Animation
Good Times
Netflix takes a classic sitcom, Good Times, and turns it into a vulgar, violent, sexually-charged TV-MA show.
Technically, Rookie Blue has outlived its title. Six seasons in, the show is no longer stuffed full of with fresh-out-of-the-academy cops. They’ve all been on the job for a while now—but all are still young and attractive enough to ensure there’ll be plenty of Grey’s Anatomy-style sexiness going on behind the crime scene.
And that’s really what matters on TV, right?
Central protagonist Andy McNally, engaged (at the time of this update) to fellow officer Sam Swarek, is a female officer with model-esque looks who has, so far, done a good job of maintaining an appealing balance between self-questioning insecurity and unquenchable desire to heroically serve. Among the other main characters are a street-savvy single mother named Traci; an out-of-his-depth Ivy League-type dubbed Dov; an icy, perfectly coiffed blonde named Gail who has family connections to the upper offices; and Chris, a gung-ho, from-the-neighborhood Hispanic with dreams of glorified copdom.
All have become respected officers who give their best. But, of course, the older veterans on the force are still there to pound the youngsters into shape should they fall out of line. That interplay between youthful idealism and hard-earned experience is what makes this not-too-gritty, not-too-slick show watchable.
Not so pleasing are the romantic hookups and other stereotypical cop show-isms that the creators toss in as audience teasers. Some of these boys and girls in blue are sneaking around for in-the-closet lip-locks and gropes. Most are cohabiting with someone or other, and at least one has had dalliances with a woman married to his superior. Thus, we sometimes see a little too much of these service-minded men and women without their uniforms on.
They also find plenty of time to unwind at the local booze hall. And even though Andy’s dad is a retired cop who had to vacate the force because he was a drunk, she still sometimes joins her fellows—the whole squad, it would seem—in wading through a river of alcohol.
As for the criminal cases that ostensibly (but not always in reality) provide the plot-driven backbone to the show, drug dealing, prostitution and murder are usually front and center.
In an effort to clear veteran cop Oliver Shaw of accusations that he bombed the evidence room, McNally and her friends sting the real culprit—Commissioner Alonso Santana. They do so using subterfuge, naturally, eventually uncovering corruption that he and detective Steve Peck had been involved in for years. (It’s a revelation that crushes Steve’s girlfriend, Traci.)
Dimly lit scenes from a homicide investigation show us a body with a bullet hole in the head.
Oliver spends a great deal of time at the bar, and we see quite a lot of him and others drinking. There are crude references to a cop having an affair. Someone talks about living with his girlfriend. Steve and Traci are shown in bed together, with him saying he wished they had time for sex. (Both are dressed.) There are other references to cohabitation. We hear “h—” and “a–” two or three times each, “b–ch” once.
“Honor Roll”
Andy is still feeling a little queasy after shooting and killing a criminal. She’s also pretty uneasy about her feelings for Officer Swarek. But his casual “it is what it is” attitude about their relationship motivates her to accept a weekend getaway with Det. Callaghan. Chris and Gail’s relationship is strained as well when Chris stumbles upon a case that involves illegal actions that might have been perpetrated by Gail’s vice detective brother and his partner.
A crime victim is severely beaten. (His face ends up bloodied and swollen.) When the squad participates in yearly defensive retraining, members pummel one another in hopes of gaining a prized bottle of single-malt scotch. Booze flows freely after hours. A handful of uses of “a‑‑” and “h‑‑‑” pepper the script.
Dov and Traci talk to high school kids about police work and find some girls using amphetamines to lose weight. (The officers do not approve.)
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
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