Summer has long been a disheartening season for TV fans, particularly in terms of the major networks. While cable and premium channels can boast new episodes of critical favorites like Mad Men and True Blood, viewers of the Big Four are stuck with tired reality shows and dusted-off reruns. One happy exception is Fox's The Good Guys.
The Good Guys, which premiered on May 19th, is a classic buddy cop show with a postmodern twist. Each episode opens with our heroes, partners Jack Bailey (Colin Hanks) and Dan Stark (Bradley Whitford), in some form of imminent danger. We then rewind to some point in the recent past (generally 48 hours earlier) so that we can begin to understand how they got themselves into such a mess.
Jack and Dan are assigned to the Property Crimes Division, which means they officially get handed mundane cases involving stolen dry cleaning and vandalized store mascots. Jack is an ambitious young cop who aspires to get back to real police work; his detour into Property Crimes is a result of some interdepartmental friction. Dan is a different breed. Dan used to be a star in the department—he once saved the governor's son—but time has passed him by. Dan is independent, reckless, boozy, macho, and utterly, utterly awesome. You did see the mustache, right? That mustache speaks 1000 words about the amazing Dan Stark.
It's down to Dan that he and Jack have an uncanny knack for stumbling onto larger crimes while investigating their more humdrum cases. You start out with a poisoned dog and end up with a meth lab—that's how things go down when Dan Stark is around. The stories are not particularly ground-breaking in and of themselves, though the ongoing back and forth with time keeps viewers on their toes. Even so, The Good Guys is immensely entertaining. The show blends an endearing silliness with plenty of action (shootouts and explosions abound).Characters can—and do—die. Only bad guys, of course, but it still ups the stakes in the action-heavy sequences. It's not gritty, or especially realistic—that's just not what kind of show it is. It's not The Wire, and it doesn't need to be.
A large part of the show's entertainment value is due to the chemistry of Hanks and Whitford, who make a winning team of underdogs. The casting of Whitford, best known for his work on The West Wing as the boyish, mouthy Josh Lyman, was particularly inspired. It's amazing what can happen when you put a great actor into a totally different type of role (see also Bryan Cranston on Breaking Bad). The odd couple is not a new formula, to be sure, but when it's done so well it's hard to complain.
One notable element of the show is its location: Dallas, Texas. Dallas is a relatively fresh location for television, especially for a cop show. It's simply more interesting to see a show take place somewhere new rather than in the same cities (and on the same back lots) over and over again. It also somehow lends the show a certain authenticity that helps to balance some of the wackier elements. There's something extra special about a show that can really wind its location into the story—such as Jack and Dan eating brisket and tangling with barbecue sauce.
Unfortunately, although The Good Guys is winning my heart, it's not a success in the way network executives appreciate. Ratings are low. Sigh. I don't know why it hasn't found its audience, but I can only hope that if fans keep talking about it, people will start tuning in. Tomorrow night is the last episode of the summer season, but even if you haven't seen any of the previous episodes, I guarantee you won't be lost. All you need is an appreciation for fun, humor, explosions, and luxurious mustaches. And how can you say no to that?
The summer finale of The Good Guys airs Monday, August 2nd at 9/8 Central on Fox.
Photo credit: FOX Broadcasting Company
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