Pilot (25 Mar. 2005)

A bald police detective with a righteous attitude battles crime on his hometurf.

Directors:

Eric Bross, Michael W. Watkins

Writers:

Abby Mann (characters), Tony Piccirillo

Stars:

Ving Rhames, Roselyn Sanchez, Michael Kelly

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Ving Rhames	...	Lieutenant Theo Kojak
Roselyn Sanchez	...	ADA Carmen Warrick
Michael Kelly	...	Detective Bobby Crocker
Chuck Shamata	...	Detective Henry Messina
Dean McDermott	...	Detective Dan Riggins
Demetrius Joyette	...	Darryl Harris
Peter MacNeill	...	Col. Vincent Barnett
Tom Rooney	...	Howard Fletcher
Chazz Palminteri	...	Captain Frank McNeil
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jacob L. Adams	...	Shop Foreman
Magdalena Alexander	...	Russian Prostitute
Lyriq Bent	...	Billy Harris
Jude Beny	...	Femme Bartender
Craig Blair	...	Precinct Cop
Inga Cadranel	...	Detective Washburn

Storyline

A bald police detective with a righteous attitude battles crime on his hometurf.

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Plot Keywords:

prostitution | police brutality | serial killer | character name in title

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

USA Network

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 2005 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

NBC Universal Television, Playa Inc., Traveler's Rest Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 87 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Kojak (2005)

User Reviews

Short-lived Kojak remake had potential

When I saw the promos for Kojak and that Ving Rhames was playing the character Telly Savalas made famous in the 1970s, I wondered if Rhames would be able to make me forget Savalas.

It did not make me forget the original at all. The storyline is pretty standard police drama that I've seen many times before. What kept me interested were the relationships between Kojak and his ex-partner/boss Capt. Frank McNeil (Chazz Palminteri), the asst. D.A./love interest Carmen Warrick (Roselyn Sanchez) and the two kids he temporarily took care of while their father was in prison.

Just like Savalas, Rhames presents himself and his character as tough and no-nonsense with a sensitive side. (As far as I'm concerned, any actor, like Rhames, who can play gangster Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction and drag queen Holiday Heart deserves a little bit of respect.)

I hope future story lines become more interesting which is the main flaw of all pilots. There's no way anyone can determine how well a show will be in one opening episode. For now the show will run on the strength and charisma of Ving Rhames and that's not bad at all.

Update: Sadly, the USA Network pulled the plug on "Kojak" because of poor ratings.