- Network: FOX
- Series Premiere Date: Feb 6, 2017
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Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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- By date
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Hours two and three, also made available for review, are somewhat better executed [than the premiere episode].
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APB never settles its own version of its existential dilemma: man or machine? It argues for both. But as this uninspiring drama proves, sometimes when you split the difference, you end up with nothing.
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This procedural revolves around their predictable relationship.
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As a procedural, APB--from Len Wiseman and Matt Nix--is a nice futuristic fantasy made watchable by an attractive cast, but it is essentially shaped in an old-fashioned way--the clash of old and new, a little sexual tension, some dark secrets of the past, etc. After three episodes, it’s hard to see it developing into anything more.
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There are some welcome familiar faces here including Ernie Hudson, but they don’t have much to do. Martinez adds a note of grace as the single mom/cop Murphy, but if producers were hoping to establish some sexual chemistry between her and Kirk, they better hop to it and turn the show into a crime comedy like “Burn Notice.”
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Thanks almost single-handedly to Kirk's performance it's modestly watchable, and there's a touch of "RoboCop" in the premise of a private entity taking control of an ailing police force. Yet even seen through that sci-fi lens, APB looks less far-fetched than "24."
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Imagine Elon Musk, in a fit of boredom, buys the Chicago police department and you've got the idea of this odd little show.
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[Justin Kirk's Gideo Reeves]'s so dumb, but this show thinks he's so smart, because this show is so dumb. [Feb 3/10 2017, p.102]
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Unfortunately, the gimmicks and the solid cast aren't enough to elevate the ho-hum storytelling. The cases at the center of each episode aren't especially engrossing.
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Reeves is trying to do something about the state of law enforcement in America, but APB, with its alternation of tedious command-center computer-gazing and routine cops-chasing-bad-guys action, doesn’t seem like a concept that will keep viewers intrigued week after week.
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There’s a little melodrama and a lot of whiz-bang, and the crime stories are as mechanical as Gideon’s gadgets.
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APB has some fertile ideas at its core; for instance, the app Reeves unveils actually has a number of intriguing features. But the lack of bold engagement with the implications of the drama’s premise, combined with a number of formulaic elements, makes for a generally unsatisfying viewing experience.
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While APB might be a satisfying power fantasy, it’s not a satisfying story--yet. There’s only so much drone action you can stomach before the wooden characters and plastic smiles start to ring hollow.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 55
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Mixed: 8 out of 55
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Negative: 15 out of 55
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Feb 6, 2017
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Feb 8, 2017
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Feb 10, 2017