Taxi Brooklyn (TV Show, 2014)
Dramedy | Crime & Police
Rated TV-14
Lead Cast: Chyler Leigh (Cat), Jacky Ido (Leo)
Synopsis: “Taxi Brooklyn is a French-American action-comedy” police television show. “Caitlin “Cat” Sullivan is an NYPD detective working in Brooklyn. After her driving privileges are suspended, she relies on Leo Romba, a Brooklyn cab driver from France. Leo becomes Cat’s driver and a de facto consultant on her cases. While solving crimes with Leo, Cat is also running her own unauthorized investigation into the death of her father, an NYPD detective thought to have been executed by the Capella crime family. In doing so, she clashes with her boss, Captain Baker, and her ex-husband Gregg, who has picked up the case for the FBI.” -Wikipedia
pooled ink Review:
Well I wish this show was picked up for a second season because it was fun to watch but admittedly I can see why it might have been passed up for something else. It’s disappointing but it’s life.
I like the varied cast and their diverse characters (including their background, personality, and even ethnicity). As to the plot construction: Each episode was interesting and different and while it was entertaining to watch I have to admit that if you actually stopped to think about half of it a lot seemed oddly impossible, glossed over, and highly coincidental. Like many shows these days while each episode stands alone they are all linked together by some overarching goal/mystery/quest/whatever. This show is no different except that its overarching long-term plot doesn’t just play second fiddle or takes a back seat but takes the WAY back seat in a stretch limo. I mean, that’s fine, I just thought I’d mention it because this is a review, right? So basically this long-running parallel plot or whatnot is Cat searching for her father’s killer and yeah they mention it from time to time and they get clues once in a while but honestly they don’t make much headway and it serves mostly as a driving factor behind Cat’s personality. Between her father’s murder and her divorce Cat has become quite the feisty hot-head.
Okay so Cat. She’s an amusing character. She has very few sweet moments or happy smiles but when they happen they’re golden. Mostly she’s just flat out angry. She hits, slaps, screams, rages, and stomps her foot (and totally got called out for it!). That’s Cat. Sometimes it’s frustrating, sometimes it’s a bit over-the-top acting, but sometimes her outbursts are hilarious, natural, and absolutely perfect. It’s actually pretty great to watch a cop release anger in different natural ways. Not always the angry-tough-look-at-me-I’m-angry-and-tortured-and-mysterious-and-complex ROAR. Instead she is yes, angry and complex and roars but sometimes the situation calls for her anger to come out as a hissy fit, a scream, or just the desperate need to stomp around in a circle to diffuse the bubbling rage and frustration. They play with her anger as both a source of drama as well as a source of comedy. Overall I like her character despite her being so angry ALL THE TIME. Also she completely rocks the pixie haircut.
Let’s talk a bit about Leo. I really like Leo and I’m pretty sure that’s the point. Like I said earlier Cat is angry literally all the time (one of the things this show overdid: Cat’s anger-fits) so Leo is a perfect balance or perhaps neutralizer to Cat. He’s easygoing, big-hearted, thoughtful, calm, an ex-criminal, and thoroughly afraid of zombies. He’s fabulous and I love how he’s both French and a black actor because it really adds a beautiful diversity to the main cast which more shows desperately need. He’s just such a natural actor creating Leo as such a believable character. Cat is amusing but sometimes she’s a bit much to believe but Leo is consistent. He’s the perfect pH neutralizer to Cat’s angry acidity. He keeps her grounded. Basically, the Cat-Leo relationship is refreshing, entertaining, interesting, and much needed for this show.
There’s a lot of other stuff that could be discussed (how it dropped in droplets of back-story and important life events for Cat as well as Leo but they were rushed, never unfolded or explained, etc. or how most of the episodes ended in a weird depressing fade out with a weird depressing song, or how the season finale was way too loose-ended, rushed, and they basically crammed the whole semi-ignored hunt for Cat’s father’s killer into it only to end the season with no closure) with this show because it is filled with both golden moments and plenty of flaws (everything was often a bit rushed and condensed and shallowly developed). But let’s not waste time on that nonsense.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed watching this television show, I’m disappointed that there won’t be a second season, and I’d definitely recommend it to others. Yes there is loads it could improve on and it definitely wasn’t the best show (not in script, shooting, directing, or editing) but despite its flaws yes I found it entertaining and I dunno, there was just something about it that I really liked. Also, I appreciate casting diversity wherever I can get it! Hurrah for French, Irish, Jewish, Latino, Italian, African, Iranian, English, and more!
Cheers.
Purchase here: Taxi Brooklyn (Season One) (Amazon.com with pooled ink)
pooled ink 