On Call

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.

I have really enjoyed the show however have found the episodes to be too short for full development of characters and the story line although that is over story arcs i just feel that by having slightly longer epsisodes more could be achieved. I also would have liked to see more of Lieutenant Bishop protrayed by Lori Loughlin as she is the main reason I tuned in. I really liked the strength of the actors in the show as the female cast were not seen as weak and incapable, they were strong and equal to the male characters. Knowing that Eriq le Selle is at the helm of the show and staring in it was another draw and I think his characters and that of Lori Loughlin need more screen time as we didn't learn much about them as characters and what was driving their actions.

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.

Title kinda says it. Pretty well written characters on both sides of the law. Plot line is wild but kinda realistic. Really solid acting across the board. Even the minor characters are pretty great.

The story takes place in Long Beach's port, beaches, and cultural hotspots as well as the slums and homeless camps. I think it does a good job of featuring the city as a backdrop for the diverse mix of characters portrayed.

My only issue is the show chooses to not translate Spanish even when it helps the story. I end up doing a little google auto translate to keep up. My Spanish is too poor to keep up.

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.