Domestic disputes, drug overdoses, and dogs going down, is enough to keep any police officer busy for one 12-hour shift. For those on patrol in TV’s latest police drama, ON CALL, that’s just a Tuesday…before lunch.
Right out of the gate, the first season of the explosive new Prime Video series from Executive Producer Dick Wolf (Law & Order, Chicago, FBI-branded series), ON CALL wastes no time dropping viewers in the middle of the action with its adrenalin-inducing camera sequences, high-pressure character situations, and just enough suspense in every episode to keep you engaged with a new take on an old story.
The series’ debut season, told in eight episodes, follows patrol officers on the job as they move from one crisis to another each day they work to keep law and order in the California cool coastal community of Long Beach. Before you fast forward believing this latest police saga is just another rehash of 911 meets The Rookie, push pause.
Shot with a mix of bodycams, dashboard viewpoints, and cellphone video, the show brings a first person, in the moment perspective to the episodic storylines. The dramatic effect of which lands convincingly enough for this newest iteration of the cop-and-crime narrative, that if you didn't know any better, at times, feels like you have been transported back to the 90s, for an old school “bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do” reality TV reboot. If you know, you know.
Cinematography aside, ON CALL admittedly brings nothing additional nor substantially new to the law enforcement genre, in terms of its overall content. Yes, there are the requisite car chases, gang-related plot points, and save-the-citizen-from-themselves moments to bring about the “oh, I have seen this all before” sentimentality to each watch. Nevertheless, the series somehow manages to still feel like it is bringing something fresh and new to the table. Could it be that most of the heavy lifting in doing so lies within the scriptwriting that feels like it was ripped from real-life police reports; or is it the plausible plot points that create well-crafted situational experiences for the characters; or could it be the strong central characters, themselves, and the actors who portray them that keeps the subject matter engaging? Only time is sure to tell.
Nevertheless, the story centers on the day-in-the-life situations and circumstances that confront veteran patrol officer Traci Harmon and her fresh-from-the-academy trainee, Alex Diaz, as the proverbial rookie ready to save the world.
The mentor-mentee dynamic is classic TV, but what makes this one more compelling is the power position of the female lead with her hard as nails demeanor and exacting standards for her trainee.
As the two settle into their daily patrol routine, we as the audience are fed only bits and pieces of their lives away from work and what fuels it when they are back on the job. Not knowing everything all at once is the plot hook you never thought you would be need. But, it works.
Anchored by Troian Bellasario’s (Pretty Little Liars) performance as Officer Harmon, ON CALL offers beautifully understated and grounded moments for its characters, reflecting real-life emotions and decidedly believable situations. Bellasario’s realism as the hard-charging cop, schooled by work and life, who, perhaps cares more than others realize for those she trains, gives Officer Harmon needed depth. In turn, her character experiences onscreen become more impactful, set against a compelling central conflict woven carefully throughout each episode.
Instinctively, you are left knowing that there is only so much of Officer Harmon’s true self that she can hide behind her classic
Ray Ban aviators and stoic expressions. And, when the seasoned vet peers out of the windshield of her cruiser at least once each episode, lost in proverbial thought, you feel there’s so much more to her story you definitely need to know yourself. Thankfully, we are not made to wait too long as the pieces of which seem to fall methodically into place whenever she and her partner find themselves in the quiet conversational in-between of their chaos moments.
On the other side of the dialogue, playing opposite Bellisario, is Brandon Larracuente (The Good Doctor) as rookie officer Diaz, the ambitious newbie trying desperately to hold onto his optimism for why he wanted to be a cop, as he balances his own reality of the streets and his penchant for jumping headlong into each moment.
Larracuente brings his own genuine authenticity to his role as Officer Diaz, portraying the young recruit with a wide range of emotions, from vulnerability and uncertainty to resilience and fearlessness. In the end, the young actor effectively captures the struggle of Diaz to be who he is against who everyone wants him to be — when the two realities inevitably collide.
As for the supporting cast, ON CALL marks the return to must-see TV for both Lori Loughlin, most recently of Fuller House, and Eriq La Salle, best known for his role as Dr. Peter Benton on the long-running medical drama, ER.
Quite the departure from Loughlin’s previous roles on the popular sitcom and her Hallmark movies fame, ON CALL allows Loughlin to display a refreshing maturity in her acting this go-round as commanding officer Lieutenant Bishop. You almost have to do a double-take seeing Loughlin sans makeup in her uniform. On her, the muted look more than works to bring about an added strength to her character.
For his part, La Salle retains his usual commanding presence on screen, often characterized by his intense focus and concentration, buried behind a facial expression that never belies its emotional truth. Serving as the unofficial sage of the police force in his role as Sergeant Lasman (my humble characterization of him, anyway), La Salle’s character acts as the grounding force for the other officers, even in the moments you are not quite certain what side of the line he falls.
And, even though La Salle does triple duty on the series, serving also as both an executive producer and director of multiple episodes, it is nice to have the accomplished actor back in front of the small screen lens once again.
ON CALL is an expected, but pleasant surprise in the cluttered landscape of the law-and-order narrative. While it seems as if there is very little new story left to be told from behind the badge, the bold new drama has found another canvas on which to share a fresh perspective on life within the police saga, making room for yet another set of everyday heroes who exist to protect and to serve.
Created by Tim Walsh and Elliott Wolf, season 1 of ON CALL, released January 9, is streaming now on Prime Video.
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