Pilot Review: K-Ville

K-Ville (FOX)
Premieres September 17 at 9pm

This cop show about post-Katrina New Orleans in intriguing from the outset, but a number of problems keep bogging it down. Anthony Anderson, who more than proved his dramatic talents during his stint on the fourth season of FX's "The Shield", is an able enough lead but his style does not necessarily work for this character he is playing. Cole Hauser, on the other hand, offers nothing terribly exciting. The supporting cast is bland at best, and it seems that Blake Shields' remarkable role on "Sleeper Cell" was his only fantastic role. The case here is not that original, and New Orleans-specific elements of the plot can only remain actively engaging for so long. The police brutality (i.e. almost letting the guy drown) has been done to death before and Anderson's character hardly seems like the type. The twist that comes at the end of the hour makes the show seem so much less believable, and in my eyes will make it hard to sustain.

How will it work as a series? Week-to-week believability will surely wear thin because only the backdrop is interesting. The unengaging cast needs to get their act together a bit more if they want to keep this show on the air. Lead-in "Prison Break" may not help too much, since the styles are extremely different.
How long will it last? I have a feeling that FOX will let it stay on the air for its first thirteen episodes, but I think that is it.

Pilot grade: C