Fox is kicking off the new fall television season a little earlier than the other networks by premiering one of their new series, the cop drama “K-ville.” The show is gathering a lot of attention for its twist to the cop genre: the series is set–and filmed–entirely in post-Katrina New Orleans. The show’s producers readily admit that they feel the responsibility of doing New Orleans justice on the small screen, and, for the most part, tonight’s pilot episode shows promise that this could be a show about more than just chasing the bad guy.
“K-Ville” centers around one cop, Martin Boulet (played by Anthony Anderson of “The Shield”) who is determined to see the resurrection of his beloved city, though he is still recovering from the fact that his partner bailed on him durring the Katrina crisis. Enter a new cop from out of town who has voluntarily relocated to new Orleans–something that smells a little fishy to the others in the police department. He is paired wih Boulet, and, naturally, the two don’t get along at first. Secrets and lies abound–some more believable than others.

I like this show because it has a gritty, realistic feel, and Anderson’s actng is definitely the best asset this show has. I just think “K-Ville” would be a little bit better if it focused less on generic crime stories and more on the aftermath of Katrina and how it affects this particular group of public servants. Instead of asking questions that can’t really be answered–like whrere the corruption ends when it comes to hindering disaster relief–New Orleans might be better served if “K-VIlle” focused more on the spiritual paths of a group of people still suffering from post-truamatic stress disorder.
Still, for now, I am willing to give it a shot. The show is a perfect bookend for Fox’s “Prison Break” –a show that is very creative in its storytelling about one man’s redemption. My hope is that “K-VIlle” will find a similar way to boldly bear witness to the stories of struggle of those who are bravely fighting to keep hope alive in New Orleans.