TV: Training Day - Season One Episode One - (Reviewed)




Really? Why? Did anyone ask for this?

The influx of movie to TV translations continues with the new release of Training Day, a rough spin off or reboot of the 2001 cinematic hit starring Denzel Washinton and Ethan Hawke.

Sixteen years later, the streets of Los Angeles are still loaded with bad hombres, guns, drugs, and violence. Luckily for us, Bill Paxton is a dirty cop that's cleaning them up, one stupid move at a time. With some excellent production values that cop the exact same look as the movie, the show would be a whole lot better if the rest of the cast were up to par with Paxton's talents. Unfortunately for Bill, everybody else here is wooden and has no grasp on how to deliver realistic dialogue or performances. Starting off with a bit of humor in the first few moments, the rest of the show falls flat. Paxton just doesn't feel right for this kind of work. He's far too talented.

It's hard to imagine where this idea came from and how this could last more than a season. Like most other movies that have been spun into the world of television, the original release far outweighs anything they'll be able to do on the small screen. The film was a brutal examination on the world of police and the criminal underbelly that often times infiltrates their profession. This show feels like it's going to be just another week by week police procedural that will be far too scared of going down the same dark paths that the movie version did. Everything about this pilot is way too familiar, too safe, and far too typical. Yet, I could be wrong about the fate of this bumbled disaster. The Lethal Weapon series blew people's minds and it became a verifiable hit. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

Stop calling me Chet. 

Much like the Minority Report series and almost every other film to television adaptation, the magic lies with the dynamics and quality scripting of a proper writing staff. Training Day panders to its audience with brainless dialogue meant to satisfy a Thursday night viewing audience. Sadly, for those of us that love the movie, this plays out like a softcore version of every cop show of the last four decades. Training Day should be hard. It should be violent. It should be brutal and action packed. It should create an environment that captures the new world of crime. Unlike its predecessor's excellence, this is a total disaster that should be barred from wasting any more bandwidth.

The title Training Day is only attached to this because it's a known product. It will draw people in. This shares nothing with the movie. Nothing. 

Score:

-CG