The Reagan family returns once more to take on the criminals
of New York City in their various roles. If you’re new to the series the show
follows the family of Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck). Being a
member of New York’s finest is a long held tradition in the family with Frank’s
father Henry (Len Cariou) having served as Commissioner himself. But Frank’s
children have also followed in their forefather’s footsteps as well.
Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) is a highly decorated detective
known for being a bit of a hothead at times. Married to Linda (Amy Carlson), he
also has two young boys who make a weekly appearance at the Sunday dinner with
Frank and Henry. Next in line is Erin (Bridget Moynahan), a divorced mother who
works in the district attorney’s office as an assistant D.A. Her daughter Nicky
(Sami Gayle) also makes her way to the weekly dinner table as well as an
occasional storyline of her own. Last in line is the youngest son Jamie (Will
Estes), a law school grad who decided to go into the family business rather
than the courtroom.
Each week the usual crime drama is presented but in a
different mode than most police shows offer. Rather than start with a crime,
show the investigation and then the inevitable arrest, the show tackles things
from the perspective of this family that are all involved in the business of
stopping crime. Each one has an opinion on various cases and they voice those
at a round table of sorts when they get together for Sunday dinner. It allows a
development of what we’ve watched happening in each episode giving the issue or
crime more depth than most police shows allow.
It also presents us with different aspects of what goes on
in the world of police than a simple crime solving show would. From Frank’s end
we witness the difficulty of his position, trying to defend his men while at
the same time holding them to higher standards than other would. Not only that,
he must contend with the political aspects of his position in dealing with the
mayor and various prominent citizens looking for publicity or favors. From
Danny we get the frustration he handles daily witnessing some of the worst
crimes possible and the problematic but much needed restrictions placed on all
officers. With Erin we’re presented with the limitations she must inflict on
officers in an attempt to make a case stick. And with Jamie we witness the
beginnings of a young officer, his expectations and experiences while at the
same time making sure that his being the Commissioner’s son presents him with
not special treatment.
One thing this series hasn’t tried to do is present a cliff
hanger from one season to the next. Each season is tidied up into separate
episodes with an occasional tie in from one to the next. This makes for a
series that you can jump into without knowing the details of past episodes.
That’s a good thing for the new viewer although once you begin watching chances
are you’ll want to go back and get caught up.
The series covers a number of topics, many that come
straight from the headlines. One example is when Danny is accused of police
brutality, a situation where one slip in the investigation by Frank could lead
to both of them having problems. Another involves Jamie and the relationship he
has with his partner, a female officer named Edit Jenko (Vanessa Ray), should
it remain professional or will the attraction they find for one another
interfere with work? Danny also has a new boss this season to adjust to while
his old boss, Sid Gormley (Robert Clohessy) starts his new job working in Frank’s
office. Mob informants, low income housing victims, stalkers, celebrity chefs
and more all take center stage from one week to the next, offering problems to
be solved by the family Reagan.
That word family is what really makes this show work too. Any
series can be made about police officers and indeed there have been many. What
makes this one different is that beyond the daily work that all of them are
involved in there is also the fact that they are family that lies beneath it
all no matter what happens. This is not a dysfunctional family that hates one
another or fights non-stop. This is a family that loves and respects one
another. Don’t get me wrong, they might disagree with one another or argue at
times, but they still have that lasting family bond there that they return to
each week. That’s something that’s nice to see on television. There are
actually several series that have turned to this and all seem to be more
successful because of it. While shows that don’t adhere to these principle seem
to fall by the wayside, it’s nice to see this one remain on the air and do
decent in the ratings.
So if you’re a fan of the Reagan family, if you love the
police no matter what’s being said about them these days or if you just like a
good crime drama, than make sure you give this one a watch. Start with this
season if you like or pick them all up and work your way to it. You’ll be glad
you did. And perhaps you’ll start having your own Sunday dinners with your
family.
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