The main lead of the team is Nick Atwater (Andre Braugher), who leads a life of crime while having to deal with being a parent to his teenage stepdaughter, Tammi (Mae Whitman), whose rebellious nature either gets her on the outs with Nick or places her under the care of the police. His team doesn't know much about her or his private life, but that's about to change.
First, his wife ends up dying as a result of injuries from a car accident in the first episode. Then, a job goes bad when a crew member fouls up an important part invovling a huge cash heist. The Chinese Goverment now wants the money back, and will get it with the help of a lone gunman and a corrupt cop (Michael Rooker) looking for redemption.
I won't spoil what happens for people who haven't seen the show. If you've seen 24 or FX's other crime series, The Shield, most likely you will know the format of Thief. The familiarity of both those series can be a draw for this show, but it may also be a sign of laziness on the part of the writers.
The problem with a format in which everyone and everything can change in a second is that it is overkilled. While betrayal and death are a main part of these shows, I think Thief would benefit from a higher standard by focusing on the jobs they go on, rather than the internal conflict stuff. It's good to have an old-fashioned show that's got some sort of stability once in a while, but this one doesn't appear it will work out in that regard.
Michael Rooker's place in the story would be better suited to a show all its own. Mixed in with Thief's main plot, it appears to be too removed. It would be better, but possibly even more hokey, if it was a child services worker or someone who is more connected to the main plot rather than a corrupt cop whose connection is not as direct.
The benefit and draw is Braugher, but it's also nice to see Malik Yoba from New York Undercover return to series television. Although it's a minor role as one of Nick's team, he does carry a presence. But performances can't save plots, and this is no different.
Setting up too many brick walls will make the usual viewer of 24 and The Shield feel overwhelmed and burned out on the crisis-after-crisis bonanza the former shows give. But then again, I don't think you can tell a good story without yanking the carpet all the time.
Posted by Matthew at April 12, 2006 11:19 PM | TrackBack