Against the Wall

I'm completely fed up with Cop drama's and hospital stuff.

But this caught my eye. Being a different slant to a cop program.

The first one came across OK just OK. But the second! not researched, Improbable, weak rubbish!!! My sink could write better scripts. Which is where this program is going.

The over acting is, cringe worthy. But I will for the most part, put that down to Very bad screen play.Coupled with even worse directing.

The pregnant partner. I think I know where that's going, Gush Gush.. The guy who plays the captain. Couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.

"Great work detectives" Something I think the captain, will say in every episode. Like its a real surprise that women can do that job.

all that's missing from that statement is. Him ruffling up their hair as he say's it. Then giving them a dog treat.

It is so bad I'm embarrassed, to admit I watched it.

The only reason I decided to check out this program was because I saw the promos showing Chicago.

If you are from Chicago, you can clearly see this show is not filmed in Chicago. The only shots from Chicago are the transition scenes.

The actual scenes in the program don't even remotely resemble the Chicago area. Where's the green street lights, there are no wooden picnic benches in Chicago parks, they are not "Divisions" they are called districts.

If you are going to make a show based in Chicago, put some effort into making it look and feel real.

Showing the skyline, an 'L' train, the River, the Lake, etc. doesn't make it Chicago.

Show FAILS!

I downloaded this mainly to see how homegrown gal Rachel Carpani is faring in the US - she does her best with the lousy scripts and their eye-rolling predictability, but has not so far shone. A shame, as she's a pretty good actress when given decent material. Sadly if this show is going to be her leg up into the US TV scene it won't lift her far. I haven't been surprised or even entertained to any great degree by an episode yet, but as I firmly believe 95% of TV series suffer first season growing and adjusting pains for both the actors and the script writers, I am prepared to give Season 2 a try. (A classic example of growing pains is The Shield - the first season reeked, but it ended up being one of the most excellent police dramas ever.)

Also, this show smacks of being an attempt at a female-oriented version of Blue Bloods, which is an infinitely better show. The premise of one member of a family of cops going into IA is full of potential, but regrettably, so far, Against the Wall fails to deliver, for me.

Another reviewer has panned this show purely because the backgrounds aren't Chicago. Whilst any person proud of their city may be remotely offended...it isn't a valid reason to pan the show. Also the premise of a heavily pregnant woman on the streets wielding her weapon is probably a little hard to believe...at the same time it was probably done as an experiment to do something different and create interest.

The pilot was a bit rocky and occasionally so was the scripting here and there. But that is usually true for the first seasons of most shows and the characters and acting really stands out in this show. Racheal Carpani does really well to charm the viewers and as a young almost newcomer she holds the show together really well with the help of a very charming and talented ensemble cast. The choice of Kathy Baker and Treat Williams for her parents was a good one to back the show up so to speak with some star value....but I agree with other reviewers that Papadol could be either strengthened or lost completely.

So far I am entirely charmed and think this show is certainly worth seeing how season 2 fairs. It is a step apart from the regular action packed hard-ass cop dramas which is why it has a freshness to it. Racheal Carpani is absolutely one to watch which being a fan of hers from McLeod's Daughters is the only reason I set out to watch this show in the first place.

This show was a breath of fresh air in the midst of pointless and scripted "reality" shows as well as the numerous male dominated cop shows. It had a great cast, many of which were newcomers and a great storyline that always left you waiting for more. Abby goes into internal affairs a temporary position as she awaits a detective spot to open and ends up really finding her place in IA. Her family is a close knit family in Chicago and makes you feel like you are one of them while watching. Plus, the love triangle that Abby gets herself into is a fun side plot to watch. All the characters are interesting and all the stories leave you wanting more. It is a great show and great job to Lifetime for airing such a great story.