THIRD ‘FIRST’
A suspect in the Normandy Parker case is murdered, and a lawsuit complicates things in a new episode of “Murder in the First,” airing Monday.
As the summer swelters on, game shows and reality TV programs rule prime time. But for those who prefer more traditional TV fare, TNT serves up a police procedural with a fresh cast and plenty of drama.
Taye Diggs (“Private Practice”) and Kathleen Robertson (“Boss”) star as Terry English and Hildy Mulligan, homicide inspectors investigating the murder of all-star quarterback Normandy Parker in a new episode of “Murder in the First,” airing Monday, July 25, on Bravo. Set in San Francisco, the show was created by 10-time Emmy winner Steven Bochco (“NYPD Blue”) and Eric Lodal (“Laredo”), the latter of whom left the show midway through the second season for undisclosed reasons.
As in previous seasons, season 3 follows a single, complicated investigation instead of wrapping up a new mystery each week like many other prime-time dramas. When “Murder in the First” debuted in 2014, Bochco explained his preference for examining a single case throughout the season to the L.A. Times.
“What’s fun about the single storyline is you get to develop characters, to really make them well examined,” said the producer.
Three seasons in, English and Mulligan are much more than stereotypical prime-time cops. Their personal lives are every bit as fascinating as the cases they tackle, from his grief over the death of his terminally ill wife to her struggles as a single mom. This season is expected to be particularly heartbreaking as Mulligan faces a potentially lifethreatening illness. The stress over what might happen to her daughter overwhelms her, even as the Parker case looms.
Season 3 had originally been slated to begin June 19, but due to the tragic Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting, the debut was pushed to June 26, out of respect for the victims and their loved ones. The same thing happened with TNT”s “The Last Ship.” With a little more than 1.3 million viewers, numbers were down for this year’s season premiere, but it’s important to note that the June 26 opener aired opposite the finale of the HBO juggernaut “Game of Thrones,” so there was bound to be a dip.
“Murder in the First” has shown tremendous potential since its debut in 2014, when it ranked among cable’s top 10 prime-time dramas. Season 1 pulled in more than five million viewers per episode over multiple platforms, including about 3.76 million live viewers. The 12-episode second season clocked in with more than two million average live viewers, and in December 2015, TNT announced “Murder in the First” had been renewed for a 10-episode third season, along with fellow hit dramas “Major Crimes” and “The Librarians.”
Although English and Mulligan are undoubtedly the focus of the series, Diggs and Robertson are supported by a strong cast. Currie Graham (“Raising the Bar”) stars as chief prosecutor Mario Siletti, who’s struggling in the wake of a tragic car accident this season. “Once Upon a Time’s” Raphael Sbarge works alongside the two leads as philosophical homicide detective David Molk, who’s been partnered up with Edgar Navarro, played by Lombardo Boyar (“The Bernie Mac Show”). Their SFPD squad is supervised by Ian Anthony Dale (“Hawaii Five-0”) as Lieut. Jim Koto. The returning cast also includes Mimi Kirkland (“Safe Haven,” 2013) as Hildy’s young daughter, Louise.
Back in March, news broke that Michael Gaston (“The Leftovers”) had joined the third season cast of “Murder in the First.” He portrays defence attorney Alfred Arkin, billed as a “warm family man.” The role marks a reunion for Gaston and Bochco, who previously worked together in Bochco’s “Blind Justice” for ABC. He isn’t the only “Murder in the First” rookie, either. The cast also welcomes Corey Reynolds (“The Closer”) as assistant district attorney Martin Reardon. Sara Paxton (“Darcy’s Wild Life”) stars as Alicia Barnes, a troubled 22-year-old pop star who’d caught Parker’s eye before his untimely death. Eighties movie icon Anthony Michael Hall (“The Dead Zone”) has been tapped to play Barnes’s father, Paul.