Public Morals - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Public Morals Topic!

[MaryPatShelby]

I was hoping there'd be a New Show Fact Sheet on this.....

[formerlyfreedom]

Some of the pre-air reviews;

 

David Bianculli on NPR's Fresh Air

Dominic Patten on Deadline.com

Scott Von Doviak on The A.V. Club

Mary McNamara on The LA Times

[Dowel Jones]

Round up the Usual Cliches.

 

It has some potential, but it could easily go down the same path as so many other procedurals. 

[Bazinga]

I would have preferred if every cop was not on the take.  Would not have minded a procedural taking place in the 60s juxtaposing  police work in the "olden" days, with the modern police methods shown on many shows, without the cops being so blatantly dishonest.   Just felt like I have seen this all before and would have preferred they play it straight.  A modern day take on The Naked City or Dragnet, with a little more reality, but not amoral police and the usual blurred line between the cops and the criminals (i.e same family, friends etc.).

 

ETA: Show reminded me of The Black Donnellys.

Edited August 27, 2015 by Bazinga

[atir]

For some reason the hats most of the detectives were wearing bothered me. I'm a geezer so I remember the early/mid 60s. My dad wore hats in the 50s but not in 1964.

I wanted some good cops, too. Will give it a couple more episodes.

[attica]

I liked the pacing and the dialogue. Clearly written by real NYers. 

 

Lord, couldn't they have given Timothy Hutton a wig? That hair = wrong for the character, wrong for us all.

 

I could do without the Rapaport and Hooker With the Heart of Gold plotline, but I'm interested in the rest of it to give it another week.

[molshoop]

All around awful

[thuganomics85]

First reaction after seeing this was, despite being set a few decades earlier, it really felt like Edward Burns wanted to do Mob City again.  The look, the dialogue, the character, and some of the old Mob City folks popping up again, etc.  At the very least, I have to think Burns time on that show, is how this came about.

 

Besides that, not all that gripping, despite the impressive cast.  Of course, all the cops are dirty, but they aren't dirty enough to be evil or anything (they have a code, dammit!), the main women characters are either wives or hookers (with Deidre being the typical "strong, independent woman" to counter all that), and everyone is up to something.  Not bad, but I've seen it before.

 

I did have the typical "Wait, Timothy Hutton is in this?!", followed, of course, by "Oh, so that's why he's here!  One and done, baby!"

 

I want to respect Burns and crew for casting against type, and making Robert Knepper the police chief, but I'm just so use to him as a bad guy now, that I feel like something is really wrong in this universe, with T-Bag having that kind of power.

 

TNT apparently has the first four episodes On Demand, so I'll probably watch the rest tonight, and determine if I want to stick around or not.

[shksabelle]

passable but 2 comments

1. was the term "gay bar" used in 1964, even in NYC?

2. couldn't they come up with a name other than Muldoon?  I can't stop picturing Fred Gwynne in Car 54, Where Are You?  lol

[Kenz]

I wanted to like this show, but everything seemed off to me. The actors seemed to be trying too hard, and I really didn't get a 60's vibe from it. What was with all of the men's strange hairstyles? I was alive back then, and I don't remember grown men wearing so many differing styles. Mad Men captured the 60's details so well, and this show doesn't. I also don't like the premise that all of these cops are dirty. That's boring (and actually insulting to the NYC police force).

[Syndicate]

It's interesting that every article about this show described it as being gritty. I didn't get that vibe from the pilot. It seemed a little too comical to me. I suppose it could turn a bit more dramatic as it progresses though.

[DeLurker]

I found it interesting enough to give it a few more eps.  The closed captions on this are riddled with misspellings. 

[thuganomics85]

Episode 2 (Family is Family): Muldoon's aunt asks him to find the person behind his uncle's murder; Sean O'Bannon starts a romance with his best friend's sister; Bullman takes Shea to a private, illegal casino.

