EZ Streets

This show premiered during my sophomore year of high school, and I was eager to see it from the moment I heard about it. The first episode had me instantly enamored. This was the most incredible, darkly beautiful, and cinematic vision I have ever had the privilege to see on television. The writing, acting (especially that of Joe Pantoliano as Jimmy Murtha), and sheer mood created by this show was impeccable. I was incredibly excited. I tried (unsuccessfully) to convince all my friends to watch, I tuned in for every episode that CBS didn't purposefully hide from me, and I instantly declared it my new favorite show.

And then CBS killed it.

As seems to be the fate of any quality television that I show an interest in (The Critic, Action, etc.), it was completely misunderstood by the viewing public and summarily yanked. I think what still hurts the most about it is the fact that in lieu of showing the final episode, CBS ran a rerun of Walker: Texas Ranger. It was this that made me lose any interest in television whatsoever. Even the Simpsons doesn't hold the appeal for me that it once did.

Paul Haggis lovingly crafted the most perfect television series of all time, and CBS spit in his face. The world is poorer for it.

But all is not lost, I suppose. I do have my Emmy screener of the pilot episode, the VCD I mastered from this screener, my collection of all the other episodes on VHS, and the shooting scripts for two unfilmed episodes. My ideal is to acquire screener copies of every episode and have them mastered on DVD, saving this piece of art for the future. CBS has shown that they have no desire to do this, so it's up to us fans, I suppose. With that said, please get in touch with me if you'd like copies of any of this material. I'm only too willing to help out other fans.

Thanks to anyone who's read through this, and thanks to Paul Haggis and anyone related to the show. It was, and still is, appreciated.

There isn't much to say here, except that I agree with just about every user comment on here. This was an exceptional series that hooked me from the very beginning. It is a shame that we were given a taste of the brilliance of "EZ Streets," and then it was taken away from us in the blink of an eye. "What might have been" another comment says. Well quite possibly one of the greatest television series' ever. I am sure there would have been many Emmys, Golden Globes, etc....but we'll never know...we'll never know what might have been.

Updated on 9/15/08: There are a few more things I'd like to say about this series. First, I believe that this was still one of the finest television series' that never got to come to fruition. I also believe that it was ahead of it's time. I honestly believe that if this series had been brought to television today, it would have succeeded. I just don't think that, for whatever reason, people were ready for such gritty, dark, and violent material to occupy a spot in prime time television. Especially on the three main networks. Today Haggis would have had the opportunity to take this show to another network that isn't afraid to push the limits (i.e. FX, Spike T.V., or even HBO). I thought about purchasing the DVDs, but now that I know that there are episodes missing, I think, for the time being, I'll just continue to remember this show the way it was when it first aired. And I'll continue to think about what might have been.

Like I said before, "I don't know where this show went wrong!". In my opinion (and to the opinion of many others by the voting statistics) this show was phenomenal! A 10/10! Quality t.v. for me next to the first season of Murder One and NYPD Blue. I thought Jason Gedrick had all the right moves first doing Murder One and then signing on to do EZ Streets, intelligent, realistic intriguing and compelling writing well executed by the the actors! From show one I was hooked! Not a single show in my opinion of this short lived series was boring or predictable. I don't know for the life of me why this show didn't catch on. A few hypotheses, one: the show was more a less one big story (for who knows to be the life of the series or for one season) which I guess audiences didn't have the patience for (like Murder One it took a chance, one big quality story for the long hall, at least for one season. But I believe unlike Murder One it didn't have brief preview summaries in which potential audiences who haven't seen the previous episodes could see to catch up on) two: it was in a competitive time slot with another popular t.v. series (although I don't recall any) and three: it didn't advertise itself correctly or frequently enough to get any significant attention, at least enough where a significant enough popluation could give it a chance. I thought this story rocked so hard my interest and curiousity that I am begging anyone to give me information where I can see the unaired episodes (which network) buy them (on video) and although I'm not a huge fan on reading if it is out in book format or script is for sale. Please help me if you can, I'm dying to know if that cop gets his revenge, wether Jason Gedrick gets back with his wife and makes a decent living, what happens to the beautiful seductress who's playing on both sides of the law, or the junkie mayor and the gambling contract, bring it on! Charlie.

The is the show that I would *most* love to see again, and especially to own on DVD. Alas, it doesn't look like that will ever happen :(

Incredibly cinematic, dark, atmospheric (lots of decay with a hauntingly beautiful Irish-inspired soundtrack) and an amazing cast - including Joey P who can seemingly do *everything* brilliantly.

While Paul Haggis would retread some of EZ Street's ground in the also-brilliant Black Donellys in some ways, EZ Streets for me remains his masterpiece. If this is *ever* on TV, on video, on DVD near you, do try and catch it. Heck - record it please, and send it to me, because I would dearly love to see this series again - and I didn't even see all of the episodes either.

I came across EZ Streets when Channel 4 in the UK starting airing it at some stupid-o-clock, I think it was about 4am on Friday night/Saturday morning. Having seen the pilot I was hooked, and watched every episode until, as the story was leading somewhere, it was gone, never to be seen again. I still don't know the outcomes and the central plot point resolutions, and possibly never will.

This show seems to have really been lost out there, apart from the few episodes available (which, given how good EZS was, is kinda insulting). This show, along with some of the other brilliant-but-cancelled-before-their-time shows *cough*Firefly*cough*, is living proof that quality doesn't win out.

Outstanding, haunting, beautiful, ugly, moving - I miss it.

Dark, brooding show with well defined characters. The acting was above average, especially the three leads. Unfortunately, they were never given the network support that is required for television programs of this sort.