Allegiance

"Allegiance", the new Canadian cop drama on CBC, transcends the typical police procedural. Set in Surrey, British Columbia, it follows Sabrina Sohal (Supinder Wraich), a fresh police academy graduate dealing with her father's arrest. The show delves into racism, class, and power, while maintaining gripping tension. With Canada's natural beauty as a backdrop, it's an intriguing watch that tackles universal issues.

Sabrina's journey is compelling, as she grapples with her duty as a cop versus personal matters. The series confronts racism head-on, challenging the "colorblind" argument and exposing the consequences of diversity efforts. Luke (Lachlan Quarmby), her white co-worker, embodies jealousy and privilege, adding depth to the narrative. Despite some predictability, "Allegiance" is an entertaining and thought-provoking addition to the genre, proudly showcasing Canada's distinctive culture and landscapes.

Allegiance is just bad. It feels less like a cop show and more like some kid's Wattpad story. Cheesy dialogue, boring camerawork, and plot holes galore. I won't fault it for trying to push a moral in each episode, whether it's about safe supply or gun control, but the execution is so crude it just comes off as either propaganda or a kids show. The way the show tackles its issues is so shallow and one-sided, we might as well be reading the local NDP candidate's Twitter threads. Whereas earlier Canadian police procedurals like Rookie Blue and Flashpoint gave us a reason to care about the guest character of the week, this show seems to use them as props for our main character to pontificate about the week's social issue. If you're looking for chase scenes or action sequences, look elsewhere. Our Mary Sue main character can't run worth anything, conveniently letting the bad guy get away every time. Every action scene consists of people pointing guns at each other, somehow not getting extra ventilation holes, and being completely charmed by our main character's cheesy recycled pseudo-profound BS speech. The acting is overwrought, but it's hard not to be for dialogue like this (and most of it is exposition). The only character with any believability is the male rookie's training officer, Gabinski, for the few scenes he appears.

There are YouTube Originals that are better than this. If CBC wants to keep its funding under a more hostile government, it needs to do better.

Great police drama in a tv famine.

Canadian series with rookie police agent in her Surrey hometown.

Rookie good acting & captured my interest thru out.

Surprising find that engaged me completely from ep.1 thru the complete series.

Pretty much binged the series as so enjoyable.

Good acting & loved seeing my old Veronica Mars favourite ie. Enrico Colantoni in this series.

Terrific that each episode complete & engrossing.

Over arching theme re her father's own problem.

Hope to see Season 2 as a definite watch.

Recommend this series to others looking for well acted, produced police drama...

I have been pleasantly surprised by this series. The acting is excellent, bringing the characters to life, the soundtrack is great, a nice counterpoint to the story, helping bring it alive, the cinematography is well done, the camera work and sets are all excellent, the seasonal story arc is very interesting, i love shows that have a seasonal story running in the background of the episodic stories, and the episodic stories are all great, interesting and entertaining and lastly all the characters feel real, not generic or flat, so great casting, which is good because a show is so much better when the characters have depth and realness., Really enjoying Allegiance!

I couldn't make it through the pilot episode of this new 2024 spy drama on CBC. The story follows a rookie cop named Sabrina (by Supinder Wraich) who faces turmoil when her politician father is accused of treason.

While the premise seems interesting, the execution is lackluster. The acting feels, even worse, stiff and unrealistic. The plot also has some glaring holes that are hard to ignore. I gave up halfway through because the amateurish directing and acting made it too difficult to stay engaged. There are much better shows out there to watch instead.

In short, 'Allegiance' falters with uninspired writing, weak acting, and a dull pilot that made me stop watching after one episode.

Rating: Only 4 out of 10 stars and I really can't recommend tuning in to future episodes.