Golden Boy: The Complete Series

Description

In this gritty character-driven drama from Greg Berlanti (Arrow, Everwood) and Emmy winner Nicholas Wootton (Chuck, NYPD Blue), a young, ambitious police officer (Theo James -- Underworld: Awakening) rises quickly within the New York Police Department perhaps through questionable methods after becoming a celebrated hero in the line of duty. As the series begins, Walter William Clark Jr. (James) barters becoming a detective with one of the premier homicide task forces. A product of the streets, Clark will do anything to keep from going back, just as he'll take any risk to crack a case even if it's against the law. His off-the-cuff methods make his partner, Detective Owen (Chi McBride -- Human Target, Boston Public), nervous, and they don't sit well with Detective Arroyo (Kevin Alejandro -- True Blood), whose bald ambition is hard to ignore. There are good guys and bad guys but what does it take to be a golden boy? Review: IT NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO GET THERE - A most promising and different police drama was prematurely aborted by CBS due to declining ratings (translation: it didn't have a gazillion viewers and wasn't winning its timeslot). With an excellent cast comprising Theo James (Divergent, Underworld), Chi McBride (Boston Public), and Kevin Alejandro (True Blood) among others, an unfolding story told in "future flashforwards" and present time, followed the exploits of a young policeman who ultimately becomes the youngest city Police Commissioner. Produced by Berlanti and Wooton, two highly successful TV show creators, wasn't even enough to keep this show on the air. (CBS could learn a lesson from NBC which has kept various incarnations of Law and Order (save one) on TV regardless of their ratings.) The interaction between McBride as the de facto veteran mentor and James as his novice student, suddenly elevated by chance circumstance, was classic. The conflict between James and Alejandro for future primacy in the dept. was also well done and credible. The show did so well initially in its trial timeslot (Tuesday at 10PM) that CBS decided to leave it there and moved Hawaii 50 to Friday instead (where GB was originally intended to be). In addition to glimpses of the future, we were also shown past events in the life of McBride which explained his current behavior and attitude. (Ironicallly, McBride is now on Hawaii 50.) The characters were all highly 3-dimensional. James, as the attractive, competent, and personable titular character was especially appealing. His relationship with his sister and his romantic involvement with the ex of a jealous attorney added more drama to his story and this show. There were even some humorous moments thanks to McBride who had his own story to tell. As the show built towards its season ending climax which also involved a few cliff hangers as well as a tease about the future state of particular characters, CBS suddenly pulled the plug. GB was only second in its timeslot thanks to the return of Body of Proof on ABC and that wasn't good enough for Les Moonves & Co. To add insult to injury, shortly afterwards ABC (which wasn't going to be outdone by CBS's stupidity) cancelled Body of Proof! Despite the fact that this is the only season of Golden Boy that we will ever have, it is first rate and highly recommended. The stories are varied, hold your attention, and give excellent insight into police matters and politics. It would have made an excellent pairing with Blue Bloods if it had been continued and moved to Fridays just before BB. But TV programmers don't think of their viewers. (Look at the recent cancellation of Dallas on TNT because the ratings dropped without Larry Hagman - big surprise - leaving its audience to wonder about the outcome of several cliffhangers.) Review: Good Series, only 1 Season - Loved this 1 season series. Cutie pie from Divergent Series is the main Star. Worth ordering if you still have a DVD player