You Should Be Watching... Golden Boy

CBS’s new series Golden Boy is a crime procedural… I’ll stop there because a lot of you will have already lost interest. I’ll confess, when I heard about it I thought ‘another crime procedural? oh great (heavy sarcasm
engaged)’. TV is rife with cop shows and I, perhaps like you, couldn’t see this being any different. But then I heard about the cast, a list including Chi McBride, an extremely talented actor from two of my favourite cancelled shows, Pushing Daisies and Human Target; Kevin Alejandro who was brilliant as Jesus (not that one, the gay witch one) in True Blood; and topped off with its titular star Theo James, who’s appeared in Downton Abbey as the memorable Mr Pamuk and lesser known Brit show Bedlam (and who, as well as being a fantastic actor, is pretty darn attractive!).

The combined talent of these actors alone ensured that I’d be tuning in for the first episode and I was not disappointed; all three, as well as their supporting cast are immediately engaging and the dynamics between
them fizz with intensity. But the appeal of this show doesn’t end with its excellent cast, the material they’re given is genuinely believable. It’s a difficult thing to make office drama seem realistic and when unsuccessful it can make a show cloyingly unwatchable but the development of main character Walter Clark’s relationships with Chi McBride’s reluctant mentor and Kevin Alejandro’s jealous rival, although obviously emphasised for dramatic purposes, is genuinely absorbing.

 

The story is surprisingly good too, taking a leaf from Lost and Arrow’s book and featuring flashforwards to 7 years in the future in which Walter has just become New York’s youngest ever police commissioner and is clearly a much-changed man whose been through a lot, hence the show’s plot which follows him on these 7 years of life-changing drama. This means a lot of character development, something which, if believable, can absolutely make a show for me, and from suggestions in the first two episodes it really seems that this show could be going places.

It may be ‘just another crime procedural’ but there’s a reason why this genre is so popular, if it’s done well it can be seriously engaging TV kept fresh with inventive case-of-the-week plots and interesting guest characters (there’s already been an excellent, extremely likeable guest appearance by young actress Stephanie Brait) alongside strong ongoing character development. And even though we’re only a few episodes in, Golden Boy is ticking these boxes with aplomb and assuring it’s a definite one to watch.

Please don’t let it get cancelled, people!