‘On Call’ Review | Bodycams Tell a Heart-Pounding Story

Queue up Prime Video’s On Call now. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more addictive 30-minute crime show to binge at the current moment. That’s because there really aren’t many at all. The inventive new series hails from executive producers Dick Wolf (Law & Order, Chicago, FBI-branded series), Tim Walsh (Chicago PD, Hightown, Night Stalker), Elliot Wolf (Dark Woods, Hunted), Eriq LaSalle (Chicago PD), and Peter Jankowski. Elliot Wolf and Tim Walsh created the show, intentionally choosing to get us in and out of the muck within half an hour, unlike most crime dramas. That works greatly in this series’ favor, and, coupled with its solid cast and sharp storytelling, On Call is a pulse-pounding delight.

This is a uniquely visceral viewing experience with an unvarnished and purposely gritty sense of real-world dangers. And yet, within each 30-minute episode, the producers also manage to dive deeply into the humans behind the badge and the morality that comes with protecting and serving a community. It would be easy to dub this another kind Dick Wolf procedural, but it’s far more than that. It’s a fabulously new kind of cop show that doesn’t feel like you’re watching a cop show. Between its well-spun web of suspense and action told through bodycams and hand-held cameras, it’s as if you’re watching the tribulations of the Long Beach Police Department presented in real time. That’s the point.

Meet Your New Best TV Cop Duo

The crux of On Call, however, is the ongoing evolution of its two main characters, Officers Traci Harmon (Troian Bellisario of Pretty Little Liars) and Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente of The Good Doctor), and their work relationship. Harmon is a seasoned cop, but not without faults, and she’s coming off of a swirl of workforce politics. Diaz is a rookie eager to serve but primed to be humbled. Together these two officers from different generations give birth to TV’s hottest new cop duo in the vein of Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or Sipowicz and Simone (Dennis Franz and Jimmy Smitts) from NYPD Blue.

“Look at me,” Officer Harmon insists to her comrade Diaz before having to enter a dangerous situation in a motel. “No fear. No hesitation. No surprise. No doubt.” The scene arrives in the fourth episode and by this point, we’ve come to know the characters better. But it’s a key moment when you realize you’re witnessing some serious TV series magic — a kind of turning point between two very different people who have been assigned to work together and brave the rising madness of the world around them.

The Series Sails on Gritty and Suspenseful Storylines

Bellisario’s take on Harmon is spot on. This cop is tough-as-nails, and when we meet her she is already thwarting off department gossip and demons from her past. She’s pissed about taking on a rookie — the backstory to that is eventually revealed — and Diaz is equally unhappy being assigned to her. The initial tension raises the stakes of how things play out across eight episodes.

Leaping off that creative thread, co-creators Elliot Wolf and Tim Walsh offer us wonderfully produced if not thoroughly suspenseful half hours of entertainment, complete with crime and drug lords, domestic disputes, gang warfare, out-there scenarios, and its fair share of hardened crimes that make the gritty folks in Breaking Bad seem tepid. Both of Harmon and Diaz’s pasts become story arcs that the creators dip into between the high drama. It’s a well-crafted odyssey filled with great servings of emotional and psychological fallouts.

A Rich Supporting Cast Keeps ‘On Call’ Afloat During Dramatic Diversion

The series’ B players also stand out. Any show that can make Lori Loughlin (Fuller House) look good in the aftermath of those heated college scandals of yore wins bonus points. To Loughlin’s credit, she’s a good actor and, in this stripped-down character (of Lieutenant Bishop), she brings both confidence and seriousness to the role.

Eriq La Salle (Chicago PD) is in fine form as Sergeant Lasman. He’s not too keen on Harmon and his character feels rooted in the patriarchal system established. Rich Ting plays Officer Tyson Koyoma, who may become an ally for Harmon. Meanwhile, every actor playing the perps and the suspects hit their marks. In a refreshing turn, this series leans into the vulnerabilities of the law enforcement individuals we’re watching, especially Harmon and Diaz, making the show feel all the more believable.

Where the series dips creatively — and fortunately, it’s not overdone — is when it wants to flesh out what’s happening in the officers’ real lives. These moments may require more time before they become emotionally real and important to the show; for now, there are several moments when the home lives of the protagonists divert from the overall vibe of the show — a heart-pounding, body-and-handheld camera wonder. But the true joy of this experience is how well it hearkens back to those rare but standout half-hour cop shows like Adam 12, N.Y.P.D, Honey West, or Felony Squad. Lock us up. The big crime here may be liking this series too much. All eight episodes of On Call drop on Prime Video January 9. You can watch it through the link below:

Watch On Call