Who would have guessed that a network crime procedural would be one of the most controversial shows of the season?
Given President Trump’s ongoing war with the FBI, you have to admire the gumption of CBS — never a network known for taking a chance in its scripted shows — and Emmy winner Dick Wolf, head of the steady “Law & Order” and “Chicago Whatever” franchises — for promoting the work of the besieged agency.
This isn’t even a new concept: Baby boomers grew up with “The F.B.I.,” which ran for nine seasons, from 1965 to 1974, starred Efrem Zimbalist Jr., counted FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover as a consultant and fictionalized real cases.
Our Tweeter-in-Chief is even acknowledged here.
“We’re not here to talk politics,” one agent snipes at a horrible person.
Still, you have to wonder if Wolf is trying to make a statement.
The agents are a woman from a law-enforcement family and a man with Middle Eastern roots who happens to be a decorated West Point graduate. One of the villains tonight is a white nationalist, and nobody equivocates. He’s just bad. End of. That’s refreshing.
The pilot opens with a harrowing echo of 9/11. An explosion rocks an apartment building in New York City.
When Special Agent Maggie Bell (Missy Peregrym, “Rookie Blue”) arrives on the scene just minutes later, she has a devastating hunch that the immediate threat isn’t over.
Despite saving some lives, Maggie can’t shake her guilt.
As she and Special Agent Omar Adom (Zeeko Zaki, “Valor”) investigate, they realize they are racing against time to prevent even bigger bombings. Analyst Kristen Chazel (Ebonee Noel, “Still Star-Crossed”) proves to be a force under pressure.
Connie Nielsen (Queen Hippolyta in “Wonder Woman”) plays their boss in the premiere. She’s hard on her agents but she has their backs. “I’ll deconflict,” she says at one point, and I didn’t even know that was a word. Nielsen brought an interesting edge to the show, but unfortunately, this is a one-and-done. She’ll be replaced next week by the bland Sela Ward (“CSI: NY”) as Special Agent in Charge Dana Mosier.
Among the guest cast, Dorothy Lyman (“Mama’s Family”) practically steals the episode as the brassy mom of a suspect.
Peregrym fits as the quintessential Wolf heroine: Broody, brunette, powering through her angst, which in typical Wolf fashion is considerable and grows exponentially.
The drama’s explosions are harrowing, and the score adds an appropriate amount of dread to the grim investigation.
“FBI” poses a question no other show has asked: Can watching a TV show be considered an act of resistance?
