Pilot Review: Crossing Lines

Crossing Lines (NBC)
Premiered June 23 at 9pm

It’s always interesting to see what kind of shows networks think people will want to watch during the summer. While cable channels are busy throwing some of their strongest and best programming at viewers during that season, broadcast networks often repackage Canadian or British series to see how they’ll fare in the United States. This show is something altogether different, an American-focused international cop show, with a handful of players from around the globe cast as investigators working together to deal with crimes that inarguably cross lines of jurisdiction. What this is, unfortunately, is a huge mess, filled with so many different accents and backstories that it’s hard to latch on to any of them, and when sentimentality is presented, it’s done in an overdramatic fashion, which, in one very predictable case, led to the death of one major character. At the center of the show is the one recognizable American on the show (Donald Sutherland is Canadian), William Fichtner, who was astounding on the short-lived “Invasion” before rebounding the following the year with a fantastic role on “Prison Break.” Here, he plays a protagonist so broken that it’s hard even to be impressed by him – his flaws outweigh his talents, especially when he admits to a confidante that he didn’t actually reveal someone’s inner misdeeds but instead witnessed him doing them. His accent is also highly regrettable, and this show seems to want to use subtitles as little as possible, though they do get blared across the screen in an obnoxious fashion when they are used. This show wants to be cutting-edge but it’s far from it, and it’s a highly missable summer snooze.

How will it work as a series? This first episode was a high-profile case of truly international proportions, even though its bad guy, played by Eddie Jemison, turned out to be far from convincing. I can’t imagine that every episode will be quite so grandiose, which might make this show even less exciting and appealing.
How long will it last? The ratings for the pilot weren’t great, but they weren’t terrible. Ultimately, however, like all other broadcast network summer shows, this one is doomed to a short and forgettable existence. I see no reason why NBC would trash it during the summer, but once its September 1st season finale date rolls around, I don’t think even NBC will remember it.

Pilot grade: D