Critical Condition: APB

APB (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Mondays)

“In recent years, Fox has unveiled cop dramas starring robots, Houdini and a magically preserved Ichabod Crane. But APB may be the network’s most fantastical foray yet. APB chronicles a billionaire’s takeover of an urban police district, and posits that what will fix the problems with American policing is not more accountability but less. Suffice it to say there’s a lot of wishful thinking on display, and not much in the way of watchable substance when it comes to the cases of the week.” — Variety.

“As a procedural, APB — from Len Wiseman and Matt Nix — is a nice futuristic fantasy made watchable by an attractive cast, but it is essentially shaped in an old-fashioned way — the clash of old and new, a little sexual tension, some dark secrets of the past, etc. After three episodes, it’s hard to see it developing into anything more.” — Los Angeles Daily News.

“Chicago has become a flash point, to the right for its murder rate and to the left for police brutality. But in APB, all the city needs is — sound familiar? — a cocky, rude, outside-the-box billionaire to disrupt the establishment. APB, inspired by a New York Times Magazine article about a high-tech police force in New Orleans, stumbled into its relevance. At heart, it doesn’t aim to be more than a disposable, light-sci-fi action show.” — New York Times.

“APB is just an empty, run-of-the-mill cop show that separates itself from the hundreds upon hundreds of previous TV cop shows by having an app that citizens of Chicago use, thus circumventing 911. That’s not an advancement of the genre — it’s just stupid … APB doesn’t really have much cool stuff to add to an otherwise been-there-and-bored-with-it police procedural.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

“The show has an almost pleasing we-don’t-give-a-damn-what-you-snooty-critics-think attitude, too. This isn’t for them (er, us) anyway. It’s for you. You’ll probably like it, or some of you will. There are those aforementioned toys, especially that Swiss army knife of a drone, which does everything but give the bad guys a haircut. The Chicago locale is put to good use. The action sequences are average to above average … Bottom line:  A not nearly as bad (as you feared) cop procedural, plus toys that go boom.” — Newsday.