Pilot Review: Reckless

Reckless (CBS)
Premiered June 29 at 9pm

All of the other broadcast networks are getting back into the business of having new scripted summer series, and it’s only fair that CBS, which spearheaded this initiative with the success of “Under the Dome” last year, should get on board again. The first of two new offerings this summer is a relatively standard if sex-infused cop/lawyer show. The characters are younger than usual, sure, but everything else is pretty much to be expected. The show’s relationships are rather incestuous, with this one female police officer being involved with the main troublemaker cop, who has the protection of the captain, who is best friends with one of the lawyers, who has a crush on the other lawyer, who is connected to one of the cops. It’s far less headache-inducing on screen, but it’s a bit hard to take these characters seriously and consider them real people. Among the cast, there are four taken familiar faces, all of whom have TV backgrounds. Cam Gigandet is less smarmy with every role he takes, a far cry from his big debut on “The O.C.” I don’t remember much about Shawn Hatosy from the one episode of “Southland” I watched, but he seems pretty despicable here. Like on “Mad Men,” Michael Gladis, who I ran into at a great L.A. breakfast place, The Griddle, once, is sort of on the fringe of things, portraying the corrupt captain, and Adam Rodriguez, of “CSI: Miami,” is relegated to the same relatively one-note supporting role. Some of the antics here are entertaining, and the overall storyline could be strong, but this is hardly the finest television around these days, even just this summer.

How will it work as a series? Now that Jamie is suing the police department on Lee Anne’s behalf and newly minted city attorney Roy is facing off against her in court, tensions are going to be high, especially with the revelation of Preston’s role in the scandal. As long as things don’t get too soapy, the drama might actually be worthwhile if unsophisticated.
How long will it last? Not too long. The ratings for this pilot episode weren’t great, and CBS is stricter than pretty much all other networks with its standards for success. With “Under the Dome” and “Unforgettable” already hitting it out of the park, while gamble on this one?

Pilot grade: B-