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Crime dramas have been a major part of television history. One of ABC's latest attempts at this genre, Detroit 1-8-7 was ABC's most recent attempt at this genre. Originally slated to be a crime "mockumentary," the series quickly evolved into a standard crime drama following detectives trying to solve the most heinous crimes in the city of Detroit. Though canceled after one season by ABC, the series has garnered enough interest that it may potentially be revived on cable in the near future. Here is our review of Detroit 1-8-7 - The Complete First Season.

DVD Review: Detroit 1-8-7 - The Complete First Season
by Pavan

Detroit 1-8-7 - The Complete First Season (Lionsgate, $29.98) brings all 18 gritty first season episodes from gutsy series to DVD this Tuesday (Aug. 30)! What does it take to be a detective in one of America's toughest cities? Follow one homicide unit as Detroit's finest reveal the crisis and revelation, heartbreak and heroism that characterize these inner city cops in Season 1 of Detroit 1-8-7. Headed by Lieutenant Maureen Mason (Aisha Hinds), a strong-willed single mom struggling to balance home and work, the team is made up of quite the firing squad. There's the damaged but driven Detective Louis Fitch (series star Michael Imperioli) along with his new partner, Detective Damon Washington (Jon Michael Hill). Detective Ariana Sanchez (Natalie Martinez) is the sexy and beautiful rising star in the department who teams up with narcotics undercover cop John Stone (D.J. Cotrona). Last but not least, Sergeant Jesse Longford (James McDaniel) is the 30-year veteran who forms an amusing match of experience and enthusiasm with his partner, Detective Vikram Mahajan (Shaun Majumder), a fully Americanized son of Indian immigrants. Erin Cummings also appears as Dr. Abbey Ward, the Wayne County Medical Examiner.

All 18 episodes are very gritty starting with the pilot. The series from start to the end of the season never lets up and you are invested in these detectives. This was also one of my favorite series of this past season. The ratings were decent in the fall following Dancing with the Stars, but struggled in the winter without it. Thus, ABC decided not to pick up the series for a second season, unfortunately. The DVD says The Complete First Season and not The Complete Series because the producers are pitching the series to cable networks so it can continue. It's a long shot, but I hope it does happen! Among the memorable episodes are of course the "Pilot," where it all begins as Detective Louis Fitch helps his new partner Detective Washington fit in to the homicide division while investigating a double homicide at a pharmacy, while Sergeant Longford and Detective Mahajan investigate the murder of a lawyer found in a train yard. When forensics connect the cases they realize they have a serial killer seeking revenge on those whom he believes stole his family from him and Detective John Stone is re-assigned from narcotics to homicide. In "Nobody's Home/Unknown Soldier," Detectives Fitch and Washington investigate who murdered an elderly woman in her home, even though the victim was not allowed to live in the house then connecting a big-time real estate developer, possibly behind the murder, while Sanchez and Stone try to find who murdered a teenage boy and victimized his father by luring them with a vintage car ad. In "Royal Bubbles/Needle Drop," Detectives Fitch, Washington, Stone, and Sanchez investigate the murder of a car-wash owner and they discover that the owner of the carwash was laundering money for a local drug dealer and that his wife has the bank statements and receipts to prove it, while Longford and Mahajan investigate the slaying of a rising hip-hop star who is found on the street in front of a record store. In "Shelter," two bodies are found in an abandoned shelter and Longford's father, to everyone's surprise is able to help with this investigation, while Fitch, Washington, Stone and Sanchez investigate the murder of a Latina. In "Key to the City," Sgt. Longford's surprise retirement party is overshadowed by news of the murder of an assistant prosecutor in the parking lot of the courthouse.
In one of the best episodes, "Road to Nowhere," Detective Fitch is the prime suspect in the murder of Henry Malloy, a prominent philanthropist who had just been given the key to the city, while Lt. Mason is not at all pleased when Jess Harkins, an FBI agent from Chicago, is brought in to lead the investigation just because Mr. Malloy was the subject of a federal investigation. In "Stone Cold," Detective Stone again crosses paths with Pup Clemmons, a drug dealer he knew from his days working undercover narcotics, when he investigates the murder of a college girl, as the episode ends in a shocker. In "Motor City Blues," after a tragedy the detectives deal with it in their own ways, as Detective Fitch attempts to once again be a father to his twelve year old son Bobby (guest star Vadim Imperioli) when his ex-wife brings him from New York for a visit. In the season finale, "Blackout," Sgt. Longford reconsiders his retirement but gets told that it is not that simple to undo and Detective Fitch's time with his son Bobby (Vadim Imperioli) is interrupted by the arrival of 'Big Al' Stram (Tommy Flanagan) from New York.

