'Battle' Ready

Battle Creek

For major TV companies, TV season starts in September (usually around mid-September). This is a time when shows start their new seasons or when new shows premiere. Though unfortunately for some of the new shows, they are prematurely cancelled. Due to these cancelations, there are holes left in the prime time lineup. That is where mid-season premieres come into play. Most of the time these shows are to fill holes in the prime time lineup without the heavy pressure of succeeding like their fall season counterparts. However, mid-season premieres unearth some diamonds in the rough like the American adaptation of The Office. Starring Steve Carell as 'The World's Best Boss', The Office went on for 9 seasons and won multiple awards. This year CBS has high hopes that their new cop dramedy will defy the odds as well with Battle Creek.

Detective Russ Agnew (Dean Winters Rescue Me) is a highly decorated member of the Battle Creek Police Department. The only thing lacking in Russ' life is the proper equipment to do his job. After many requests for new equipment, Russ and the BCPD are supplied with a new resource in way of FBI Special Agent Milton Chamberlin (Josh Duhamel Transformers). Grateful for the assistance, the BCPD welcome Milt with open arms, all except Russ. However, by unforeseen circumstances, Milt and Russ are thrust into a murder investigation which will test both men's detective skills and their patience for each other.

Battle Creek comes from two acclaimed TV minds, Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) and David Shore (House). These two have created a couple great shows and hope to continue their success with this off-beat cop dramedy. With only watching the premiere episode I can say that they are on the right track. The show has everything you would expect from a cop show with the added dark humor that was sprinkled throughout both House and Breaking Bad.

Ever since his stint on Rescue Me, I have always hoped Dean Winters would find his way into a starring role. This role almost seems tailor made for him. Winters has the gruff veteran cop presence which fits perfectly with Russ. Winters also shows off his sarcastic side perfectly. Duhamel also fits well into his part. Milt is an up and coming Special Agent that plays on people's misperception of him. Duhamel is smooth, yet gives the audience a hint of something more aggressive.

I would like to see this show succeed just purely on the awesome immediate chemistry these two leads showcase. I also adore the show creators and biasedly want them to also succeed. However, looking at the logistics of Battle Creek, the show is going to have an uphill battle (no pun). The show is premiering on a network saturated with cop-like shows and is scheduled in a time slot (Sundays at 10 pm EST) that most of America is going to bed and getting ready for their dreaded Monday. I hope that I am wrong though, CBS has kept Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods around by placing them on Fridays. Maybe CBS will see this show’s potential and rearrange it on a different night and time so we can all enjoy it.

The Verdict: Worth Your Time; Prediction--Last rest of this season and 1 full season.