"Line of Fire" (2003) TV series 2003-2004

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot:

A "political drama" that juxtaposes the stories of a young female F.B.I. agent (Bibb) and a mobster (Paymer).

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Alcoholic | Bar | Baseball Manager | Controversial

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Leslie Bibb	...	Paige Van Doren (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Leslie Hope	...	Lisa Cohen (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Anson Mount	...	Roy Ravelle (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Julie Ann Emery	...	Jennifer Sampson (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Michael Irby	...	Amiel Macarthur (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Jeffrey D. Sams	...	Todd Stevens (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Brian Goodman	...	Donovan Stubbin (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
David Paymer	...	Jonah Malloy (13 episodes, 2003-2004)
Kristen Shaw	...	Janet Malloy (10 episodes, 2003-2004)
Stan Kelly	...	Blair (8 episodes, 2003-2004)
Jazsmin Lewis	...	Jada (6 episodes, 2003-2004)
Jaycee Porter	...	Joanie Sampson (6 episodes, 2003-2004)

Also Known As:

Lines of Duty (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:60 min (13 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks Television

Trivia:

13 Episodes were made but only 11 were aired.

Quotes:

Jonah Malloy: Without our loved ones, we don't live. We just exist.

A Series Gone Wrong

Judging by the decline in ratings/shares after the first five shows, (from 6.2/10 on Dec. 2 to 4.1/7 on Dec. 30) I think "Line of Fire" needs an immediate change of direction in order to survive. For starters, I think the Lisa Cohen (Leslie Hope) character needs to go a near permanent hiatus. Her character in completely unbelievable, and she is about as qualified to lead the Richmond F.B.I. taskforce as I am to be the head of the U.N. She doesn't even 'fake smoke' in a convincing fashion.

Secondly, the Jennifer Sampson character should migrate over to "Dr. Phil" for a nightly cameo so she can get Phil's homespun advice on how to raise her bratty kid. Frankly, I'm a bit tired of watching her mismanage her son for fifteen minutes of eash episode each week. And what happened to the Jeffrey D. Sams character? Has he been written out of the script completely? Maybe he's leading a groudswell effort to reform the cast of "Breaking News" so he'll have a replacement series to fall back on once "Line of Fire" reaches its inevitable demise.

In order to save the series, the writers need to make Jonah (David Paymer) the main character and let his twistedness take over the direction of the show. He is the only character compelling enough to allow "Line of Fire" the luxury of a sustainable viewing audience. And from his secondary business, a little more brothel action would be nice, as well.

There are two more episodes scheduled to air and five more in the can. I have a suspiously sneaky feeling that A.B.C. will bump this show for another lame 'Fake/Reality' series or counter program "The Simple Life" with something equally dubious. As Sam Cooke would say, "Somebody Have Mercy."