 

Well, I did prefer this to the pilot simply because of the introductions of Brian Dennehy as Joe "The Boss" Patton, and especially Neal McDonough as his son, Rusty. Any Neal is pretty good, but nothing can beat Violent, Unhinged Killer Neal McDonough. Sounds like he basically killed Timothy Hutton's character over a minor offense. I guess there going for a case where everyone things it was something big (like the son because of what he did to his mother), and it was all because he picked the wrong person to mouth off to.

 

I'm guessing all the stuff with the casino is suppose to show that the college guy might have a dark side to him, since he seems to big on gambling and getting handsy with that one woman, despite being married. Even then, no one seems to like or trust him outside of Muldoon.

 

I hope they are going somewhere with this whole Sean/Deirdre thing, besides the silly "Her brother hates it!" reaction.

[Raja]

For some reason the hats most of the detectives were wearing bothered me. I'm a geezer so I remember the early/mid 60s. My dad wore hats in the 50s but not in 1964.

I wanted some good cops, too. Will give it a couple more episodes.

I may be off but I think the Burns/Rapapport police car is a 1965 model. I fully expect the new guy or some character to be  Internal Affairs

[Chaos Theory]

I was looking forward to this. I ended up being extremely bored. Not sure if I will continue to watch.

[reggiejax]

 I also don't like the premise that all of these cops are dirty. That's boring (and actually insulting to the NYC police force).

 

 

It may not be flattering to the NYPD, but history records this era as a time when the NYPD was rampant with corruption. Just ask Frank Serpico. 

[torqy]

passable but 2 comments

1. was the term "gay bar" used in 1964, even in NYC?

2. couldn't they come up with a name other than Muldoon?  I can't stop picturing Fred Gwynne in Car 54, Where Are You?  lol

I recently read a book about the Kitty Genovese killing in 1964 New York, and I don't recall that "gay bar" was used at all.

+1 for Fred Gwynne! This cast seems so large I wouldn't be surprised to see a Joe E. Ross look-alike at some point.

[formerlyfreedom]

TNT is running all ten episodes this Labor Day weekend on-demand. Story here.

[torqy]

Is anyone actually watching this at this point???

[Dowel Jones]

I watched this episode, but unless this show does something for me by next week it's pull the plug.  I get the heavy reliance of 1966 NYPD and street culture, but there has to be some kind of offset between one side and the other.  Everyone is so skeevy on this show that I'm rapidly approaching the point where I don't care what happens to either cop or crook. 

[Melissa56789]

 

Is anyone actually watching this at this point???

 

I had to watch the pilot twice because I just didn't get it the first time through.

I was prepared to not watch this show after the first viewing.  Then I read that Brian Dennehy & Neal McDonough were going to be regulars....I gave it another try.

They need to spend more time with Brian Dennehy & Neal McDonough and less time with writer/creater Ed Burns & his family.

If TNT does an ad campaign featuring Brian Dennehy & Neal McDonough - they'd probably get more eyeballs to the screens (IMHO)

[torqy]

 Everyone is so skeevy on this show that I'm rapidly approaching the point where I don't care what happens to either cop or crook. 

Det. Bullman makes me think of a cross between Al Bundy and Ed Norton of The Honeymooners.

[TV Diva Queen]

2 weekends ago, I was playing around OnDemand, I saw this show list, thought it sounded intriguing, so I binged to Episode 12.  The screen told me that Episode 12 would be available on Sept 6. So Sept 6, I get all snuggled up to watch, and BAM.  No episodes, they're all gone.  Just Episode 1. Could it be that someone made a mistake and loaded them up OnDemand and I just happened to be there to watch?  I wonder if anyone else is as far as I.  

[rur]

All of the episodes were available at OnDemand for Labor Day weekend. After that, they were removed. I did watch all of the episodes through 12, which is the end of the series. All I'll say about episode 12 is that a couple things happen that I didn't see coming. It resolved some matters, but left others open enough that they could do another season if this one gets enough viewers.

