Pilot (19 May 2010)

Jack and Dan are given a routine case about stolen humidifier, which soon escalates into a case involving drug runners, hired assassins, a plastic surgeon, and a golf bag filled with drug money.

Director:

Tim Matheson

Writers:

Matt Nix (creator), Matt Nix

Stars:

Bradley Whitford, Colin Hanks, Jenny Wade

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Bradley Whitford	...	Dan Stark
Colin Hanks	...	Jack Bailey
Jenny Wade	...	A.D.A. Liz Traynor
Diana Maria Riva	...	Lieutenant Ana Ruiz
Nia Vardalos	...	Eileen
RonReaco Lee	...	Julius Grant
Tom Amandes	...	Dr. Kalfuss
Andrew Divoff	...	Pedro
Alex Fernandez	...	Romero
Ramón Franco	...	Escalante (as Ramon Franco)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edgar Arreola	...	Mexican Driver
Kimberly Lynn Campbell	...	Detective
Wilfredo Cardona
Anwei Chen	...	Flight Attendant
Clay Dove	...	Airline Passenger

Storyline

Old-school cop Dan Stark and modern-day detective Jack Bailey expose the big picture of small crime. Pursuing a routine investigation of a stolen humidifier, Jack and Dan are inadvertently thrust into a much larger case involving drug smugglers, hired assassins and a stolen green golf bag. Reminded of the way he busted punks back in the good old days, Dan convinces Jack to go along for the ride, and in their reckless pursuit of justice, the two wind up risking their lives, breaking a flurry of department regulations and reminding their boss, Lieutenant Ana Ruiz, and Jack's ex-girlfriend, Assistant District Attorney Liz Traynor, why these good guys will be spending many more days investigating seemingly minor crimes.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy

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Details

Release Date:

19 May 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuse Entertainment

Did You Know?

Goofs

Jack tells Eileen that he and Dan are responding to a "Code 58." While the Dallas Police Department did away with radio codes in favor of plain English in 2009, many police officers still use them while talking among themselves, just not on the radio.

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Quotes

Dan Stark: Let's go bust some punks.

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Soundtracks

"I Fought the Law"
(uncredited)
Written by Sonny Curtis
Performed by The Clash

User Reviews

Get ready to bust some punks

The foundation for one of the greatest shows ever to air on FOX is laid here. And as beginner episodes go, this one fires on all cylinders.

No one in the Dallas Police Department expected the case of the stolen humidifier to go anywhere. But Property Crimes Detectives Jack Bailey (Colin Hanks) and Dan Stark (Bradley Whitford) stumble onto a major drug smuggling operation involving Peruvian hit men, an underworld kingpin and a drug mule who wants plastic surgery to look like Erik Estrada.

Written by Matt Nix (he of "Burn Notice" fame) and directed by Tim Matheson, the "Pilot" episode has it all: shootouts, a climactic car chase, great characters, and the catering of pure undiluted entertainment. The chemistry between Hanks' by-the-book college and Whitford's rule-shirking one-liner spewing cop is really what sells this thing, and both characters are perfectly cast. Hanks was born for the straight-man, and Whitford destined to play the disorderly cop who's stuck in the '70s.

Everything comes together in the final ten minutes, when Stark gives chase in an old Trans Am (in a scene that makes terrific use of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" - a song I don't even like), and Bailey jumps from one moving car to another. It's that kind of throwback buddy cop show that's a breath of fresh air amid the hackneyed offerings of current television, and the promise of a great (unconventional) cop show is made right here.

9/10