On Call

This is a surprise! Came out of nowhere too.

There's been a lot of disappointments of late so it's refreshing to see something positive.

Dick Wolf - can't bet against him. He knows his genre.

Love the fact this is set in LA. It's filmed really well. Innovative camerawork.

Love in this world of streamers padding TV out too long each episode we have one that is swift and to the point.

Great writing. I was addicted very quick and had to get through it all.

Excellent performances. Brandon Larracuente Is a revelation. The vulnerability and likability he brings is superior acting. Eriq LA Salle loved seeing him again.

Troian Bellisario Is good but a bit sterile would have liked her to be a bit more accessible.

Please bring on season 2. What a great series!!!

Rookie officer, Diaz, joins the Long Beach police department, and is under the watchful eye of Officer Harmon (Troian Bellisario powerful as ever), who just had one of her past trainee's gunned down. So on the hunt they go for the high-profile killer in what seems to be another typical police series. But the series makers have viewers on edge, never showing the officers private lives, but always on patrol in the concrete jungle of Long Beach, by using jarring handheld images, body-cams, security cameras and the likes as officers navigate the hellish pit of a society unkind to itself. Also the dynamics among the officers is well built-up and handled, never knowing who to trust. A giant learning curve for the rookie, and an intense observational experience for us viewers...

I really enjoyed this, binge watched the entire season in one run. Lots of Southland vibes (although not as good in my opinion), and nice to see a strong female lead who isn't some ridiculous looking femme fatale, a stereotype which Hollywood still seem to struggle with.

However I do think it got a little action movie toward the end, the last few episodes seemed rushed and some shootout screnes a bit too wild west. Harmon's old training officer came across very wooden on screen, not the best acting and the interactions between the two seemed very out of place compared to other performances such as the in car scenes where Harmon and Diaz are talking.

Overall a great watch but I think they need to push a little further in season 2 for this one to stick around.

I wasn't in Long Beach, but I was a CA street cop and this show catches the tone, cross-talk and culture well (so far, I'm halfway through the series). There are very few shows that accurately do that (two others being Bosch and Southland). But unlike those shows, it's only 30 minutes.... one of the few cop dramas I've seen in a 30 minute format since Adam-12, and I like it.

It follows a trainer and trainee unit, Officer Harmon and Officer Diaz (Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente) patrolling in Long Beach, CA. You have the usual drama you've seen on COPS that comes from responding to patrol calls, plus the rookie needing to apply the academy to real life, conflicts of cultures and work eras.

When Harmon and Diaz are told to stand by and observe street drifters at an intersection, the rookie is frustrated at the inability to do anything. The show has the "old-school" cops that remember being able to react to a crime, not just observe. Sergeant Lasmen and Officer Barlowe (Eric LaSalle and Mac Brandt). LaSalle is always great as a competent, but endlessly frustrated by the system, employee (which he mastered on ER). There are tidbits he brings to the character, like a quick swig from a non-labeled baby-blue bottle never addressed, but anyone that's had heartburn will recognize as antacid. LaSalle also directs most the episodes.

Brandt's Officer Barlowe feels a bit darker. He's reminding me of a character from a Joseph Wambaugh book. Officer Barlowe's handling of a homicide body part had a hint of Rosco Rules from The Choirboys.

If you enjoyed Bosch and Southland, you should like On Call. If you don't like those shows you should still check this out because at only 30 minutes it's quick and you might find something else on the show that works for you.

There are so many police procedurals that are out there to choose from that one has to really stick out if it's going to be worth your time to watch. Well, On Call is one of those police series that's absolutely worth the time to watch. It's been getting compared to the ridiculously underrated Southland because of the way the show is shot, and while it's not as good as Southland, it's still pretty good show. The first season consists of only 8 30min episodes so it's an easy binge. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new entertaining police series that's both original and entertaining. I hope we get several seasons of this series.