[candall]

I racked up the first four episodes on my DVR so I could get a good binge start (which is why I'm late to the posting party.)

 

At the Episode 02 point, I'm pretty happy with it.  I like the movies Edward Burns has written and they're always meandering and talk-y, so I was expecting that pace. 

 

The entire Sean/Duffy dynamic is straight out of the movie Rounders, with Matt Damon and Edward Norton.  But I looove an entitled asshole catching a smackdown, so I'm good there.

 

And finally, I think there's a lot of room to spin some tales in the slippery category of "public morals."  Is x action a true crime that hurts others or a case of people being huffy that others don't behave the way they'd like?

 

For me, so far so good, but I'm getting a bad feeling about the "all episodes talk" discount bin.

[BigBlueMastiff]

 

2 weekends ago, I was playing around OnDemand, I saw this show list, thought it sounded intriguing, so I binged to Episode 12.  The screen told me that Episode 12 would be available on Sept 6. So Sept 6, I get all snuggled up to watch, and BAM.  No episodes, they're all gone.  Just Episode 1. Could it be that someone made a mistake and loaded them up OnDemand and I just happened to be there to watch?  I wonder if anyone else is as far as I.

Glad I wasn't the only one, made it to ep 7, and went back, and poof all gone :(  I'm enjoying the show. I hope Muldoon's wife packs the kids up and moves to Queens. She is a saint for puttting up with that one room walk up and three kids, wtf? I'm sick of the hooker with the heart of gold, too. I laughed when that guy told her to call the cops if she wanted the extra $50. Anyone could see that coming a mile away, she's lucky he didn't stiff her completely or worse. Didn't have time to catch ep 10 yet, but still not sure why Patton lied to Muldoon about being involved with the gay bar, when he already said he wouldn't cover for his son whom he claims is dead to him, huh? Also bored with the unexpected pregnancy storyline, yawn.

[edhopper]

Very unsatisfying series finale. Too much left up in the air, especially if it doesn't get renewed.

[Dowel Jones]

I understand the plot requirements, but what kind of hooker doesn't get the money up front?  I'm guessing the cop didn't have the moxie to confront the john, and paid the $50 out of his own pocket.

 

I agree about the finale.  It was almost as though ep. 11 was right around the corner. 

 

Nosy guy in the bar got a lesson from Rusty on minding your own business.

 

I was expecting Monk to have sided with Rusty and was eliminating his enemies, Godfather style, including turning around and putting two in Patton's head in the car, but that sure ended in a hurry outside the meeting room.  Was it Rusty or one of the other heads?  Wait til' next season.  I did feel sorry for the daughter, knowing she'll get the news shortly in her new home in LA.

 

I like the sticker shock effect when they talk of rents and buying a house back then.  And, of course, the pitiful salaries too.  My parents bought their home after retirement in 1967 in CA.  It was about 1800 sq. ft., big yard, extra apartment/bedroom in back with storage garage.  $15,000.

[BigBlueMastiff]

I'm glad M. Rappaport kicked hooker with the heart of gold to the curb. She is seriously dumb to think that a guy like him would be okay with her choice of profession, and want to hang out as a couple. If it comes back, hope she's gone. I had to laugh that he might b on the outs because of their relationship. Considering all the bad stuff the other cops do.

 

 

I was expecting Monk to have sided with Rusty and was eliminating his enemies, Godfather style, including turning around and putting two in Patton's head in the car, but that sure ended in a hurry outside the meeting room.  Was it Rusty or one of the other heads?  Wait til' next season.  I did feel sorry for the daughter, knowing she'll get the news shortly in her new home in LA.

I don't see why the other heads would need to do it, he handed them the keys to the kingdom. I think it was rusty, thus his need to get out of dodge quickly.

[vilDaym]

Hi to all. What the moled of silenced pistol used in episode 10 ? thx for help.

[LizDC]

Cancelled.

http://deadline.com/2015/12/public-morals-legends-agent-x-canceled-tnt-1201667681/