I've long been a fan of Police Drama. I like the mystery (that comes with shows like Columbo) and the police procedures. Understanding that shows like Hunter make us root for the officer who pushes the envelope in order to make the case. Any more, the newer police shows have the tendency to concentrate more on the officer (and his/her life) than the case--turning many of them into prime time soap opera a la NYPD Blue rather than the police procedural, or they concentrate on spinning off the name of another show (Law & Order, et.al.) with little or no connection to the original.


Because I like to read things like the 87th Precinct series, I like my TV Police shows to be well-written. Because I enjoy a well presented stage production, I enjoy the actors in these shows to know their craft. Setting aside my preference for Walker, Texas Ranger (writing and acting both fall short, but there are tons of great fight scenes thanks to Chuck Norris), I don't enjoy too many of the crime shows available for consumption these days. Friday evenings has become the exception, and I just finished watching two of the best examples:

• CSI: NY -- while it is a name-copy series, and they have had some of the character-driven, soap opera-esque story lines, I have found them to be consistently well-written, and with a lead character played by veteran actor Gary Sinese you can't go wrong when you can settle in for an episode.
• Blue Bloods -- I must admit that when it started a couple of seasons ago, I had my doubts. A family full of NY Police officers, headed by the commish himself? Bound to turn into dumpster diving into the tawdry lives of each separate character. Attempts at this very thing have been few and short-lived, because the family consistently focuses on the case. Another concern I had was Donnie Wahlberg in one of the chief roles, and I've been pleasantly surprised. The writers of this series have held to their guns with the character of the characters, the genuine faith of an Irish Catholic family of cops in New York (how's that for stereotyping?), and the commitment to family of the family. Plus you get to see them approach crime from a variety of viewpoints.