Entertainment NOW

TV Media Weekly | July 23 - 29, 2016 By Kyla Brewer TV Media A s the summer swelters on, game shows and real- ity TV programs rule prime time. But for those who prefer more traditional TV fare, TNT serves up a police proce- dural with a fresh cast and plenty of drama. Taye Diggs ("Private Practice") and Kathleen Robertson ("Boss") star as Terry English and Hildy Mulligan, homicide inspectors in- vestigating the murder of all-star quarterback Normandy Parker in a new episode of "Murder in the First," airing Sunday, July 24, on TNT. Set in San Francisco, the show was created by 10-time Emmy winner Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue") and Eric Lodal ("Laredo"), the latter of whom left the show midway through the second sea- son for undisclosed reasons. As in previous seasons, season 3 follows a single, complicated in- vestigation instead of wrapping up a new mystery each week like many other prime-time dramas. When "Murder in the First" de- buted in 2014, Bochco explained his preference for examining a sin- gle case throughout the season to the L.A. Times. "What's fun about the single storyline is you get to develop characters, to really make them well examined," said the produc- er. Three seasons in, English and Mulligan are much more than ste- reotypical prime-time cops. Their personal lives are every bit as fas- cinating as the cases they tackle, from his grief over the death of his terminally ill wife to her struggles as a single mom. This season is ex- pected to be particularly heart- breaking as Mulligan faces a po- tentially life-threatening illness. The stress over what might hap- pen to her daughter overwhelms her, even as the Parker case looms. Season 3 had originally been slated to begin June 19, but due to the tragic Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting, the debut was pushed to June 26, out of respect for the victims and their loved ones. The same thing happened with TNT"s "The Last Ship." With a little more than 1.3 million viewers, numbers were down for this year's season premiere, but it's important to note that the June 26 opener aired opposite the finale of the HBO jug- gernaut "Game of Thrones," so there was bound to be a dip. "Murder in the First" has shown tremendous potential since its debut in 2014, when it ranked among cable's top 10 prime-time dramas. Season 1 pulled in more than five million viewers per episode over multiple platforms, including about 3.76 million live viewers. The 12-epi- sode second season clocked in with more than two million aver- age live viewers, and in December 2015, TNT announced "Murder in the First" had been renewed for a 10-episode third season, along with fellow hit dramas "Major Crimes" and "The Librarians." Although English and Mulligan are undoubtedly the focus of the series, Diggs and Robertson are supported by a strong cast. Currie Graham ("Raising the Bar") stars as chief prosecutor Mario Siletti, who's struggling in the wake of a tragic car accident this season. "Once Upon a Time's" Raphael Sbarge works alongside the two leads as philosophical homicide detective David Molk, who's been partnered up with Edgar Navarro, played by Lombardo Boyar ("The Bernie Mac Show"). Their SFPD squad is supervised by Ian Antho- ny Dale ("Hawaii Five-0") as Lieut. Jim Koto. The returning cast also includes Mimi Kirkland ("Safe Ha- ven," 2013) as Hildy's young daughter, Louise. Back in March, news broke that Michael Gaston ("The Leftovers") had joined the third season cast of "Murder in the First." He portrays defense attorney Alfred Arkin, billed as a "warm family man." The role marks a reunion for Gas- ton and Bochco, who previously worked together in Bochco's "Blind Justice" for ABC. He isn't the only "Murder in the First" rookie, either. The cast also wel- comes Corey Reynolds ("The Clos- er") as assistant district attorney Martin Reardon. Sara Paxton ("Darcy's Wild Life") stars as Alicia Barnes, a troubled 22-year-old pop star who'd caught Parker's eye before his untimely death. Eighties movie icon Anthony Mi- chael Hall ("The Dead Zone") has been tapped to play Barnes's fa- ther, Paul. The cast is top notch, and it also helps that Bochco is no stranger to police dramas, with such legend- ary TV series as "NYPD Blue" and "Hill Street Blues" under his belt. He was also behind hits such as "L.A. Law" and "Doogie Howser, M.D." In fact, the producer and writer is such a luminary in the television industry that some cred- it him with changing the face of prime-time television dramas by pioneering the large ensemble cast and continuous story arcs. His legacy continues in "Mur- der in the First," which returns with a new episode Sunday, July 24, on TNT. In the episode, a sus- pect in the Parker case is mur- dered, giving some weight to Eng- lish's conspiracy theory. Mean- while, Siletti's legal troubles be- come even more complicated be- cause of a ruinous civil suit, which threatens to fracture the fragile peace he's made with his family. Also, Mulligan attempts to move on by going on a date. TNT will make the episode available on de- mand the day after broadcast for anyone who might miss it, and other season 3 episodes will also be available if fans want to re- watch or play catchup. Raphael Sbarge as seen in "Murder in the First" A different beat 'Murder in the First' shakes up police dramas 2 | Cover story Harvey Hinklemeyers Martino's 3 x 5" A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 455-2700 3833 S. LaFountain • Kokomo, IN 46902 www.norrisinsurance.com • Home • Auto • Business • Life Call for a FREE Quote! Serving You For Over 50 Years Bill Neher the BOOK of KOKOMO in 100 OBJECTS a picture of Kokomo, piece by piece only $ 5.00 KOKOMO TRIBUNE 300 N Union | Downtown Kokomo

• Cover