When I heard that Ed O'Neill was doing Joe Friday, I couldn't wait to see what he'd bring to the role, and I gotta tell ya, I loved the premiere.
After we watched Ed O'Neill on Married...with Children, the longest running sitcom in US history, it was interesting to see him back on tv in a new role. After burning the image of Al Bundy into our minds for so many seasons, I wondered whether he'd be forever type-cast (as, say, John Ritter's caricature Jack Tripper, or Michael J. Fox's Alex Keaton/Mike Flaherty).
But Ed O'Neill is an actor's actor, and we see clearly that he's immersed himself in the role, respecting the character of Friday, rather than schticking it up by exuding Bundyism. No, he's restrained, refined, and committed to being true to the role.
If you didn't dig the gumshoe style of Dragnet, you might or might not appreciate it anew with O'Neill. If you did, you'll probably agree with me that he hits the nail on the head.
It'll be interesting to see how they develop the supporting characters. Dragnet could have a decent run if there is enough dynamic between Friday and the rest of his crew. As I think about it now, I kinda see that Joe Friday character coming through in Morgan Freeman's Det. Somerset (Se7en, and what do you know? Somerset's office # in Se7en is 714, which just so happens to be Joe Friday's badge number) -- straight ahead, unglamorous, a committed cop, a good cop, who doesn't enjoy what he does, but takes satisfaction in doing the job well, doing his homework, being prepared for the odd break and catching some bad guys.
Looking foward to more...
After we watched Ed O'Neill on Married...with Children, the longest running sitcom in US history, it was interesting to see him back on tv in a new role. After burning the image of Al Bundy into our minds for so many seasons, I wondered whether he'd be forever type-cast (as, say, John Ritter's caricature Jack Tripper, or Michael J. Fox's Alex Keaton/Mike Flaherty).
But Ed O'Neill is an actor's actor, and we see clearly that he's immersed himself in the role, respecting the character of Friday, rather than schticking it up by exuding Bundyism. No, he's restrained, refined, and committed to being true to the role.
If you didn't dig the gumshoe style of Dragnet, you might or might not appreciate it anew with O'Neill. If you did, you'll probably agree with me that he hits the nail on the head.
It'll be interesting to see how they develop the supporting characters. Dragnet could have a decent run if there is enough dynamic between Friday and the rest of his crew. As I think about it now, I kinda see that Joe Friday character coming through in Morgan Freeman's Det. Somerset (Se7en, and what do you know? Somerset's office # in Se7en is 714, which just so happens to be Joe Friday's badge number) -- straight ahead, unglamorous, a committed cop, a good cop, who doesn't enjoy what he does, but takes satisfaction in doing the job well, doing his homework, being prepared for the odd break and catching some bad guys.
Looking foward to more...