'Big Apple' portrays realistic NYPD

(U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Start spreading the news that CBS has debuted yet another law enforcement series. "Big Apple" premiered with hopes of success like other cop shows like "NYPD Blue" and "Homicide: Life on the Street."

Taking a slightly different angle, the show focuses on two New York Police Department detectives and their interaction with local FBI agents while omitting most of their personal lives.

"Big Apple" sets itself in New York City at the beginning of a murder investigation involving a prostitute. The conflict centers around the elder of the two detectives Mike Mooney (Ed O'Neill, "Married With Children") causing trouble by convincing his protégé Vincent Trout (Jeffrey Pierce, "L.A. Confidential") to ignore the FBI's request to be patient with their investigation. The FBI fears that the police presence will compromise their ongoing stakeout of a strip club the murdered prostitute worked at.

Consequently, the FBI decided to take the two detectives under their confidence and work along side them.

Meanwhile, FBI agent Jimmy Flynn (Titus Welliver, "Navy Seals") has been meeting with an informant working with the Russian mafia. Flynn asks the informant Terry Maddock (Michael Madsen, "Reservoir Dogs") to give them leads, particularly on the murdered girl. False information is passed around and Mooney realizes that the FBI was only looking for the easiest solution rather than the truth to the identity of the real murderer. At the end of the first episode the murder is not solved but a partnership is formed among the NYPD detectives and the FBI working of the Russian mafia case.

The actors portray their characters as hard-nosed agents trying to bring criminals to justice. Ed O'Neill takes dramatic acting in stride and manages to show his trademark sarcastic comedy in the dialogue without taking anything away from the show. Titus Welliver and Michael Madsen also create tension and suspense on the screen that contributes to the series believability.

The two detectives have a relationship that can be compared to the characters played by Dennis Franz and Rick Schroder on "NYPD Blue." This father-son bond is shown throughout the episode and should be used more to understand the character's and personalities. Not much is known about any of the characters, but more should be revealed in the course of the show.

"Big Apple" gives refreshing realism to the genre of police dramas because it does not involve the character's personal lives. The show does not wrap up cases each week, so that story lines can be more involved and provide several twists and turns without confusing viewers. For those hard-core TV drama watchers that are tired of the melodramas of "ER," this is the most stimulating new drama around.