Troian Bellisario’s police drama lacks dimension
Law enforcement remains a polarizing topic and career in this country, but police procedurals like “Blue Bloods,” “The Rookie” and “Chicago PD” are among the most popular dramas on television. With their new Prime Video series, “On Call,” creators Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf have added to the expansive Dick Wolf universe with the company’s first scripted streaming series. The show follows veteran training officer Tracie Harmon (Troian Bellisario) and her rookie trainee Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente) as they respond to various emergencies in Long Beach. From its opening scene, “On Call” attempts to subvert the typical police procedural format, but by reaching beyond the traditions of what makes Wolf Entertainment’s shows so beloved, “On Call” falls short of what it could have been.
On his first day at the Long Beach Police Department’s West Side Division, Officer Diaz is paired with a no-nonsense veteran, Officer Harmon, who is not exactly a favorite among her fellow officers – especially old-school Sergeant Lasman (Eriq LaSalle). , who is also involved behind the scenes). The new partners hit the road responding to several calls involving overdoses, domestic violence incidents, mental health events and homicide. “On Call” focuses on the day-to-day events of an officer’s shift, but also attempts to examine the department as a whole. A recent incident has left police and the community they serve tense and at odds with East Barrio, an increasingly violent local gang.
The main problem with “On Call” is the length of the episodes. The eight episodes will be shortened instead of the usual hour and will last 30 minutes or less. As a result, detailed character development and robust dialogue are lost. Supporting characters are little more than caricatures, leaving the viewer with disturbing questions instead of finite answers. Furthermore, some of the stylistic choices made are completely off-putting. The direction, mainly led by Eriq LaSalle, is mostly solid. Unfortunately, the constant body camera POV and grayscale coloring throughout the series is bizarre. Initially, the visual shift to the body camera seemed like a unique storytelling tool. However, because it is overused and does not advance the story, it distracts the audience from the diegesis of the show. Furthermore, the show’s color correction does not contribute to its realism.
“On Call” might have worked better as a feature film or as an hour-long drama, but episode 5, “Not Your Savior,” is a standout. In the episode, the mistrust and tension between Diaz and Harmon are palpable, and a harrowing crisis the pair face highlights the true horror and terror of the work and why it remains so challenging to do it effectively over time doing.
Moreover, even though Bellisario is a capable actress, she is not always convincing as a tough policewoman. To be fair, Harmon limits himself to the core of the script, with little room to evolve. Although this show is billed as Lori Loughlin’s big return to series television, her character, Lieutenant Bishop, is barely present.
‘On Call’ has its share of blunders, but it successfully offers a sobering look at how the constant confrontation with violence, death and chaos affects the mental health of law enforcement officers. While Harmon has mastered the art of compartmentalization (for the most part), Diaz struggles with impulsiveness and controlling his emotions. Moreover, only small fragments of the police’s personal life are revealed. By seeing them outside of their uniforms, the series could have shown their full humanity. Additionally, by having extra room to breathe and explore this world, the writers could have addressed the nuances and structure of the East Barrio gang. Instead, the dialogue consists of generic descriptors such as the tired (and co-opted) use of the word “woke” when discussing reform measures, and residents often refer to their environment as “the hood.”
Overall, ‘On Call’ gets into the daily details and routine of police work. The phone calls and paperwork are constant, as are the thousands of decisions and unpredictable scenarios you have to make and encounter every day while trying to stay alive. But by confining the characters and, in turn, the audience within this specific patrol time, the drama does not reach its full potential. Rather than offering a compelling perspective, the series is stressful and often mechanical. Viewers are never fired, so the motivation to clock in for the next episode is limited.
The eight episodes of “On Call” will premiere on Prime Video on January 9.
