Brilliant But Cancelled: Crime Dramas

Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets

All too much of television has degraded to the lowest common denominator. The scripts are predictable, the acting mundane and direction routine. Still, a rare gem of excellence occasionally finds its way on the tube. More often than not a series that strives to excel is met with a heinous fate, it is cancelled. Now thanks to DVD at least some remnant of a few of these shows can be had by collectors with Universal’s new Brilliant but Cancelled series. Universal Studios is sitting on one of the impressive collection of television around. I would love to be allowed in their video vaults for a long weekend. Not only do they have many of the popular series that helped to define our culture but they have a plethora of these little hidden gems just waiting for their moment on DVD. The first two of the new Brilliant but Cancelled series have been released and while the selection of the series represented may seem a little odd they are well worth it.

Classic Crime Dramas Cancelled Before Their Time

This DVD has four television series that died before their time. Each is a well constructed drama that is beyond a lot of what we get each week.

Johnny Staccato (1959 – 1960) Episode "Tempted" November 19, 1959

Johnny Staccato (John Cassavetes) is a jazz pianist who moonlights, as it were considering the hours jazz musicians work, as a private detective. He lives and primarily works in the center of the jazz world, New York City’s Greenwich Village. Between set in jazz dives he takes on cases to help those that the establishment (i.e. the Police) don’t want to handle. This series featured half hour episodes that where tightly written and economically acted. While most drama series tend towards the hour long format in the late fifties series other than sit-coms where done in thirty minutes. This allowed for little exposition. The writers had to get right into the story. The actors had to use their talents to convey emotions that now would require pages of dialogue. In the episode presented here Johnny agrees to help the ex wife of one of his former band members. Faye Lynn (Elizabeth Montgomery) tells Johnny that she was just robbed of some jewels that she was carrying for work. She is not only beautiful but very glib and Johnny takes the case. While taking her home they are jumped and before you know it Johnny is framed for the theft of the jewelry.

Delvecchio (1976 – 1977)    Episode "Licensed to Kill" February 13, 1977

Detective Sergeant Dominick Delvecchio (Judd Hirsch) works in the Washington Heights division of the Los Angeles Police Department but he aspires to finally pass the bar exam and become a lawyer. One the job he is backed up by his partner Sergeant Paul Shonski (Charles Haid) and a constant pain to his superior, Lieutenant Macavan (Michael Conrad). The series was created and written by Steven Bochco who would go on to use Haid and Macavan in his breakthrough hit ‘Hill Street Blues’. In this particular episode Delvecchio learns that his god-daughter Gina has committed suicide. She was under the impression that she was dying of cancer and didn’t want to ruin her family financially so she took her life. Because of this the old school parish priest refuses to give her a requiem mass. Delvecchio learns that she was not under the care of an oncologist but instead was being treated by a quack chiropractor played beautifully by John Hillerman. Delvecchio must build a case against the doctor while keeping him safe from Gina’s brothers who are bent on revenge.

Gideon Oliver (1989)         Episode "Sleep Well, Professor Oliver" February 20, 1989

Gideon Oliver (Louis Gossett Jr.) is an anthropology professor at Columbia University. While this may seem to be a profession not inherently action filled just think of Indiana Jones in modern day New York City. The short lived series was part of ABCs revolving Monday Night Mystery and lasted only five episodes. It was the brain child of Dick Wolf, creator of the fabulously successful Law & Order franchise. A lot of what makes Law & Order work can be seen in embryonic form here. Wolf takes sensational headlines and incorporated them into the story lines, the start of his ‘ripped from the headlines’ style. The two hour pilot is shown here and it is excellent. Oliver’s long time friend and fellow professor is murdered on the streets. The manner of killing looks like several others but the police are reluctant to call it a serial killing. The professor is approached by a detective that used to be on the task force and who believes that it is the work of a highly organize group of Satanist. He goes so far as to forward the idea that the Son of Sam killings in 1977 where also the work of this group. This show not only provides a look at the early style of Dick Wolf but this episode has some notable guest stars including Cynthia Nixon, Anthony LaPaglia, Tom Sizemore, Jenny Wright and a cameo by Marcia Gay Harden.

Touching Evil (2004)         Episode "K" April 23, 2004

When Detective Inspector Dave Creegan (Jeffrey Donovan) was shot in the head he was clinically dead for almost ten minutes. After a year of psychological leave of absence he returns to work only now for the FBI’s brand new Organized and Serial Crime Unit. It is the job of the OSC to look into crimes that may be indicative of a serial killer in the making. Creegan is partnered with Detective Susan Branca (Vera Farmiga). The episode included on the DVD concerned a group of four teenagers that take a drug, Special ‘K’, and start killing and mutilating horses. They graduate to the homeless and the OSC is called in. The torture of animals is one of the cardinal signs of a serial killer in the making so Creegan and Branca hope to stop the leader of the pack before he becomes another Ted Bundy. This series was an import from the British series of the same name and was considered by many to be a shadow of the X-File. You know, a strange male partner that is grounded by the by the book female investigator. Unlike the other series on this DVD the central themes spanned several episodes so viewing only one takes a lot of context. Creegan has many lingering emotional problems and is having difficulty in dealing with his estranged wife and two daughters. This episode was only a snapshot but it gave a glimpse of something worth while.

Brilliant But Cancelled: EZ Streets

This DVD offers three episodes from the 1996 crime series; the two hour pilot, ‘Every Dog Has Its Day’ and ‘Every Dog Has Its Day’. This gritty urban series followed the lives of three men on different sides of the law. Jimmy Murtha (Joe Pantoliano) rules the streets through his E Street Gang. On the side of the law is Detective Cameron Quinn (Ken Olin), a cop that feels the rules too often hinder justice. Caught in between is Danny Rooney (Jason Gedrick). He was just released from prison after serving time for the proverbial ‘crime he did not commit’. Just when he thinks he is done with a life of crime Murtha pressures him to return to the wicked fold. Murtha is kept out of a lot of trouble by his crafty and beautiful criminal attorney Theresa Conners (Debrah Farentino).

While must fans would agree full series sets would have been nice but this is defiantly a step in the right direction. The transfer is reasonable considering these may not have been the most cared for materials in the vault. The video overall tends to be okay with some flecks and specks around, major but its there. The color palette is generally muted. The audio is Dolby stereo and does the job but it is not the greatest. Still, this is a great beginning and I am thankful to Universal for realizing that there are those of us out there that enjoy and appreciate these great little show.

Posted 5/26/06