After reading all the negative reviews on this I'm wondering what exactly does today's audience want in a cop series? More sex, language, unreal car chases? Less plot and enough action sequences in one episode to give your brain an epileptic seizure? After getting hooked on fun, entertaining shows like The Good Cop and Battle Creek only to have them cancelled after one season, I give up trying to figure out today's viewers. No, LA's Finest isn't perfect (or totally realistic, but hey, what show is?). Yet it's pretty engaging. The story lines keep me coming back for more episodes and I think the acting is pretty good. But what do I know?
264 Reviews
Better than 5.9
brentnacu21 January 2021
Two positives and two negatives:
Pros: 1) Jerry Bruckheimer produced - so the filming, action, close-up scenes have a movies feel. Not cheesy.
2) Alba and Union are strong. The roles are playful, confident, sexy.
Cons: 1) The writing / scripting has some gaps in plot development. That's probably why reviews are low.
2) most episodes are 45 mins. Creating enough depth in that timeframe seems tough.
Conclusion: It's not trying to be a super serious NY style cop show. For better or for worse remember it's modelled after the BadBoys movie franchise. And it's got the swearing and nudity of the movies, a fresh feel for a tv series (meaning most hospital and law enforcement series are on network tv which doesn't allow it).
Watch 1-2 episodes and decide if it's your style. I liked it.
Pros: 1) Jerry Bruckheimer produced - so the filming, action, close-up scenes have a movies feel. Not cheesy.
2) Alba and Union are strong. The roles are playful, confident, sexy.
Cons: 1) The writing / scripting has some gaps in plot development. That's probably why reviews are low.
2) most episodes are 45 mins. Creating enough depth in that timeframe seems tough.
Conclusion: It's not trying to be a super serious NY style cop show. For better or for worse remember it's modelled after the BadBoys movie franchise. And it's got the swearing and nudity of the movies, a fresh feel for a tv series (meaning most hospital and law enforcement series are on network tv which doesn't allow it).
Watch 1-2 episodes and decide if it's your style. I liked it.
More good than bad
Calicodreamin11 June 2021
This series definitely has a few questionable moments and poorly written storylines; however, it's more good than bad. Alba and Union have good chemistry and there characters are unique. Some of the plots are well developed and there's good action scenes throughout.
I'm wondeing if the 1/10 reviewers only watched the pilot.....
xDaisyJohnson15 June 2019
.... because i watched the pilot... and it was bad... like a 1/10 bad..
but i carried on and by episode 3 i found it very interesting.. the plot twists and the dynamics between the two leads is good.. also alba and unions characters in a sense are more interesting than the male leads in bad boys... at the end of the day lawrence and smiths characters were decent guys and good cops.. union and alba are shifty to say the least and its very compelling to see what kind of dodgy shenanigans they will do next..
its not a great show.. but its a good watch.. just get past the first episode which is really trying too hard and is just a cheesefest and by episode 3 it really does change for the best and becomes a decent show.
its a strong 6/10 but im going to give it an extra point just because i love alba and unions chemistry.
my only real issue is sometimes the show feels like its trying too hard to remake some scenes from the bad boys film... theres homage and then theres literal scene for scene camera angles and rip offs.. and it doesnt need to do it... it lessens the show for me. Also the humour sometimes feels a little too juvenile for me.. but this is probably down to me getting older... i found the humour in bad boys funny when i watched it as a teen but 20 plus years later that kind of humour just annoys me.
but i carried on and by episode 3 i found it very interesting.. the plot twists and the dynamics between the two leads is good.. also alba and unions characters in a sense are more interesting than the male leads in bad boys... at the end of the day lawrence and smiths characters were decent guys and good cops.. union and alba are shifty to say the least and its very compelling to see what kind of dodgy shenanigans they will do next..
its not a great show.. but its a good watch.. just get past the first episode which is really trying too hard and is just a cheesefest and by episode 3 it really does change for the best and becomes a decent show.
its a strong 6/10 but im going to give it an extra point just because i love alba and unions chemistry.
my only real issue is sometimes the show feels like its trying too hard to remake some scenes from the bad boys film... theres homage and then theres literal scene for scene camera angles and rip offs.. and it doesnt need to do it... it lessens the show for me. Also the humour sometimes feels a little too juvenile for me.. but this is probably down to me getting older... i found the humour in bad boys funny when i watched it as a teen but 20 plus years later that kind of humour just annoys me.
Old School fun
pearson25219 May 2019
This is fun fast paced, with bit of 90s urban charm. Both Gabrielle Union and Jessica Abla have great chemistry, You'll definitely have a good time with this is, if you don't take life to serious and up for a few laughs , you will enjoy this .
I see a few people moaning because this is a spin off ,from bad boys with female characters. But it's not trying to be bad boys, it's just following Marcus sister Syd from bad boys 2 life as a cop and her partner . So treat it as it's own thing.
People today have this attitude because a show has female leads or LGBT character it's some agenda,but we have had females, POC and LGBT leads on TV for a decades now, that's because the world is a diverse place , and television reflects that, it's nothing special it's pretty average. People's identities aren't political, they're just people living their life's .
I see a few people moaning because this is a spin off ,from bad boys with female characters. But it's not trying to be bad boys, it's just following Marcus sister Syd from bad boys 2 life as a cop and her partner . So treat it as it's own thing.
People today have this attitude because a show has female leads or LGBT character it's some agenda,but we have had females, POC and LGBT leads on TV for a decades now, that's because the world is a diverse place , and television reflects that, it's nothing special it's pretty average. People's identities aren't political, they're just people living their life's .
