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'L.A. Dragnet' Widens for Second Season
By Rick Porter
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - ABC's revival of "Dragnet" didn't exactly
set the TV world aflame last season. It drew a decent-sized audience
-- about 10 million viewers a week -- but never really created a
strong buzz, despite its heritage and recognizable name.
Executive producer Dick Wolf has a pretty good idea as to why that was
the case.
"It didn't work," the always-blunt Wolf told reporters Tuesday (July
15) at the TV Critics Association press tour.
So Wolf, creator of the "Law & Order" franchise, and new executive
producers-writers Josh and Jonas Pate have revamped the show. The
result comes with a new title, "L.A. Dragnet," and a shift in focus
that expands the show from Detective Sgt. Joe Friday (Ed O'Neill) and
a partner to a small group of detectives in the LAPD's Robbery
Homicide Division.
The title, Wolf says, is a "signal to the audience that this is not
the same show they saw before." It's also the least of the changes
that have been made.
"It's evolutionary, but it's evolutionary in the same way that a lot
of these shows have been," Wolf says, referring to the gradual process
of development that helped "Law & Order" become a hit. "It's kind of
business as usual."
One issue with last season's "Dragnet," Wolf says, was its
"testosterone-driven" point of view, in which O'Neill's Friday and
Ethan Embry's Frank Smith were always at the center of the show. The
coming season will feature Friday, now a lieutenant, taking charge of
a unit of young detectives that includes Roselyn Sanchez and Desmond
Harrington. Christina Chang will also star as an assistant district
attorney.
Embry, however, won't be back as a regular. Wolf hopes Embry can
return for some episodes, "but he has a feature film career, and we
don't know if he's going to be able to break free if he's not going to
be in every episode."
Wolf and the Pates promise that Friday will not become the typical,
desk-bound cop-show lieutenant. He will still work cases in the field
with his team, and his trademark voiceovers will still be integral to
the show.
Everyone involved acknowledges that the myriad changes may take some
time to jell. ABC says it will give the show, which will air at 10
p.m. ET Saturdays, time to develop. If it does, it could move to a
more high-profile spot.
"I doubt Saturday at 10 is going to be the permanent timeslot for that
show," ABC Chairman Lloyd Braun said Monday.
Wolf says he's perfectly happy to start the season in the Saturday
spot: "It's a great vote of confidence from the network, and I think
it's going to be a better show."
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