LOS ANGELES — Welcome to a TV season filled with crime shows.
It’s just like the beginning of “Law & Order” states: “In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.” Those words describe the biggest television genre of this season.
There’ll be 29 programs scattered over the five networks — almost one-third of all prime-time programming — that feature those who track down bad guys, including spies, and those who deal with them in court.
The total includes nine new shows in the genre: “Detroit 1-8-7” and “The Whole Truth” on ABC; “Hawaii 5-O” and “Blue Bloods” on CBS; “Nikita” on the CW; and “Outlaw,” “Undercovers,” “Chase” and “Law & Order: Los Angeles” on NBC.
This format remains popular because the stories have a surprise element, action, legal intrigue and deal with very human emotions.
“I think the audience likes mysteries. They like puzzles. They like unraveling. They like following heroes as they’re unraveling these mysteries,” says “Hawai 5-O” producer Alex Kurtzman. “I just think it’s timeless in terms of its appeal.”
ABC’s new courtroom drama “The Whole Truth” presents a legal puzzle each week, shows how both sides of the courtroom deal with it and ends with a scene that reveals exactly what happened during the crime, which may or may not be in line with the verdict.
“The Whole Truth” executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer has had great success with TV crime shows from “CSI” to “Cold Case.” He says the programs hit a nerve with viewers.
“I think they look for good ideas, and if they feel that they’re good ideas in the cop show or the law show, they’ll go for it,” Bruckheimer says. “If you look at The New York Times bestseller list, they’re filled with mysteries. And these are mysteries, what we’re doing. . . . People love mysteries.”
With such a crowded field, each new crime show is trying to set itself apart. The new CBS lawyer series “The Defenders” is set in Las Vegas and will feature a unique group of clients. The shift of the “Law & Order” franchise to Los Angles means more celebrity-driven stories. “Blue Bloods” and “Undercovers” will have a heavy family element.
“Chase,” the new NBC series about U.S. Marshals, looks at both sides of the law.
“We hope to keep the audience on their toes with very unexpected moments with the fugitives,” says executive producer Jennifer Johnson. “A big difference of this show is we are really going to get to know the fugitives and then really get to know our U.S. Marshals, so two points of view really make the show stand out.”
