Golden Boy

Golden Boy is packed with fine performances, but no amount of actorly talent could have done for this series what its intelligently twisty plots, its nuanced dialogue bearing a distinct resemblance to human exchange--even from the mouths of TV police detectives--has done.

The scripts offer a well-balanced mix of office politics, underlying mystery and weekly cop procedural. And the first-rate cast ties it all together with abundant skill.

In its best moments, the drama has the grit of something more likely to be found on cable channel TNT.

If yet one more cop show about the brash young rookie and the older, tired guy thisclose to retirement is enough to make you go completely insane and start watching, say, “Smash” or something equally upsetting, then for sure you want to stay away from Golden Boy. However, if you love cop shows that aren’t really procedurals so much as stories about the internal politicking of the NYPD, than maybe Golden Boy is just what you’re looking for.

Golden Boy’s half-bakedness--part totally competent TV show, part lazily executed one--permeates throughout.

It’s just another police procedural pretending to be something bigger, and I don’t feel all that compelled to stick around and watch this golden boy grow up.

Other than the unspooling of the ghost of policework past, Golden Boy is so formulaic as to be instantly forgettable.