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.

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!!!

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.

Love this show! It's "Veronica Mars" meets "The Big Lebowski". The episodes are clever and totally unpredictable. You will never see what's coming around each corner of this plot but it's completely plausible and very entertaining. Episode three in particular has enough plot twists for four episodes. The two main actors are great together. Though every once in awhile I'm reminded of the character that Michael Raymond-James played on "True Blood" and I have to remind myself that he's good now. Good enough anyway. Sexy, plausible, funny, smart, very cool. I hope this one keeps on going. It might be too slow-paced for the mainstream.

Review : Terriers (T.V. Show - Season 1) Genre : Comedy, Mystery.

Type : Humorous buddy detective show with a lot of mystery.

Rating : 8.1/10

'Terriers' is basically a show about two oddball guys coming together to play private detectives. We initially get the picture that they are complete losers who have failed in their respective careers and other odds and ends stuff, and have now hit another brainwave with the pseudo-conviction of attaining success and a quick buck rapidly.

But just 20 mins. into the show, we slowly begin to realize that these guys must have chosen their new venture after much deliberation. They might not have studied the 'Sherlock Holmes' manual or even have read beyond the first two pages of 'The Hound Of Baskervilles', but they do have an acute instinct for the nitty-gritty stuff, and while not following strategies by the book, they do logically manage to investigate the right things at the right places. The beautiful thing is that, some of their most absurd modus operandi, more often than not, easily culminates into an accurate logical move (credit to the writers 'Shawn Ryan', 'Ted Griffin', and others).

The basic traits of a great show are to relentlessly engage its viewers within its plot narration along with adequate twists and turns at the right moments (especially for continuing episodes), and all the while, constantly developing its characters with effortless ease such that the viewer is never distracted from the plot while comprehending the characters' motives, backgrounds, qualities and actions. Just two episodes into the show (I never write a review after a pilot just in case its a fluke) and the creator 'Ted Griffin' has managed this spot on (especially in the character development department).

The premise, definitely the most unique aspect of the show, is of a much larger and very engrossing case interweaving the episodes along with smaller, milder albeit pretty engaging cases interspersed between different episodes. Though the smaller cases have no relevance on the main case, you've got to see the show to know how it all churns out and makes sense. The show itself is very humorous, with the right mix of drama, action and mystery.

The performances, while not being first-rate, are more than competent. Donal Logue (the best of the pack) plays Hank Dolworth, a down and out ex-cop, ex-husband, ex-everything, who's striving for a fresh start and to finally revamp his tarnished reputation. Michael Raymond-James (a perfect foil to Donal Logue, although haven't seen or heard of him before) plays Britt Pollack, a much younger guy committed in a relationship to the beautiful Katie Nichols (Laura Allen), who really trusts Hank despite all the advice of ultimately being let down and is just about warming his heart to their private-eye work along-with looking for some quick cash for the happiness of his home, relationship and himself. The sparkling chemistry between these guys and their casual banter is probably the highpoint of the show, while most of the supporting cast is decent enough.

Technically too, the show is very sound with beautiful cinematography and camera-work and excellent locations. Another strong-point is the opening song along with the credits (another must for good shows).

'Terriers' has already began as a damn good show with a good plot and interesting characters. With wholehearted care and efficient execution it can easily transcend the realm to a great show, possibly three quarters into its first season.

My vote: Hook onto it before it gets a tad intricate to follow, stick with it till the end of the season and then decide whether to dedicate yourself to its forth-coming seasons.