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TV Media Weekly | September 12 - 18, 2015 'There's a fork in the road, and you need to make a decision.'" While working on the set of "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), Burns was visited by his dad and uncle, who struck up a conversa- tion with director Steven Spiel- berg — who's also one of "Public Morals'" executive producers — and regaled him with stories of being a New York cop in the late '50s and '60s. The conversation struck a chord with Spielberg, and after wrapping the film, he set Burns to work writing a screen- play with the two guys in mind. That film was called "On the Job," and though it never got off the ground, it served as a founda- tion for "Public Morals." "It was my attempt at an Irish-American 'Godfather,' set against the NYPD," Burns said as reported by "The Buf- falo News." "I could never get that film made, but I never gave up hope that I would make it." Eighteen years and a whole heap of roles later, here it is. His dad, also named Edward, who first really provided the spark, is still involved in the project, work- ing as a consultant on the series. The characters have jobs and see action Edward's really experi- enced, so he knows what sounds authentic and what doesn't. "He kind of will read a script and tell me: 'That's not how cops talk. Back then, this was the vernacu- lar,'" Burns explained in a "Hitfix" interview. By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media T wenty years ago, native New Yorker Edward Burns wrote, directed and starred in his debut film, "The Brothers McMullen" (1995), and he's been chewing on the idea for his latest project ever since. "The Brothers McMullen" is just the first work on what's be- come a diverse resumé, with star- ring roles in everything from rom- coms to war dramas to horror flicks, many of which Burns also wrote and directed. "Public Mor- als," his recently launched police drama, has been hovering around through it all — in the back of his mind, in photos taken on his iP- hone as he walked around Man- hattan and in a stack of unpro- duced scripts that never quite made it to the screen — until now. Set in 1960s New York City, "Public Morals" is a gangster sto- ry with a look at both sides of the law through the eyes of a family of cops and an Irish mob family, connected through marriage and an upbringing on the streets of Hell's Kitchen. The small-screen drama, which premiered last month, gives an authentic look at the life of a cop in Old New York. Catch the newest episode when it airs Tuesday, Sept. 15, on TNT. In his new series, Burns plays Officer Terry Muldoon of the NYPD's Public Morals Division, which deals with vice crimes in the city. An Irish-American (like Burns himself), Muldoon grew up on the West Side, which is now being torn up by the war within two factions of the Irish-American Mob. While he's determined to make the city a safe place, his wife, Christine (Elizabeth Masucci, "Shame," 2011), wants to get out for good. As far as material goes, Burns, who also wrote and directed all 10 episodes of the freshman sea- son, has a lot to draw from. His dad and uncle were both NYPD cops themselves, and a lot of his upbringing as a cop's son has made its way into the show in one form or another — most notably in the relationship between Burns' character and his own sons. "I wanted to pull from my memories as a kid, growing up in a cop family and culture," he said in an interview for "Newsday." "In the pilot, that scene about my son being the school fool and dad having to deal with the nuns — that's completely autobiographi- cal. That's me and my dad, word for word, down to that talk in the bedroom where the father says: Edward Burns and Michael Rapaport as seen in "Public Morals" Decades in the making Edward Burns' dream project makes it to the screen with 'Public Morals' 2 | Cover story Tipton Ford 3 x 10" 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! 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