Raines 

Los Angeles. Present day. Michael Raines, an eccentric but brilliant cop, solves murders in a very unusual way - he turns the victims into his partners. These visions are figments of Raines... See full summary »

Creator:

Graham Yost

Stars:

Jeff Goldblum, Matt Craven, Nicole Sullivan

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jeff Goldblum	...	Michael Raines 7 episodes, 2007
Matt Craven	...	Captain Dan Lewis 7 episodes, 2007
Nicole Sullivan	...	Carolyn Crumley 7 episodes, 2007
Linda Park	...	Sally Lance 7 episodes, 2007
Dov Davidoff	...	Remi Boyer 7 episodes, 2007
Malik Yoba	...	Charlie Lincoln 7 episodes, 2007
Madeleine Stowe	...	Dr. Samantha Kohl 6 episodes, 2007
Rachel Winfree	...	Chrystal 2 episodes, 2007
Ryan Van de Kamp Buchanan	...	Detective 2 episodes, 2007

Storyline

Los Angeles. Present day. Michael Raines, an eccentric but brilliant cop, solves murders in a very unusual way - he turns the victims into his partners. These visions are figments of Raines' imagination, and he knows it, but when he can't make the dead disappear, he works with them to find the killer. Through his discussions, along with the evidence, Raines' image of the victim changes until he has a clear picture of what really happened. Only when the case is closed do the visions end. Other detectives question Raines' sanity, and occasionally so does he. However, as long as his unique methods are helping catch criminals, Raines imagines he'll be just fine.

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Plot Keywords:

surname as title | short lived | long brown hair | brunette | one word title | 

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Taglines:

For Detective Raines ... There's a method to his madness.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Extravagantul Raines

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nemo Films,NBC Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min (7 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mykelti Williamson appeared in the pilot episode in a cameo role as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith, a role he originated on Boomtown (2002). Like Raines, Boomtown was created by Graham Yost, and was set in Los Angeles.

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Goofs

When the opening sequence begins the keypad on the door of Raines' car is missing but at the end of the sequence it is back on the door.

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Connections

Featured in Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Episode dated 21 March 2007 (2007)

User Reviews

Raines is a very unusual and reflective detective series, strong on character.

This series has a great deal of potential. When Detective Raines (goldbloom) begins working on a case to solve the death of a young woman he starts having hallucinations. The victim of the murder appears perfectly real to him, and throughout the episode he continues to carry on conversations with her.

Now here is what makes this premise and this series interesting:

1.There is nothing at all supernatural about his hallucinations. In fact they only know what he knows. By talking to these hallucinations he is really reasoning through the crime.

2. In the process this makes the victims of the crime very real to the viewer. Most crime dramas begin by finding a dead body and the rest is a chase to catch the killer, and none of the characters become fully developed. By the end of Raines however, the victim of the murder is a dynamic and unique individual.

3. Because Raines' hallucinations only know what he does, the character of the victim shifts through the episode. This is a very useful tool. Unlike most series that only focus outside events, these hallucinations give the viewer a window into Raines' own mind.

4. The fact that Raines' visions are only hallucinations and that he is aware of that fact makes this show much more interesting a series like Medium, which Raines has unfairly been compared to.

5. The absence of supernatural elements makes the series science-friendly. This is not to say I don't like shows or movies about the supernatural, but there are very few series or movies consider supernaturalism and reject it directly.

This quick comment is based on the first episode only.

I hope the quality of writing and the premise of the series continue to play out along this course. The quickest way to ruin what has all the earmarks of a very good series would be to hint that there may really be something supernatural going on, to move away from character development, or to bring in God, angels, or psychics as explanatory tools.

My vote would have been a 9 or a 10 for this series, but currently it is 8 because only one episode has been broadcast and it is therefore difficult to determine if the quality will remain high from the pilot episode. I have great hopes for this series, but many times series go in a different direction than the pilot episode would suggest, and so I am tempering my response.

At the moment I highly recommend the series---especially for those viewers who have grown tired to typical television clichés.

This could very well be the thinking person's crime drama.