This is Special Agent Maryland J. Koba here, with a review of Michael Duggan's first show since E2, C-16. What is it with Duggan and numbers, not to mention bad time slots?
My, my, it was great to see Executive Producer: Michael Duggan on a TV screen again. And, an unexpected bonus - Music by David Bergeaud!!! WOOHOO!!! I'm doing the happy koba dance now! Not to mention another familiar name, Hugo Scales, who was Duggan's assistant.
I was very impressed with C-16, and not because I'm partial, either. It was a smart, well-researched, and fast-paced roller-coaster ride that compares more with Homicide: Life on the Streets than E2. Eric Roberts plays the head of a high-profile criminal investigation unit in the L.A. field office called, you guessed it, C-16. The unit, like it's boss, it rather unconventional. In a turn of strange luck, his lead Agent is D.B. Sweeney. (Yeah, I can't resist a good pun...) The rest of the office includes two newbie Agents, a single mother, and a veteran agent who dislikes babysitting newbies.
This isn't the FBI of Ephram Zimbalist, Dale Cooper, or even Mulder and Scully. The C-16 unit doesn't dress in black suits, and uses every high-tech trick in the book to capture the bad guys. And, sometimes they don't get their man. However, what impressed me was the realism and what looks to be the serious research that was put into how the FBI really works. A lot of it may be high-tech, but there's no substitute for interviewing witnesses. Another good thing about the show is that it didn't telegraph what was going to happen. Unpredictability is rare in today's cop shows. It's a smart, savvy, 90's version of the old FBI show that some of us grew up with. And, it's got a superb cast of veterans like Roberts and Sweeney, along with new faces. Sound familiar??
The one complaint I have is the time slot that ABC stuck it into. Could there be any WORSE timeslot than 7:00 on Sundays? Yes, there is. 8:00 on Saturday night, which is when C-16 is on. Even worse, it's up against The Pretender on the Peacock network - another hip action drama that's got a strong fan base. Good thing I have two VCRs! Seriously, this show DOES NOT deserve to be stuck in the Saturday night dead slot. Maybe will do this show a favor and move it to a weekday at 9 or 10.
In conclusion, I give C-16 five cloned cell-phones out of five. WATCH THIS SHOW before it's too late! And stay tuned to KOBA-TV for a review of Total Security with Debrah Farentino...