Memphis Beat
Season One, Episode One: That’s All Right, Mama!
TNT, Tuesday, 10 PM EST

Plot: Detective Dwight Hendrix (Jason Lee) and partner Charlie White (Sam Hennings) investigate the abuse of an elderly Memphis radio legend.

Thoughts: This was completely different than I was expecting. I was thinking offbeat cop show, like Psych. Instead, while it started offbeat, the show turned intense quickly. Overall it was good and well done, but the unexpected tone caught me off guard.

I’ve spent enough time in Memphis to know this is Hollywood’s Memphis, not real Memphis (you can watch Police Women of Memphis to see reality), but it sells me anyway. There’s some beautiful old locations in just the right state of disrepair. The acting is good. It’s interesting to see Jason Lee pull off a straight dramatic role – no snark or knowing winks here.

I’m interested to see how this series develops. The preview for next episode looks like it might be similarly intense and perhaps expecting it will give me a new perspective.