TV Review: ABC’s Quirky ‘The Unusuals’ Off to Promising Start

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – After the failure of the underrated “Life on Mars,” ABC brings another bizarre cop show to the same timeslot called “The Unusuals”. Like the program it’s replacing, this is an intriguing premiere, a show with serious potential that just needs a bit of tinkering behind-the-scenes to become appointment television.

ABC has thrown several new shows up against the wall to see what sticks, including “Castle,” “Better Off Ted,” “In the Motherhood,” “Cupid,” “Surviving Suburbia,” and, now, “The Unusuals”. With “Castle” treading water and still needing improvement and the other new entries disappointing, “The Unusuals” is the clear frontrunner of the bunch.

The Unusuals
Photo credit: Bob D’Amico/ABC

An odd mixture of zany comedy and grounded drama, a blend that still needs a little more time in the TV writing Cuisinart, “The Unusuals” is not your average NYC cop show. The personality disorder of this show might be an interesting hook but it’s what’s currently holding it back after one episode.

The Unusuals Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/ABC

The true, emotional drama that this talented ensemble interjects into the comic insanity needs to be emphasized if the show really wants to stand out. Right now, the comedy feels forced but the drama is surprisingly effective.

An arguably-miscast Amber Tamblyn (“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”) stars as Detective Casey Schraeger, who is bumped up from vice to homicide before the credits even roll. A homicide detective has been murdered and Casey finds herself both promoted and trying to figure out who’s responsible for the job vacancy she’s going to fill.

Casey is partnered with the victim’s former teammate, Detective Jason Walsh (Jeremy Renner), a quiet man with some clear secrets of his own. The two try to close the case while dealing with both an obnoxious and headline-grabbing fellow Detective named Eddie Alvarez (Kai Lennox) and their boss (Terry Kinney).

Like any good cop show, the “A case” is usually balanced out by a less-serious “B case”. The subplot in episode one introduces audiences to the suicidal Eric Delahoy (Adam Goldberg) and overly cautious Leo Banks (Harold Perrineau) as they chase down a cat killer. The squad is rounded out by the religious Detective Henry Cole (Josh Close) and his partner Alison Beaumont (Monique Gabriela Curnen).

The Unusuals Photo credit: Patrick Harbron/ABC

The main strength of “The Unusuals” is easy to identify - Renner. This great character actor who has rocked in films like “Dahmer,” “28 Weeks Later,” and “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” is simply spectacular here. He effectively delivers one of the best cop eulogies I’ve seen in a long time and is the kind of actor who can play multiple levels at the same time - selling both a believable cop and something a little darker. He would have been a great fit on “NYPD Blue”. With his upcoming role in the buzzed “The Hurt Locker,” 2009 could be the year this excellent actor becomes a star.

Luckily, Renner is not alone. Perrineau (“Lost”) and Goldberg (“Entourage,” “Saving Private Ryan”) both make an impact with just one episode and Kinney has been a great supporting actor for years on shows like “Oz” and as a major force on the Chicago theater scene.

Renner, Kinney, Perrineau, and Goldberg will be more than enough for most audiences to come back for week two but “The Unusuals” still needs some work. Tamblyn seems a little lost in episode one and there’s a scene with her socialite parents that is just horrible. They feel like cartoon characters. It’s not that Tamblyn is bad enough to drag the show down, but she just doesn’t make much of an impact in the premiere.

What’s more troublesome is the tone juggling. A dispatcher regularly shouts out weird NYC crimes in progress and a man dressed like a hot dog makes a quip from the holding cell. This material feels forced and overdone. Even the title of “The Unusuals” advertises the “quirky” nature of the show, but it’s the dramatic undertones that work significantly better.

Ultimately, the jury is still out on “The Unusuals” but it passes the only test of a series premiere that matters - Does it make you want to watch the second episode? With a couple of fascinating twists in the final act and some of the excellent performances from the bulk of the show the answers is a definite “yes”.

Check out this cool “Starter Kit” to see what “The Unusuals” is all about:

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com