Pleasantly surprised
rhinestonelife24 July 2019
The advertising for this was kind of lame - featured some of the schmaltzier moments sandwiched in between those "spectrum originals" voice over bumpers that sound like, well, bad cable ads. I ended up trying one episode because I like the stars - and that led to two more and then over a couple weeks watched all season 1. High caliber actresses, fun supporting cast, interesting enough story, splashy action, some silly dialogue, overly fast resolutions and hacky flashbacks but overall a solid seven of an extended action flick. Shades of lethal weapon, a little too parallel to bad boys (rich cop / family cop) but I appreciated the longer arc of character development and connection between the two leads they could do with multiple episodes as compared to a 2 hour movie. Looked up renewal and see a second season coming. I will watch it!
A dead cert to be cancelled
confidential-6789721 May 2019
Entertaining and a little cheesy
jessicadawnmarie22 May 2019
nothing new here
stehartley15 May 2019
I so wanted to like this show but struggled to get through the first episode. to many cliché and trys way to hard to be edgy. canceled after 1 season to be sure. theres so many good cop shows out there at the minute, no point wasting your time with this one.
Yuck!
pswanson0030 May 2019
This show is remarkably bad. The writers have given the central female characters the maturity and judgment of 17-year-old girls, and they bear no resemblance to any peace officer I've ever known, or even seen portrayed. Don't waste your time.
Give it a chance!
condell7021 May 2019
Not as bad as all these other reviews. Based loosely on the film's Bad Boys and Bad Boys 2.
Nice to see strong women in alpha roles. Hope Spectrum will let these strong characters grow organically and not pull the plug too soon.
Nice to see strong women in alpha roles. Hope Spectrum will let these strong characters grow organically and not pull the plug too soon.
It's not THAT bad...
faiza_khan21 July 2019
I may be biased as a huge Jess Alba fan, but is the show really that bad? Love the characters but I just know shows like this doesn't last more than 2 seasons.
Has so much potential but honestly not a bad watch. Typical LA, bad boys storyline but in some ways, loving the two female leads!
Season 2 was even better!
orchidami27 May 2019
It's OK
garethwdavies-9764818 December 2021
If this is LA's Finest, the LA Tourism board should petition to have this show cut.
robsinbox1 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I was surprised when the pilot wasn't that bad, my expectations were pretty low for this one, it's just a shame they didn't stop there. Each episode just gets sillier. All the slow motion, multiple camera angles, and gun cocking is so clichéd now it's just boring. Does anyone think a slow motion shot of someone turning around adds anything to the viewing experience? It just fills up a few seconds of airtime so they can get away with a lesser script. To anyone that works in showbizz, people don't cock their weapons, and then drive to the shootout. Especially cops, no cop in the world would chamber a shell into a shotgun, then drive with a loaded shotgun to a firefight. It doesn't look cool, it makes them look foolish and drastically increases the chances of accidental shootings.
As for the plot, it's not a good sign when they have to ditch the watch captain after the pilot because the actions of the officer's are so absurd, the idea of them having someone to answer to regularly would cause too many problems for the flow of the story. Then they have the District Attorney who can only play a supporting role for the same reason, you have have this level of stupid and have a regular voice of reason present. Rogue federal police that can bust someone guilty of vehicular manslaughter out of prison within 24 hours, no paperwork, no parole board meeting, nothing? A District Attorney's wife, who in the early episodes was a weapons expert, upon hearing that her stepdaughter's just been kidnapped, decides not to try and track down the kid, but to follow her friend, who is a cop, but apparently is so stupid she rides a motorbike with a ridiculously incendiary fuel tank, flat-out in pouring rain, because she needs her gun collection? So the weapons expert doesn't have her own gun collection, she needs to borrow from a friend? Taking a few high powered assault weapons out of evidence would be nothing compared to the number of violations these guys breech in every episode.
If I worked on this show and someone asked me what id did for a living, I'd lie, tell them I was an editor on Gogglebox, or the guy that cleans the fishtanks at one of those places that has fish nibbling at your feet. I can't believe they made a second season.
Fast Moving with many twists & turns
tonynogueira7 December 2019
Not sure if many of these bad reviews are based on watching episode 1 only, as it appears so. As you watch each episode, more twists and history is revealed, and the pace of the show is great as not dragging on and on. Also no idea why people say the writing is awful, when there is so much back stories that branch off and all come full circle to tie in together. Definitely do not judge on first episode, give it a chance, and will get you hooked. It is a Bad Boys brought to TV with female leads, and I love that. Gabrielle & Jessica are stunning and add some humour with some action, and don't go looking for Emmy Nominations and you will get a kick from this show.
I like it!
slevinrick-600-91324024 May 2019
Not that bad, it's catchy, has the cop vibe from the 90's but obviously is not time based then. It can keep you guessin and rootin for some characters and it's entertainin so that sold me. And it can just get better I suppose.
Holy Wow, this show sucked
ryanpbergthold23 May 2019
Better than expected
dslhkey17 September 2019
I didn't realize that this was a spinoff of the "Bad Boys" movies as I have never seen them. I can review this series based on its own merit. The pilot was not great but I stuck with it and found the characters likeable; their interactions entertaining and, at times, compelling. The storylines are interesting but they sometimes tie up too neatly. All in all, I do find myself looking forward to a second season.
Not as bad as they say
javierpose30 May 2019
Big swing big miss.
johnscreek18 May 2019
I wanted to like this show, but it's pretty bad. I cannot tell if they are trying too hard or if they are just bad actors. I have seen Gabrielle Union in other stuff and she was great, but not on this one. Maybe the writing is just so bad she cannot overcome it. This should have been good.
It is Good!!
yahi197320 May 2019
Pleasantly surprised
glen-521666 January 2020
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