Terriers

I'm a sucker for the private investigator sub-genre of crime fiction. Even when not done well (HBO's "Bored to Death" tries a new take, but gets thwarted by blasé hipster posturing), there's something about the lone wolf not-quite cop, on his own, down on his luck, but armed with a healthy supply of street smarts and canny insight into human nature. Well, along comes "Terriers", and to my delight it knocks it right out of the park. Awash in the over-saturated hues of sun-soaked San Diego, a couple scrappy p.i.s (one's a former cop-slash-alcoholic, the other a former nickel and dime guy) completely re-energize the genre with wit, smarts, and a healthy dose of real pathos. It's "The Rockford Files" meets James Elroy, in the way that its grungy just-this-side of oblivion heroes get embroiled in a corruption plot that is far above their pay grade. Perhaps one wouldn't necessarily think of the term "seedy underbelly" when thinking of San Diego, but the show's creators surprise us with what they dig up.

The series excels in nearly every aspect of hour long drama: crisply directed action, rich supporting characters, intriguing criminal activity, and a whole host of demons for its protagonists to wrestle with, mostly falling on the back of Donal Logue's Hank Dolworth (interesting that one of TV's other most fascinating anti-heroes is the aptly named Hank Moody of "Californication" - both Hanks give us 2 very different sides of southern California survival). Logue, long time one of my favorite just-on-the-verge-of-stardom actors, is absolutely brilliant here. Older, raggedy, and noticeably slim-downed, Logue fits this part to a T, and will hopefully find himself in all sorts of career skyrocketing joy once "Terriers" gets the audience it deserves.

The rest of the cast is also uniformly excellent. Michael Raymond-James as Hank's partner Pollack is just as grungy but a bit lighter - which is fascinating as he is the former crook. And Rockmond Dunbar as the cigar-filter chomping Detective Gustavson - Hank's ex-partner - is perfectly pitched as the hard-ass cop whose soft spot for Hank keeps him situated as a dark ally: maybe he'll help, maybe he won't.

Series creator Ted Griffin, late of "Ocean's 11" and "The Shield", has created a fascinating world of cops and crooks and those in between, that feels well-lived in, while remaining fresh at the same time. If the show continues to pump blood into its true beating heart - the relationship of Hank and Pollack, and both of their personal quests - then he should have a hit on his hands for years, and something that may indeed stand the test of time. A classic in the making, "Terriers" is the best new show on television, and already one of the best period.

First i found this series for myself by accident, i can't get into details but after 3 episodes I'm hooked. There is nothing screaming special about Terriers - even the name itself is kind of funny since there is only 1 dog ( but really cool one) in the series and even he is not a terrier but after few episodes you can understand the name! There is no clear explanation but you sense it somehow. Actually its the same with the series - it has this crazy weird aura that rushes you to look at it again and again and again. REALLY good chemistry between main characters ( they are best friends in actual life too ), good balance between humor and the general darkness of the plot which unravels more with every episode, good portion of mystery behind characters and their lives PLUS i specially like the strange continuity throughout the series. There is another good fact that suggests the quality of it - its my first review and i registered myself to IMDb.com just because there was 1 review missing for Terriers' vote.. so there it is. If the executives can't see the uniqueness of this series and they will cancel it after the first season... i'll watch the first season over and over again in the coming years to fool myself.

Terriers is a hard show to nail down because it artfully merges several seeming-clichés into a fresh-feeling hour of entertainment. Someone described it this way: "It's kind of like The Rockford Files had a one-night stand with The Big Lebowski and had a charming little accident," and I have to agree.

There's one thing missing from that description, though; Terriers is also very touching and surprisingly deep. The last few minutes of each episode manage to reach out and grab your heart every single time.

If you're thinking about giving it a shot and will watch it from the beginning, be sure to watch both the first and second episode before deciding whether or not it's for you. There's a deeper level of the show that's easily missed if you watch only the first episode or manage to just catch a portion of it while channel surfing.

Terriers is easily the best new show of the 2010 Fall season, and even manages to make it into my top 3 shows that are currently airing.

I have watched Terriers twice, and definitely recommend. It's almost insane that this was cancelled after only one season!

Only one episode so far, but it's hard to believe it was a pilot. The characters are funny, interesting, and even a little pathetic now and then, but most of all you find yourself hoping they'll get it right this time. Much more depth of character and engaging plot than you normally see in the first episode of anything. By the end of the hour, I felt like I'd known these guys for a while.

The best thing about these characters is that they're not easy to peg. There's not just a "smart one", or a "sensible one", or "the screw-up". They both bring something to the table, and I suspect we'll see even more facets of their personalities as more episodes air.

The only negative I found was the ex-partner (cop) Gustavson. Seems a little stereotypical and forced to me. Maybe that will work itself out in upcoming episodes, but at least it's a minor character and I don't feel the show really suffers for it.

Can't wait to see more!!!