Pilot Review: Taxi Brooklyn

Taxi Brooklyn (NBC)
Premiered June 25 at 10pm

I like to know as little as possible about a show before I start watching it, and sometimes, I know next to nothing. Here I read a tiny bit about the premise – a cop works alongside a cab driver in Brooklyn – but that’s all I knew. What I didn’t realize, which puts the show into a more coherent context, is that, as the show’s broken English title might suggest, it’s not an American production, but instead a series that aired first in Belgium and France before making its way to the United States. I didn’t recognize its star at all from the first role I knew her in, “Reunion,” and her subsequent and much more well-known part on “Grey’s Anatomy.” Chyler Leigh looks incredibly different with this haircut, and the character she plays here, devoid of all cuteness and any endearing sympathies, is hard to like. Her whip-smart, anti-establishment attitude doesn’t do her any favors, and she ends up coming off as much more hard-nosed and obnoxious than I think she’s meant to be. Jacky Ido’s Leo, on the other hand, is all too charming, impossible to dislike because of his smart driving, winning smile, and the fact that he has a son he never sees because his ex-wife has sole custody. Their partnership, however, seems far more stable and credible than either of them individually, so this show could well prove to be enjoyable. It’s certainly an offbeat, odd offering, but that may not be the worst thing for some forgettable summer fun.

How will it work as a series? There’s a dramatic undercurrent to the main comedic themes here that involves the backstory of Cat searching for clues surrounding her father’s death, plus Leo’s time spent in jail. The mix of potentially serious cop plots and lighter buddy hijinks could be entertaining, if nothing else.
How long will it last? Its premiere numbers weren’t anything to write home about, but it’s hard to judge a summer show since the landscape is so different and NBC is searching for a good summer fit. Given that other networks are opting for imports to fill their off-seasons, NBC might opt to stick with this one. Some quick French googling indicates the show will be back abroad for season two, so I see no reason why NBC wouldn’t want a piece too.

B-