In a TV landscape full of cop shows, potential viewers may be wary of giving Prime Video’s On Call Season 1 a try. That’s perfectly understandable, especially given the way real-life policing goes far too often. And, admittedly, any series that features police as the protagonists is going to present a narrative that’s, overall, on their side. Even so, this latest entry in the genre handles certain concepts more carefully than we’ve come to expect. Additionally, everything else about the series is so well executed, and so just…different, I find myself wanting to use phrases like “can’t miss” to describe it.
…and that’s even coming from someone who, basically, relived some childhood trauma through something that happened in Episode 6. (Even that awful, awful scene is just incredibly well done. Which, of course, made it so much more difficult to watch. Let’s just say animal lovers beware.)
MORE: Check out our interview with co-creators Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf. And be sure to catch our interview with Eriq La Salle and Lori Loughlin.
Why you should watch On Call Season 1
From a technical standpoint, in working with a shorter running time than we usually expect from a show that features police as its main characters, co-creators Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf have delivered a series that, basically, has no concept of “filler.” As in, this half-hour format simply works. Not only does it leave no room for waste, but that also means adding a heightened sense of urgency to every single call scene the officers visit. Opting for that faster pace could have ended in disaster. It might even have meant feeling rushed in a bad way and/or leaving no room for character development. But, as you’ll see, that’s not the outcome here. At all.
Of course, the average viewer maybe doesn’t want to hear how well a story works against, or in this case kinda with, the clock. Most likely, we’re also not going to sell this thing by being like “ok but it’s kinda cool how you see things from the perspective of the officers at times and feel like you’re really in their shoes.” But here’s what should get folks tuning in: This cast. That’s it. Full stop. Start On Call Season 1 Episode 1. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself hooked from simply watching the very first shot of Troian Bellisario’s Officer Harmon.
And Bellisario’s performance only gets better from there. Forget any other well-known names on the cast list — she is the undisputed star of this series. That’s not to take anything away from the other actors, but she blew me away. Bellisario has some great, tense scenes with both a nearly-unrecognizable Lori Loughlin and the always-stunning Eriq La Salle. In fact, one of the best parts of On Call Season 1 is watching Harmon (Bellisario) and Lasman (La Salle) butt heads.
(Sidebar: No, seriously, it’s awesome seeing Eriq La Salle on our screens again. But what more can anyone even say about a talent like that?)
But the pairing we spend the most time with, which happens to be the real central focus here, is that of Harmon and her trainee, Officer Diaz (Brandon Larracuente). Even in such a short amount of time, with precious little downtime — that’s often interrupted by the work — Diaz and Harmon seem to teach each other, moreso than just what you might expect from a trainer/trainee relationship. And they really do forge a very interesting sort of bond. Larracuente and Bellisario’s chemistry is great, though arguably not the kind of chemistry we often find ourselves lost in when we talk about our favorite onscreen partners. Arguably, nothing about On Call would work if these two didn’t make it work together. But, well. They do. And it does. Possibly more than it has any right to.
The bottom line? Set aside four hours to binge On Call Season 1 because once you start, you’re going to want to watch all eight episodes. And, when it comes to streaming shows, isn’t that exactly what everyone wants to hear?
On Call Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.
