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The Strip |
two ex-cops work security for a Las Vegas casino owner
Type of Series: private eye; cop show;
Similar Shows: Several. The Strip was like Starsky & Hutch without the charisma, Simon & Simon without the wit; LA Heat without the action, Miami Vice without the style, Hardcastle & McCormick without... uh, well... you get the idea.
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Typical Episode: Typically, the boys were called in by their boss to help someone staying at his hotel/casino. One guest had his wife kidnapped, another couple had just won one million dollars and needed protection, and one episode sent the boys to investigate a thirty-year old disappearance when a dead body showed up. Once they had been given a case, the boys drove around Vegas asking their contacts for info. Elvis was the scruffy one, Jesse was the neat one (he always wore a suit!). And by the end of the episode, you weren't sure whether anything had been accomplished. Not that you cared, of course! |
Strengths: Sean Patrick Flannery is a very watchable leading man. Even when his haircut is diabolical (as it was here).
Weaknesses: No charm, no charisma, rambling go-nowhere plots, lack of action sequences, bland theme tune.
Impressive Characters: Zip. Nobody was impressive/sympathetic/likable. Regulars nor guests. Nobody.
Impressive Actors: Flannery, of course, and Joe Viterelli (who played their boss and who was riveting whenever he was on screen).
Impressive Episodes: None. Even the most enjoyable episodes were highly flawed. Fact is, it's not a buddy-buddy cop show if the two guys don't seem like buddy's and you (the audience) don't believe in their friendship. Elvis and Jesse didn't seem like friends and when they were on screen, things seemed forced. Contrast that with a show like GvsE where the two guys clicked like blood brothers from the get go (something that makes GvsE watchable, even when everything flags a little). However, lack of chemistry between the leads is not the biggest strike against The Strip. Fact is, when the guys were doing their thing (wandering aimlessly around Las Vegas asking questions) you couldn't help but be sincerely bored by the proceedings. Contrast with GvsE (to mention it, yet again!) where the duo spend most of their time wandering around asking questions, as well. Except, on that show, the two guys are relentlessly cool and it's fun to watch them. On The Strip, the central characters were dweebs. Guys I would not want to hang out with on a Saturday night.
Impressive Writers: None.
Less-Than-Impressive Characters: All of them.
Less-Than-Impressive Actors: Guy Torry is a very weak presence on screen.
Less-Than-Impressive Episodes: All of them. About the only thing I could say to recommend the pilot is that it contained a really big explosion.
Less-Than-Impressive Writers: The Strip was created by two veterans from the first season of the (very enjoyable) Martial Law: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (who also acted as the Executive Producers). Also on board their titanic were Mark Verheiden (Consulting Producer); Charles Holland (Supervising Producer, Writer); Gilbert Adler (Co-Executive Producer); Ken Horton (Co-Executive Producer); Joel Silver (Executive Producer); Richard Mirisch (Associate Producer) and Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner (Story Editors).
Continuity: Sean Patrick Flannery's character was in debt and this was touched upon in an ongoing sub-plot. Apart from that, everything was self-contained.
Rewatchability: None.
Episode Guide: EpGuides.Com is the best place to go for Episode Guides.
Reviews:
Other Info: UPN aired The Strip Tuesdays at 9 directly after Dilbert and Shasta McNasty, up against 60 Minutes II on CBS, Dharma & Greg and Sports Night on ABC, Party of Five on FOX, Will & Grace and The Mike O'Malley Show on NBC. Meanwhile, The WB were airing a new series called Angel. In the UK, Channel Four choose to air the show as part of the late night 4Later strand, Fridays nights at various times, usually around 3am or so. In Ireland, Network Two aired the show as part of it's Saturday night late night block of cop shows. This meant the show had a variety of times, all in or around the 2am mark. Other shows airing in the same block included Homicide and Law & Order. To say that The Strip was totally out-classed would be... accurate.
Three Things I Really Like About This Series:
Sean Patrick Flannery. I like him, because of his work on The Indiana Jones Chronicles and consequently I wanted to see his work here. Flannery is good, of that I have no doubt, but this was a dire vehicle for his talents.
Three Things I Really Don't Like About This Series:
Any episodes I saw started off okay enough, but they petered out to nothing. Called in to protect a newly-wed couple, the boys discovered that the lovers were not what they seemed and the resolution of the story was a most unconvincing series of twists and turns that rendered any enjoyment of the first half-hour null and void. Likewise, the UFO episode seemed to "forget" about the murder case that started it all, and even failed to reveal what was in the box in the desert that our heroes had been in a chase to locate. The credits rolled and I sat there, going "huh?".
The pilot had one stand-out stupid element. By "stand-out stupid" I mean (a) it was stupid, and (b) it stood out even more than the other stupid stuff happening in the pilot. Basically, everytime we saw Elvis he was eating junk food. Every single time. Time after time. Scene after scene. We would cut to the heroes and Elvis would be there, stuffing his face with junk food. It was relentless. And totally distracting. And, after a while, it was so bad, I started to enjoy it, watch for it, and laugh out loud when I saw it.
The lack of chemistry. Even by the last episode, the boys lacked believability as friends.
Miscellaneous Comments: Friday, 07 July 2000
A less than enjoyable cop show. One I won't miss. In fact, months from now I will probably come across this review, read it, and wrack my brains trying to remember this show in any amount of detail.
GRADE: C+
Review by Michael Leddy
Comments are welcome: rikerdonegal@hotmail.com
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SECTION V: TV REVIEWS |
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