City Homicide, l'enfer du crime

Didn't expect to like it. Now I can't stop watching. Especially good plot lines and strong performances. Why haven't I ever heard of this show???

Hats off to the Aussies...!

I am always quite skeptical about Australian made dramas (and comedies for that matter). In my opinion it has never really been our forte, the writing talent hasn't been there. Fly-on-the wall, variety and reality: sure we excel but not in scripted stuff. But the times are changing, well on some networks at least.

City Homicide is a beautifully executed piece of television. In every way. The writing is strong, snappy and fast paced and is peppered with subtle Aussie humour. The dialogue is excellent. The acting (lead by Noni Hazelhurst and Shane Bourne) is first-class. This can be a real rarity on Aussie TV. The cinematography, editing and music is superb. I have never been so impressed. The Seven Network has done us proud with this production. All Saints isn't bad either, though it is no CH.

Compare all this to the tripe the Nine Network dishes up (and subsequently sells overseas): Sea Patrol. SP is the WORST piece of television I have seen. They spent records amounts of money on it, and for what? Writing? Doesn't appear to be any. Good dialogue? Next. Good acting? Not when Lisa McCune is around. Cinematography? Editing? Music? Mmm the less said about the first two the better and as for the music, it sounds like Mrs Hahn's year 8 music class did it on a synth keyboard. But wait the show is filmed on a real Navy patrol boat. Well then it must be good.

I digress. CH is excellent in every way.

Frankly, I'm an American watching this show "second hand" via the internet, 72 minutes at a time. This means my frame of comparison is typical American cop dramas.

I really like this show.

Unlike most US cop dramas, City Homicide is an actual ensemble show without a true "top billed" personality and a more realistic focus on the case, investigation, and legwork instead of the type of action real cops would call a SWAT team in for. Also, the plots suffer little in the way of "creep" towards outrageous plots like half of the CSI: Miami plots.

Another credit for City Homicide is the fact the actors don't come across like clothes models reading scripts. While most of the cast are attractive, they're believably so.

As far as characterization goes, City Homicide paints the characters as human with flaws that have to be lived with or worked around and not-- like many American shows--show up once out of the blue and are resolved in a single two-episode arc.

This is also a refreshing change.

If you like police dramas, give it a try. If you're an American and you somehow can watch this show, definitely give it a try.

(And don't worry, you'll pick up on the accent pretty quickly...)

I've binged my way through many American, British, and a few Australian cop shows and this is one of the best. I'm about halfway through season 2.

If I could describe City Homicide with one word, the word would be "lean." The plots are interesting and the detective work is straightforward. Some of the police work is techie, but most of it is good, old-fashioned research, door-to-door canvassing, and just plain following up leads. And the show avoids injecting unnecessary tension into the process with false leads and red herrings. There's no fat in this show-- just good police work by a capable and compatible ensemble.

There are some character back stories, but they don't shove the crime story to the back burner (as happens in many programs).

Australian television series can be hit or miss but this one is a few grades above the rest. Buoyed by superior scripts and crisp direction, each episode unravels without the drawn-out emotional drama of other such shows. Yes, there are soap opera moments but they are brief and tightly written.

The acting, especially from Shane Bourne, Nadine Garner, Noni Hazlehurst and Marshall Napier, is top notch although the three actors playing the main male detectives tend to guilty of overacting (and bad coiffures), losing some credibility from this otherwise excellent show. Aaron Pedersen is almost almost laughable in his role: he has one expression (rage) and one tone of voice (bellowing).

That the show retains its edge and intelligence throughout is remarkable but the real beauty of this series is the wicked wit that alleviates the tension at the precise moment where it is needed. A wonderfully disciplined show.