TV Review: Tommy

So, it’s only two episodes in so far, but I rather like “Tommy.” It’s a bit like “The West Wing” of police procedurals – the white liberal dream of what law enforcement can be. Like, I know they’re feeding us the fantasy resolutions to intractable real-world issues, but I’m happy to let them help me dream. Basically, it’s like someone set out to make the political opposite of “Blue Bloods.”

As such it’s definitely striving to be the “wokest” cop show I’ve watched in a while. So far they’ve taken on ICE, deportations, police shootings, political corruption, sex trafficking, PTSD, suicide, sexism, sexual harassment, and I know I’m missing some other Hot Topic. And, again, it’s only been two episodes. If nothing else it sure knows how to pack a lot of plot into each installment.



But the good news there is more than just progressive takes on hot political topics (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It also allows the always excellent Edie Falco to bring her unassuming competence to the role of Chief Abigail “Tommy” Thomas , the first female chief of police for Los Angeles – who also happens to be a newly out lesbian.

The pilot episode made Tommy’s sexuality one of the – many – major plot points. And it even lets her get convincingly flirted with by a woman (and, y’all were right, the elevator lady was definitely not Katrina Lenk). But, alas, her sexuality is nowhere to be seen in the second episode. Still earlier reports have promised her and Lenk’s characters would become something of an item this season. So that’s something to look forward to.

If these stills from the March 5 episode are any indication, we won’t have to wait that long.



Also, damn, looks like Tommy suddenly got a lot less tired.



All in all, this feels like a solid CBS show, which is no way meant as an insult. It’s just surprising.

So, thoughts? And, man, what it is it with ladies totally blowing their shot with other ladies and elevators?

Hail to the Chief

Hey, well will you look at that, more good news for 2020. This time it comes in the form of Edie Falco who is the star of the new CBS series “Tommy,” about the fictitious first female police chief of Los Angeles who also happens to be a lesbian. Yes, folks, this appears to be the first drama on a major network about a lesbian woman who does not possess superpowers. (Yes, I know, there have bee comedies starring LGBT lead characters without any superpowers, but again those were comedies.) Granted, being chief of police comes with its own distinct powers, but you know what I mean.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last week Falco (who is pretty much great in everything she does), said she was happy to be playing a lesbian character saying:

“I think it's important that every single person — large, small, different colors — gets represented in our television. I think everybody in the world wants to look at television and be able to find themselves somewhere, and I think we've been leaving huge swaths of the population out of that experience. I could always find myself on television as a kid. The world is changing; we've got to change with it.”

Damn (not-)straight!

They’ve even already hired Edie’s love interest in the show (Tony-winning Broadway star Katrina Lenk), which every single queer gal already totally picked up on in the trailer. Hello, we saw that look in the elevator, hello!



Also good news is this crime drama on the most staid of TV networks (I mean, it’s CBS) features a writer’s room of eight that is half female, half LGBTQ-identifying and a quarter African American. Representations matters in front of and behind the camera, always.

So, thoughts? From the trailer it looks like a really solid, and dare-I-say heartfelt entry in to the cop show TV canon. I know I’ll definitely give it a shot Feb. 6.

p.s I'll be honest, I am not sure if the elevator/hand-in-pocket lady is Katrina Lenk or Audrey Marie Anderson. Neither has "Tommy" listed on their IMDB, but Katrina was listed by the showrunner in that THR article I quoted as playing her on-screen love interest. They are both attractive brunettes, so consider it face blindness on my part.