Chicago P.D.

Chicago Fire is positioned to succeed. Assuming it uses Hank to wrestle with deeper issues and not just explore all the ways his team can get dirtbags to spill, it’s got a great chance.

The well-traveled Beghe nevertheless convincingly sells the gravelly voiced tough-guy routine, and Chicago PD plays to the cathartic aspects of crime-fighting, provided one tries not to think too much about terms like “enhanced interrogation techniques.” And the show is aided by having the likes of Jon Seda, Elias Koteas and Sophia Bush on the case, even if most of the plotting has a musty and manipulative aroma.

It's not cutting-edge storytelling, but there are some decent plot threads as the show introduces its characters, including a brash desk sergeant who is either testing a rookie or simply ordering her to do her dirty work.

P.D.'s also loud--the percussive soundtrack is headache-inducing--formulaic and predictable, not at all like "The Shield."

As executed, it almost seems like a parody of the genre.... Beghe's growly, macho performance is hard to stomach, getting in the way of even noticing the attractive supporting cast.

The show is at least meta enough to have the department commander call out the sheer outrageousness of the appointment, but that doesn’t make it any more plausible.

Spinning off an established show in order to up the chances of that happening is a fine impulse, but this Chicago Fire offshoot is not quite up to the task of creating something indelible just yet.

It’s a show that’s safe, easy to digest, and predictable, which, sadly, is what audiences are coming to expect from network dramatic programming.