Boomtown

I really don't understand how this show was pulled because it was really excellent. I agree with one of the posters that the people behind it should have gone to HBO. Another possibility would have been F/X, where Boomtown would have found a good home in the company of The Shield, Rescue Me, and Nip 'n' Tuck.

Unfortunately, it ended up on network television where it lived a short life. Boomtown sported a wonderful cast, including Donnie Wahlberg, Neil McDonough, Mykelti Williamson (whom I remember when he was a kid on "Cover Up"), Jason Gedrick, and a story arc which featured the beautiful Vanessa Williams and Rebecca de Mornay.

Boomtown had a lot of style, interesting stories, and a great cast. It's no wonder NBC got rid of it. Bozos!

The last time DreamWorks and NBC got together for a series imported by Channel 5 (pre-Five), the result was "The Others," which was appropriately enough co-produced by Delusional Films. Appropriately, that is, because delusional is precisely what the makers were if they thought that sub-"Poltergeist: The Legacy" sleep-inducer had what it took to become a hit. (It was cancelled after about 13 episodes by NBC and swiftly demoted to a late-night slot in the UK.)

"Boomtown," though not the most blistering series to arrive in years, is much, much better. The hook is that each episode follows one story through seven participants; an assistant DA (Neal McDonough), a reporter (the gorgeous Nina Garbiras), two uniformed cops (Gary Basaraba and Jason Gedrick), two plainclothes cops (top-billed Donnie Wahlberg and Mykelti Williamson) and a paramedic (Lana Parilla) - these last few are what seem to have led some to compare it unfavourably to "Third Watch," and this show does have some flaws; the stories of each episode would in fact be a lot shorter if they didn't keep repeating scenes in order to have them from another point of view.

But when the show does work, it's enormously effective; and so far, it hits more often than it misses, with each of the core having more than one strong moment; the continuing plot about Wahlberg's severely depressed wife is especially noteworthy, and the acting and scripting are strong enough to make it worth the time. "Boomtown" may not be as effective as Graham Yost's earlier "Speed," but he also scripted "Broken Arrow" and co-wrote "Mission To Mars." This is far better than either.

I doubt this'll last long, but I'll enjoy it while I can.

In Los Angeles stories happen all the time. Every person involved will see it from a different angle – have different information and differing perspectives in each case. Boomtown takes a different crime each week and follows the investigation as it involves detectives Joel and Fearless, street cops Ray and Tom, the DA David McNorris, medic Theresa, journalist Andrea, the victims and the perps.

This came to the UK on channel 5 in a wave of generally strong US exports. 5 grouped it with the new CSI on a Tuesday night – this followed the first series of The Shield and the opening of CSI: Miami. I watched it as it looked like an enjoyable cop series. I'm nearly at the end of series 1 of Boomtown and have enjoyed it although it hasn't gripped me in the way that other cop shows such as Homicide :LOTS, NYPD Blue (the Caruso years) and even The Shield have. I think the reason for this is that, although each episode is good, it tends to focus on that 45 minutes rather than a longer series view. There has been some character development but not to the extent that I feel like I know the characters in the way I did with Homicide. Instead it is more nuggets of information that are given out occasionally rather than characters.

However each episode works well – most are interesting, tense or exciting. The only downside is that it has to fit into this multi-perspective mould every week and sometimes the stories are forced into this form. Mostly the stories fit nicely into the structure and are complimented by it – but the odd episode just felt that it could have worked better with a linear line without all the cutting around. This is the main reason that I have come back to it after a few weeks where Sopranos clashed with it in the schedules (and you KNOW who wins that fight!), because I know that each episode will work well by it self – but I need more to make me really stick with it as a series and not just dip in and out.

The actors are good – although some have meatier characters than others. Wahlberg has easily the best character as he is the one who has had the most development and subplots that run through episodes. Williamson is surprisingly good despite a quite superficial character – but his Rambo antics in one episode were a bit too much. McDonough as McNorris is good and balances the requirements of the law and the cops well. Garbiras plays his one-time mistress but her character has now become defunct – floating round the edge of the show with the plot really obviously looking for ways to crowbar her in. Basarba and Gedrick are good but neither have really come on as characters – with us learning that Ray may be a dirty cop, but not much more than that.

Overall this is not a classic cop show. It has a good gimmick that it uses quite well most of the time and also manages to avoid feeling gimmicky. If you're looking for a series that you can get into the characters then this is not for you – The Shield did it quite well recently. But as a series that can be easily dipped into for one-off enjoyable episodes then this works pretty well.

This show is fantastic, but not suited for anyone wanting to veg. Told from the different points of views of the various characters, the writers seamlessly weave the stories lines together to complete the picture. The endings are often unexpected. "The Pilot" was heartbreaking. "Insured by Smith & Wesson" merged an old Joe Penny show (Riptide) into the mix and makes you become emotionally involved in the faded actor he portrayed. The most shocking ending was in the "Reelin' in the Years" episode with Patricia Wettig - I gasped in shock. You come to see that nothing is as expected in a very refreshing way.

Boomtown, a masterclass in story telling and character driven narrative lasted just over one season, and is perhaps the greatest case of a show destroyed because of it's nature rather than it's quality.

In an ambitious take on the well covered cop/crime show niche, Boomtown aimed to show the story behind a crime from every angle; the beat cops, the detectives, the politicians, the paramedics, the victims, and the suspects. Whereas this could have ended up being a gimmick wasted on an audience not excited by such originality, creator Graham Yost managed to mould a brilliant series of stories that always kept the people at the fore-front of the drama, and never gave in to spectacle. The episodes would veer from comic to dark and disturbing from week to week, going from a corpse fired out of a cannon to betrayed police officers and S&M Murderous Psychopaths. All the time the principal cast, and the creditable guest characters, were given the most attention and the stories usually explored the why of a crime rather than the how and who.

The main characters were a mixed batch, all of whom were memorable in their own right. There was the two detectives, the earnest and dignified Joel Stevens (Donnie Wahlberg, displaying his acting chops in a rare chance to prove that he's far more than Marky Mark's brother) and his partner, the flamboyant and tongue in cheek though on the mark Bobby 'Fearless Smith (Mykelti Williamson). The street officers were the chatterbox veteran, Ray Hechler (Gary Basaraba), and youngish Italian bull Tom Turcotte (Jason Gedrick), who is forever his legendary father's shadow. Then there was the strong willed yet vulnerable paramedic, Teresa Ortiz (Lana Parilla), who cares for nothing but the well being of others, and the usually hell bent and cold reporter, Andrea Little (Nina Garbiras), who has questions she should ask herself. However, the real showpiece of the show was reserved for the fast talking, faster switching Deputy D.A David McNorris (Neal McDonough), a brilliant lawyer who trips himself up on account of his demons. All of these characters were fleshed out well and played to a tee by a fine cast.

The show combined breathless showpieces of action and suspense with the occasional injection of humour, plus managed to incorporate a heart and emotional edge that in so many similar mediums seems tacked on. None of the characters are free from this, with each one suffering from their problems, some facing them better than others. Moments brought gasps and tears in equal measure but their was always enough entertainment abound to ensure the show kept on an even keel. The second series, although beginning shakily, got into stride and the series seemed destined for greatness before the networks pulled the plug. It was a sad end, brought about by a general lack of popularity and a view that the show would not provide the means by which to finance it's ambition. Whether Boomtown would have become a household name over time is not clear, but it's obvious that it's loss was felt by those who appreciated it's sublime nature, and it's cancellation represented a defeat in the battle for quality television.

Ultimately, a brilliant show that died young.