The current television market is oversaturated with procedural cop dramas. Want proof? In 2010-2011 we were graced with Hawaii Five-O, Southland, Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and still three different C.S.I.’s on the airways during a weekly basis. But on Friday night (perhaps one of the weakest viewing nights for television), CBS rolled out Blue Bloods in what at first appeared to be a “same-old same-old” kind of cop drama that takes place in New York City. It could have easily been dismissed and tossed into obscurity after a string of weak ratings…yet somehow it did not, and there are plenty of good reasons why.
Blue Bloods is a cop drama yes, but the cops in this case are a core family unit known as the Regans. The head is Frank Regan (Magnum P.I.’s Tom Selleck): a widowed NYC police commissioner, along with his two sons: Danny (Saw II’s Donnie Whalberg), Jamie (Will Estes), and daughter Erin (Coyote Ugly’s Bridget Moynahan). Danny is the headstrong, rule-bending seasoned detective, while Jamie (a Harvard graduate) is getting his feet wet on patrol after just finishing with the academy (which was a surprise career move to everyone around him including Frank). Erin serves as an assistant District Attorney for the city, while Frank’s father Henry (Len Cariou) was once commissioner himself but is now retired. Frank’s eldest son Joe was also on the force but was killed in the line of duty several years ago.
The Show
If you’re thinking this cop/family set-up seems familiar, that’s because in a way it mirrors the same scenario that Bruce Willis’ Tom Hardy had in Striking Distance with a family full of law enforcers, and like that aforementioned film, a dark secret within the family’s history figures heavily into a narrative that runs the course of the season. Jamie is approached by the FBI to investigate the case that got his brother Joe killed; a secret society of rogue cops known as the “Blue Templar” that the rest of his family may or may not have connections to.
Along with the Templar sub-plot, each episode of the show is very self-contained with a central storyline or case for the characters to be involved with. The intriguing way is how the show balances everything perfectly and ties what each member of the family is dealing with in the episode. While Jamie is on the streets and Danny is busting heads for leads, their father Frank is trying to deal with the potential political ramifications, media leaks, and fall-out from unsuccessful maneuvers. But no matter what happens, they all make sure they get to Frank’s dinner table to discuss the matter. And that is where Bloods finds its strength.
It’s a very well-written character piece (scribed by the same creative forces behind The Sopranos), and the cast is spot on to the people they portray. When chemistry works this good between actors, you can feel it off the screen almost immediately and Blue Bloods works that element from top-to-bottom; even with the supporting cast (Crash’s Jennifer Esposito plays Danny’s partner beautifully alongside Whalberg for most of the season, while NYPD Blue’s Nic Tuturro fits nicely as Jamie’s ride-a-long mentor). The show also really captures the feel and presence of New York City with every episode, enabling the backdrop to become almost a pivotal character itself in the series.
Another good move is that the cases (although interesting in their own right) don’t drive the show as prominently as they do others, and rather examines how the characters are affected by the events whether directly or indirectly. Take episodes “After Hours” and “Silver Star”, each dig deep into Danny’s past without actually flashing back to it on screen. The first, about a murder in a nightclub, brings to light Danny’s youthful party animal reputation that his wife would prefer not to see resurface. The second shows the deep emotional scars Danny carries from his days in the military when a Marine is found murdered in an alley.
The DVD Box Set
All of the first season episodes are contained in a nice, trim 6-disc package that was put out by Paramount on September 13th, 2011. Unfortunately, Paramount has only offered Blue Bloods as a standard DVD release and not in a high-definition Blu-ray offering. This is a shame considering the show looked outstanding on the HD channels when it initially aired. This set comes with a softer image, one that is not nearly as detailed or colorful than HD but is still sufficient to view the show the way it was intended. The sound is a very good English Dolby Digital 5.1 track that stays clear and provides the same surround effect that the broadcast episodes did.
Season 1 isn’t loaded with a ton of special features but there are some interesting bits. The six featurettes are the bread and butter, each highlighting one interesting subject surrounding the show through interviews with the cast and creators (from the show’s creation, to the casting process, the Blue Templar storyline, the dinner table scenes, and shooting in New York City). These are short in length, but they basically tell you what you need to know about the best elements of the show. There are some optional Deleted Scenes scattered with the episodes they pertain to, an amusing Gag Reel that shows how Whalberg and Esposito like to bust out dance moves between takes, and some CBS Promos that were made to market the show. On a positive note, most of the features are found on the last disc of the set (which I always prefer over being spread out among the other discs equally).
Final Verdict
If you give Blue Bloods a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised by just how good it is compared to most of the procedural drama droll that share the same ideas on current television. With an excellent cast, balanced pace and solid writing it’s tough not to give the drama its due. The DVD set is packaged nicely with an acceptable amount of bonus features, but for a show this good, a Blu-ray edition full of episode commentaries with the sparkling cast and a high-definition transfer would have ultimately been preferred.
GRADES
- Show - Excellent
- Video - Very Good
- Sound - Very Good
- Extra's - Average
- Consumer/Collector Value - Very Good
- Complete DVD Box Set Edition - Very Good
Ryan Young - Ryan Young is a Film and Sports article/review writer, based in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada.
