PILOT REVISITED: DETROIT 1-8-7
The Details:
Premiered: September 21, 2010 on ABC
Starring: Michael Imperioli, James McDaniel, Aisha Hinds, DJ Cortona, Jon Michael Hill, Shaun Majumder, Natalie Martinez, Erin Cummings
Created by: Jason Richman
What I Thought Then:
"Gritty is the most appropriate word that can be used to describe this powerful drama."
"Michael Imperioli's Det. Fitch is one of the season's most compelling new characters - a multifaceted detective who can seemingly talk to any subject. The rest of the cast is strong but Imperioli stands out."
"Detroit 1-8-7 is a show to root for. TV is in need of a good new cop drama and this could be it."
"Detroit 1-8-7 strives to be gritty but is overly stylish. It tries to be edgy while appealing to a broad audience. It wants its setting to be a character but is unsure about how to achieve that. The jury is still out... after its entertaining but flawed premiere." - Erik Pedersen, The Hollywood Reporter
"It's not bad, but it initially looks relatively uninspired next to TV's best cop shows, including current entries such as TNT's Southland." - Brian Lowry, Variety
"The show isn't just set in Detroit; it's shot there, which gives it an authenticity and a palpable sense of place." - Robert Bianco, USA Today
"Besides the location, there's little about Detroit that is particularly new or groundbreaking, but it should easily satisfy the millions who seem to have a bottomless appetite for this genre. There are plenty that do it worse." - Matt Roush, TV Guide
"Detroit 1-8-7 is not bad and not great, though, ironically, the characters seem to have come off a Detroit assembly line." - Linda Stasi, New York Post
What I Think Now:
I was very curious what I would think of this show watching it again. Back in 2010-11, it was my favorite new show of the season and I was actively campaigning for its renewal amid low ratings. But back then, I hadn't watched Breaking Bad or Mad Men. Heck, I hadn't even watched The Sopranos among many other prestige dramas. So my taste meter for good TV drama was not as refined as it is now. I would still say it's better than your average police procedural but perhaps not as worthy of the acclaim I bestowed on it in 2010 and 2011. It's still a very good version of what it's trying to be even with a pilot that was clunky at times as it tried to marry its original documentary concept with a more straightforward drama. The reason it works as well as it does is an exceptional cast. Michael Imperioli, Jon Michael Hill, Natalie Martinez, James McDaniel, Aisha Hinds. They are all great here. The show also has a unique feel in Detroit (though the pilot was filmed in Atlanta, the series was filmed in Detroit). It's a city that doesn't have an abundance of TV shows set there and that feels as fresh now as it did in 2010. There are certainly vibes of Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue. It is still a network cop show though so the ceiling is only so high when compared to some of the dramas I have seen since. After I re-watched this pilot, I watched a few more episodes of the show and felt about the same. It's a good version of what it is but it's still what it is.
Detroit 1-8-7 was hailed as a successor to NYPD Blue and it got the old Blue timeslot on Tuesdays at 10pm for ABC in the Fall of 2010. It was a gritty drama that aired after the popular but incompatible Dancing with the Stars. The show was originally supposed to be a documentary-style concept before it was re-tooled following its pickup and a controversial police shooting in Detroit. Despite decent reviews (63 on Metacritic), the series struggled for its entire run but the only reason it probably lasted as long as it did, with a five episode add-on to its order, was because ABC was a mess in so many areas with other bigger flops like The Whole Truth and My Generation. It managed to stay a bubble show until May but its replacement on Tuesdays at 10pm, Body of Proof, was a bright spot in a messy season for ABC freshmen and that was the death knell for Detroit 1-8-7 as the show was cancelled even with some protesting from Detroiters, who embraced the show as their own. Many of the cast members went on to success. Aisha Hinds is on 9-1-1. Jon Michael Hill recently finished a Tony-nominated run in Purpose on Broadway. Michael Imperioli (who was of course well known before Detroit for The Sopranos) received an Emmy nomination for the second season of The White Lotus and has been actively working. Natalie Martinez has appeared in a ton of shows in the last decade and a half, most recently Apple TV+'s Bad Monkey.
Final Episode: March 20, 2011
Episode Count: 18
Where to Watch: Currently not streaming anywhere for free but available on DVD and for purchase through several sites.
I'm excited to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide! You can read my regular work in my weekly newsletter at Benjamonster's TV.
