behind it all. Christopher's Coins 2 x 2 coverstory Tom Felton as seen in "Murder in the First" One season, one crime TNT keeps audiences guessing with 'Murder in the First' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What can you tell us about Kevin Tighe today? A: I can say that, after a low-key couple of years, the for- mer "Emergency!" star's life is about to get a little more ... complicated. He's booked for a supporting role in the upcoming USA series "Complications," the newest offering from Matt Nix, who created the network's biggest in-house hit, "Burn No- tice." Needless to say, then, expectations are high. That makes the waiting even harder, as USA has refused so far to announce a premiere date as of press time. Tighe will star opposite former "Vegas" and "Terra Nova" star Jason O'Mara, with Tighe fulfilling the support- ing role, which is nothing new to the accomplished charac- ter actor. It's a workman-like approach to acting that is quite a de- parture from his debut, at which time he seemed poised for leading man-type stardom. Tighe was hand-picked by TV legend Jack Webb, creator of "Dragnet" and "Adam-12," to be part of the ensemble cast of another action-packed series, "Emergency!," in 1972. The show was a hit (though a modest one compared to Webb's previous series), and Tighe was suddenly famous. Q: I know "The Simpsons" is the longest running cartoon, but what's second longest? Is it anywhere near "The Simpsons'" precedent? A: There are actually a few qualifiers on the various run- length records set by "The Simpsons," but the two chal- lengers most often cited are "The Flintstones" and "Scoo- by-Doo." "The Simpsons" was named the longest running prime- time animated series in 1997 after airing its 167th episode, surpassing "The Flintstones." All this is just regional, though, and "The Simpsons" still has a long way to go to catch Japanese animated series "Sazae-san," which premiered in 1969 and has aired con- tinuously since, with an episode count in the thousands (it was entered into the Guinness records in 2013 as the lon- gest running cartoon in the world with 2,250 episodes and has aired more since). "The Simpsons'" 25th season finale in May was its 552nd episode, however it's been renewed for another year, and Fox is showing no sign of losing faith. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A