Cool customer

An adage about Jerry Bruckheimer goes along the lines that he produces bad movies but good television. Certainly, on the evidence of films like Pearl Harbor, it’s hard to argue with the first observation, but the second also seems to hold up to scrutiny. With CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Miami both doing swimmingly in the ratings, I was keen to check out his new offering, Cold Case. Luckily, I wasn’t to be disappointed – the Big Bruck has done it again. This way this show is structured ensures it will appeal not just to CSI fans, but also those who prefer more “traditional” cop shows.

Cold Case revolves around the activities of Philadelphia homicide detective Lilly Rush (Katherine Morris). At the start of the series, she’s a regular gumshoe with the Philly PD, but soon discovers she has a knack for cracking “cold” cases – those crimes from years ago that remain unsolved. Delving into murders from years past, she’s essentially left to her own devices, although she occasionally enlists colleagues Nick Vera (Jeremy Ratchford) and Tom Stillman (John Finn) and the department’s resources to get to the truth of the cases.

The real difference between this show and any of the CSI shows is that here, Rush employs a much less clinical and more empathetic approach to her work. Unlike say Gil Grissom on CSI, she doesn’t believe in spending hours behind a microscope. She’d rather be out talking to people who were there, going over the details with them and searching for something new. It’s an approach that makes Cold Case (ironically) rather “warmer” than its counterparts. For those fascinated by forensics, there are still moments when a crucial hair or fibre will turn up, but they’re the exception rather than the rule.

The one element of the show that hasn’t fully developed as yet is the role of the minor characters. Cold Case tends to focus heavily on Rush and her interaction with victims and suspects. That however doesn’t allow much space for the regular subsidiary characters to grow. Their roles are fairly nondescript, and it’ll be interesting to see if and how that changes over the course of the series. Also, it’s still a little early on, but I’m hoping there will be more development in the sub-plots, so that a strong “thread” runs through the show.

Bruckheimer being Bruckheimer, he’s attracted some heavy hitting directing talent for the first series. Those helming various episodes include film directors Alison Anders (Gas, Food, Lodging), Mark Pellington (The Mothman Prophecies) and Agnieszka Holland (The Third Miracle); as well as experienced TV directors like Paris Barclay (Clueless, The West Wing) and Bryan Spicer (Dark Angel, 24). The technique of having different high-profile directors was used to great effect in the early days of series like Sex and the City and Six Feet Under; and there’s no reason that success won’t be translated here.

Kathryn Morris (who was Tom Cruise’s wife in Minority Report) is an excellent choice to play Rush. She’s a real pistol when it comes to dealing with the bad guys, while displaying appropriate sympathy for the victims. Morris convinces as the no-nonsense cop, even down to her not-quite-right fitting suits. Jeremy Ratchford as Vera and John Finn as Stillman both come across typical knock-about cops, but neither really shapes as a potential love interest for Morris’ character.

Sharp, well-written and great to look at, Cold Case is one of the snappier offerings on television at the moment. Its tight storylines, intriguing premise and engaging lead character make for exciting television.

David Edwards

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Cold Case

On: Nine Network

Time: Mondays at 8:30 pm

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