Thief

Just how good is Andre Braugher? When you give this actor a meaty role, he never disappoints. He didn't have much to do in "Hack", his previous series that starred David Morse, but in "Homicide" and now in "Thief", he has created a character that fascinates.

"Thief" is the latest entry in a string of fine dramas that FX has brought to the small screen. It took the entire first episode to flesh out the characters and subplots but by the second installment, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

A grand supporting cast backs Braugher and after just six eps the season is already over. FX is one of the best cock teasers in the business. As "The Shield" was getting better than ever, its season ended its 13 episode run. Same with "Rescue Me". I want MORE, dammit!

They talk about the 50's being the "golden age of television" but with excellent fare like the aforementioned programs, along with "24" on Fox, HBO's "The Sopranos", "Deadwood", and "The Wire", I believe that we're experiencing a second "golden age". Even many of the Bruckenheimer procedurals are well-written, and "er" still finds moments of its former brilliance. Fox's "House" is a bit over the top, but it is witty and solid each week.

That brings us back to "Thief". The show has the big heist as its center point but is really more a character study of the people involved in the crime and all who are affected. This show could go in so many different directions in the future and I hope that FX has plans to bring it back. An excellent piece of work and all who are involved in putting it together should be very proud of their achievement.

Andre Braugher is, with this show, finally able to show the dark side we got glimpses of with the Homicide series. Nick is not so ruthlessly attached to being in control, and shows some emotion that we Homicide buffs thirsted for from Det. Pembleton. It is wonderful to see one of the most underrated actors in television history flex his formidable acting muscles in this show. He is, as always, convincing as hell, but now has a much more human spin to his character that makes his magnetism even more powerful.

I intend to keep up with this series for as long as the TV gods let us have it.

Four episodes in, "Thief" is an exercise in calculated tension; this is the first weekly series to grab me since season one of "The Sopranos." It feel rough, jazzy, messed up the way real life is messed up. Society would probably be better off if every single character in "Thief" were eliminated, but let's face it - "society" is not, never has been and never will be Disneyland.

Yeah, it does looks "ugly" - because it's about seriously ugly things. If you need obvious heroes in your entertainment or think everything should be shot to look like "ER", this is clearly not going to work for you.

It's not very pleasant, but it is riveting. No way I would wait for the DVD to find out what happens.

The first episode is one of the best pilots I have ever seen for a TV show! Very fast paced,thrilling and immediately gives an idea what the show is about! The relationship between the black stepfather and white stepdaughter is not something you see often in TV shows! I loved the way they handled this! Also I liked the fact that Andre Braugher is the main character in this show! He sure gave his character the depth it needed! The whole cast was excellent for that matter! They were believable as a crew who are good at what they do! They looked like real professionals to me! The combination of these great actors and the powerful drama provided me with an experience that was beyond my expectation! I do think that some subplots weren't that interesting but overall didn't bother me that much! If you get the chance check this show out! You won't regret it! (I don't want to make a very big deal of it,but to my knowledge there aren't many shows that have black leads! It is a step in the right direction! But after the decision not to renew this show I begin to wonder how long it will take for this not to be an issue! Taye Diggs (also a black actor)was wonderful in "Day break",still the show got canceled because of low viewer ratings! "Day break" and "Thief" are two excellent shows which happen to have black leads! Or could it be that the plot is too difficult to follow for most viewers! Whatever the reason most of the American viewers do not want to watch these shows! They rather watch shows like "Law and order" and watch the same thing over and over again! It seems that most of the American viewers aren't ready for a show like "Thief" that tries to be different and original! It is a shame that high quality shows like "Thief" are being canceled (or not being renewed) for this reason.)

Thief is a new crime drama series that makes gripping and compelling viewing.

Great to see Andre Baugher, formerly Pembroke in Homicide - Life on the Streets, back on the screen again and in such a strong and powerful role.

If you like a good crime drama I challenge not to get hooked - we can't take eyes off the screen when each episode is on.

Nice to see Linda Hamilton, Sarah Connor in Terminator movies, and she also delivers a commanding performance.

The storyline is exciting and often unexpected which is unusual and very welcome.

I hope it runs for longer than 1 series!