I have to admit, the premise of A.P.B. got me wet. I'm a tech and gadget freak, and I just love watching movies and TV shows which feature cutting edge technology. And I'm also a fan of Justin Kirk. Well I liked him in Weeds and Modern Family anyway. So tech+gadgets+Justin Kirk (should) = HIT. Right? The first episode showed a lot of promise, with drones (I own 2) featuring heavily in the plot. So we got a privatised police force, futuristic,souped up cars and motorbikes. New hi-tech weapons. And when an officer Murphy was introduced I just thought, "Robocop". But don't get me wrong, I love Robocop (the original). And that this looked like a series paying homage to it, I really enjoyed it. In fact, I would've given it an 8/10.
But since then, the show has continued to slip. Drones are featured heavily in EVERY episode. Its like, is there anything drones CAN'T do? Well not according to this there isn't. And therein lies the problem. Yes, the show does feature some great gadgetry and hi-tech. But its reliance on drones to save the day in each and every episode makes it look ridiculous at times.
Then there are the characters. The grizzled Captain who grudgingly accepts his precinct being taken over by a billionaire. The cops who accept almost without question, privatisation and who take to the new tech like ducks to water. And each and every one of them are straight as a die. No roughing up suspects. No shooting anyone with real guns and bullets (they just use stun guns for chrissakes!). They even hold pow-wows with local gang heads to try and sort out violence without violence. Oh, and take in teenage kids to live with them despite not even having known them for 5 minutes.
And central to it all is this genius billionaire. It is he who saves the day and brings the bad guys to justice every time. With drones. If I were a cop, I would be highly offended at this.
But did I mention the drones?