Here are the episodes with the runtimes on this disc:

Disc 1:
1. Pilot (41:26)
2. Local Hero/Overboard (42:59)
3. Nobody's Home/Unknown Soldier (42:59)
4. Royal Bubbles/Needle Drop (43:02)
5. Murder in Greektown/High School Confidential (42:54)

Disc 2:
6. Lost Child/Murder 101 (43:03)
7. Broken Engagement/Trashman (43:00)
8. Dejavu/All In (42:59)
9. Home Invasion/Drive-By (42:46)
10. Shelter (43:00)

Disc 3:
11. Ice Man/Malibu (43:02)
12. Key To The City (42:58)
13. Road To Nowhere (42:59)
14. Beaten/Cover Letter (43:00)

Disc 4:
15. Legacy/Drag City (43:02)
16. Stone Cold (42:40)
17. Motor City Blues (43:02)
18. Blackout (43:02)

The packaging is simple keepcase. The cover art has Fitch in the center with the other cast members surrounding him in the background. We have a nice shot of the Detroit skyline. The color scheme is black. The show logo is below Fitch, with "The Complete First Season" mention below that. The back of the case has info on the series and set, with a nice big episodic image featuring Fitch and Mahajan on the top. We also have four smaller episodic photos, below the main photo. When we open the case, we have two plastic holders holding the discs. The plastic holders are like pages in a book and you can flip them. The first holder has disc one in the front and disc two in the back. The second holder is similar and has disc three in the front and disc four in the back. The disc art has the same artwork as the cover art, but the cast is separated. Fitch is on disc one. Mahajan and Lt. Mason are on disc two. Stone and Washington are on disc three. And Sgt. Jesse Longford and Sanchez are on disc four. The same type of background from the cover art are on the disc background's as well with the Detroit skyline. Finally, there is no artwork or anything on the panels itself, it is just a plain black background.

The menu screen is cool, but not as good as the No Ordinary Family set, which we reviewed above. We have the same artwork from the cover art as the image on the main menu. The closing theme plays in the background and the background is similar to the cover art in black. The main menu options are: Play All and Episode Selection. Episode Selection takes us to a submenu with episode # and title. It is simple and it works with cool artwork. Nothing flashy on this set, though.

The video is excellent. Like the No Ordinary Family set, it's not Blu-ray quality, but it is a nice widescreen format. And if your DVD player upconverts to HD, it almost looks like it is in real HD like you would see on ABC HD. The audio is a very good English 5.1 Digital Dolby. There is nothing to complain about and everything is how it is supposed to be for a new series like this. The episodes are around 43 minutes, so everything is unedited like how we saw on ABC. And we get 6 or 7 chapter stops per episode, so it is easier to go through an episode, if you are looking for anything in particular.

As far as bonus material, we have none here. It's a shame because the No Ordinary Family set had some. Oh well, I'll take no bonus materials if we get the series back in production for a second season! Someone pick the show up so we can see more Fitch and the gang!

I urge fans to buy this set. And if you didn't watch the show on TV, now is your chance because it is really gritty and the best true cop series since NYPD Blue. It's a nice throwback to cop series of the past but with a new angle, if that makes sense. If you missed any episodes, now is your chance to catch-up! There are 18 episodes, so you could finish this set in a day or two. I wish we had some bonus features, but other than that, this DVD is well-done and nothing too flashy, but it works. Lionsgate and ABC Studios did a good job with it and the show of course is excellent, too. It's gutsy and represents Detroit well. I wish we had a chance to experience more this coming season. So get this DVD and watch Fitch do his job, even though it may be a bit strange or peculiar...he does it well! And it's always nice to look at Det. Sanchez, too! Get in on the gusty allure of Detroit 1-8-7!

(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Detroit 1-8-7 TV.com Page

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