On Call just dropped its first full season streaming on Prime Video, but is this new cop drama worth watching? Caution: This article contains SPOILERS.
The opening of this new Prime Video series courtesy of Dick Wolf kicks things off with a bang. Officer Maria Delgado (Monica Raymund of Chicago Fire) is making a routine traffic stop only to get a bullet in the neck from a gangbanger.
With the entire Wilshire Boulevard section of the LAPD equally mourning and wanting payback, veteran patrolwoman Traci Harmon (Troian Bellisario) is hard-hit as she was Delgado’s training officer. That haunts her as she’s now assigned rookie cop Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente).
At first, the show looks like the same material we’ve seen in scores of series', especially The Rookie. That includes Harmon clashing with old-school Sgt. Lasman (Eriq LaSalle), whose methods aren’t what she wants to teach Diaz. There are also a lot of familiar calls like domestic disputes and the conflicts cops face with the public.
What the show has going for it is its presentation. First, each of the eight episodes is only half an hour long. While that may mean less time for character insights and such, it also makes each episode feel more packed and exciting and adds to a thrill. There’s also how much of the footage comes from body cams. So it feels like a reality TV show. It’s less a regular modern cop show and more of a throwback to old-school programs like Adam-12.
We do get some insight into the main characters. Diaz does have the cliche backstory of a rough family into criminal activities, and his mother is not a fan of cops. He grows more as the series goes on, and the family issues come to the forefront.
Those who know Bellisario from Pretty Little Liars may be surprised at how believable she is as a hard-bitten street cop. She’s driven by her guilt over Delgado’s death and issues with an addict sister. It’s called out how Harmon seems “stuck” guiding all these rookies but wants to do better.
The series has a great high point in episode 5 as a creepy call brings up all those family issues and the actors have great chemistry. That makes the series click as even if gets duller in the storytelling, the actors make it compelling viewing. It's also refreshing to see a cop show going into the mundane daily stuff of paperwork and trying to unwind on shift.
The show heats up in the last episodes with some big moves in both the characters and the overall storyline. Again, it does a good job of addressing how cops are in a tough spot these days under the media microscope. Yet there are good elements, such as Harmon and Lasman arguing on which of them still fits with their old neighborhoods.
Being on Prime Video, the series can go places a network show can’t, which means a lot of cursing, nudity, and violence. Rather than being gratuitous, they add more realism to the tales and a big impact in some scenes.
The show isn’t a bad binge with the short running times, even if it seems like expanding the episode lengths could have meant better character work. The supporting cast is good, notably Lori Loughlin as the lieutenant. It’s not trying to break the mold of the genre, yet it does a good job telling its story. Thus, On Call is worth a look for fans of cop dramas and a brisk watch. Even if it doesn’t change the game.
On Call season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.