Boomtown

You can find this television DVD package at a cheap price in many places because the show only lasted one year. What a pity. I found it one of the better crime stories on TV in the past decade. The DVD is well-worth purchasing, even at a regular price.

As some people have said, maybe it was too intelligent for the average boob....but that's a little snobbish. Perhaps the network was at fault, not giving a quality show enough time to develop an audience. Two years of this show might have done it. They have certainly done with other shows, most of which were of inferior quality to this.

What made this show unique was that it showed the crime from five different angles: the victim, the perpetrator, the police, the district attorney and the medical personnel. The episodes were well-acted, from the low key Donnie Walhberg to the super-intense Neal McDonough. Those two, along with Mykelti Williamson, Gary Basaraba, Nina Garbiras, Lana Parilla and Jason Gedrick all were fun to watch, even if they didn't all play likable characters.

The stories were different, too. There is enough variety to make this DVD package enjoyable for multiple viewings.

This is the best crime drama on television and the best in recent memory. The changing perspectives are not what sets the show apart. In fact, this aspect is hit and miss. One week it might add something, the next week the story could be told in sequence with equal force. What sets this show apart is the performances of the cast. Neal McDonough is awe inspiring as talented but tragically flawed Deputy DA David McNorris. His performance is more intelligent and nuanced than anything else on network television. It is an incredible combination of a man with positive attributes who is constantly on the edge of self destruction. Donnie Wahlberg and Mykelti Williams also play roles of a lifetime. This is an addictive show that is a must see on Sunday nights.

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.

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.