Monday, October 22, 2018

The Good Cop - Who Framed the Good Cop?


With Monk Andy Breckman struck a chord with audiences by delivering a genius detective, played for the better part of a decade by multi-award winner Tony Shalhoub, whose phobias were his own worst enemy. Breckman's new show, now available on Netflix, lacks any such genius either in front or behind the camera. Instead Breckman delivers a run-of-the-mill odd couple procedural with a by-the-book police detective (Josh Groban) living with his recently paroled dirty cop father (Tony Danza). The pilot episode paints both men in the broadest strokes possible. If there's a short-cut to be had Tony Sr. will take it. No mater how small a regulation, Tony Jr. will abide by it. The pair are surrounded by a mostly forgettable supporting cast aside from Senior's parole officer (Monica Barbaro), and potential love interest for Junior, who will be given a larger role starting in the show's second episode.

Unlike Monk, neither the older nor younger versions of Tony Caruso are much of a detective. Sure, they find clues when they literally pass directly under their nose, but here are two average detectives that are only remarkable in relation to each other. In "Who Framed the Good Cop?" Junior's gun is used to kill one of his old man's enemies leading to speculation on the guilt of both men. Junior eventually solve the case, which includes an oddball twist that makes a marginal amount of sense despite be incredibly over-complicated. Stealing a bit of the Monk formula, the show also introduces an unsolved homicide which haunts both men. "Who Framed the Good Cop?" is inoffensive and unremarkable, but I was hoping for more. Will I watch more? Perhaps? Will I expect more? Probably not.

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