The Beat

Swift and engrossing. [20 March 2000, p.E1]

This is a vibrant, involving, visually imaginative series that does contain some nice action, and has among its interesting characters one of the most disturbing TV co-stars in quite a while.

The Beat is bold, raw and explosive. If its characters could be a little more human and a little less hip, it would be even better.

What sells this TV cop shop is its heavy emphasis on the personal and the personalities of two young men in a high stress job. [19 March 2000]

Odd as The Beat may seem on first glance, it's of a piece with the rest of Fontana's work, which aims to shake up TV storytelling by any means necessary. [21 March 2000, p.37]

The Beat is certainly a leap up from most of what UPN airs. [20 March 2000]

Fortunately, there's still a lot of substance. With help from some of the Homicide crew - Detective John Munch has a cameo - Fontana and Levinson give The Beat depth through interesting and often quirky subplots. [20 March 2000, p.1C]

Manhattan locations and taut editing lend plenty to a solid overall production.

It’s got the grit, grime and even potential greatness of the old “NYPD Blue,” but for reasons I hope never to understand, it’s also got stupid, tricky camera work — a surveillance camera, for one, and a hand-held videocam a la “The Blair Witch Project.”

Although The Beat rises above much of what's on TV - and everything else on UPN - it is nowhere near as complex and layered as "Homicide." But it may be just as off-putting to some viewers.

It’s this unsparing vision of a city whose human-relations problems may be insoluble that lifts “The Beat” well above the ordinary and raises hopes for its future as a cop show destined to be as important as it is entertaining.

The Beat may not be anything new, but it’s certainly the best drama UPN has ever aired — for what that’s worth.

Brace yourself for a visual look from Levinson that was designed for viewers who grew up with MTV. But, before you dismiss it as too radical, try to remember the jumpy, herky-jerky, hand-held look of the first "Homicide." [21 March 2000]

With all this going for it, the real question about The Beat may be whether a smart audience will ever find it buried on the testosterone-driven UPN schedule. The series has some kinks to work out but it's definitely worth tracking down. [21 March 2000, p.1E]

The Beat resonates with a quirky, dark pulse. [21 March 2000]

It will take an uncommon effort for most viewers to get entirely through even the first episode. Those who return for more will be rewarded in due time. [19 March 2000]

Slickly produced, compellingly written and expertly directed. [19 March 2000, p.TV-6]

While they're both from the talented team of Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, "The Beat" is like a quick paperback read while "Homicide," which was canceled last year, was more like an enduring classic. [21 March 2000]

The dialogue is snappy, the camera work inventive (moving from video to film and back again), and it shows signs of improving with age.

I admit that by the end of the third episode, I had begun to warm to the series' central characters - in spite of the show's style, certainly not because if it. But The Beat has no right to expect weekly viewers to be so persistent or so forgiving. [21 March 2000]

The net result is a buddy show that is long on youth appeal and chemistry but short on character depth and texture.

The Beat, Fontana's UPN cop show, won't be mistaken for a good series, but it's better than a lot of the junk polluting UPN's airwaves. Of course, its sophisticated flourishes may just be enough to sail the show over the heads of the netlet's pubescent target audience, and its pandering touches will be enough to alienate more discerning viewers. [21 March 2000]

The Beat needs more reinforcements because the main characters aren't strong enough to carry a show. Andre Braugher had more help on Homicide.