TV on DVD

Bochco's Murder in the First is twisty, season-long mystery

Murder in the First, Season 1
Murder in the First, Season 1

What is it? Murder in the First, Season 1, 10 episodes on three discs from Warner Home Video

How much? $39.98

When? Now

What's the story? San Francisco Police Department detectives Terry English (Taye Diggs) and Hildy Mulligan (Kathleen Robertson) are a great team. They know each other's quirks and foibles, they know how to tag-team suspects and they have each other's backs.

That's definitely a good thing because they're faced with challenges at home and at the office. Mulligan is a single mom with a young daughter (Mimi Kirkland) and an alcoholic ex-husband (Matthew Alan) to deal with and English's wife (Anne-Marie Johnson) is in the end stages of terminal cancer.

In the midst of personal upheaval, they take on one of the biggest cases of their careers. A junkie is found murdered in a seedy neighborhood and a flight attendant is dead after "falling down the stairs" in her home. Both victims are connected to Erich Blunt (Tom Felton), a young Silicon Valley billionaire.

Along with fellow detectives David Molk (Raphael Sbarge) and Edgar Navarro (Lombardo Boyar), under the supervision of Lt. Jim Koto (Ian Anthony Dale), they start digging into the crimes and English is convinced that Blunt is behind both.

Blunt has some definite narcissistic and sociopathic tendencies but he also has a smart team behind him, including his driver and pilot Bill Wilkerson (Steven Weber) and personal lawyer David Hertzberg (Richard Schiff), who have a vested interest in Blunt's company and success. While Blunt looks like the obvious guilty party, there's no shortage of potential suspects.

Eventually they get enough evidence to go to trial, but with a brilliant and famous defense attorney (James Cromwell) and more twists and turns in store, a conviction is far from assured. The line between what's personal and what's professional is blurry across the board, for the detectives and suspects alike.

Is it any good? Yes. The series was co-created by Steven Bochco. While he's had more than a few flops to his name (Cop Rock, anyone?) he was also the man behind Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and NYPD Blue.

The acting is terrific and the story, which blends personal and professional nicely, manages to twist and turn without getting ridiculous or confusing. Viewers do need to pay attention, though.

Because the whole season is focused on one main case, following the entire investigation from murder to trial and aftermath, there's plenty of time to flesh it out, a plus for people who like their mysteries long and intricate.

Are there extras? Yes, but they're pretty skimpy. The most substantial is a seven-minute bit with co-creators Bochco and Eric Lodal about how they created the series. Then there are a few very short (as in, two minutes long) interviews with the main cast.

New this week: The Cosby Show, Seasons 7-8; Lovejoy, Season 6 and Complete Series; The Newsroom, Season 3; Two and a Half Men, Season 12 and Complete Series.

Next week: The Campbells, Complete Series; Ripper Street, Season 3; Young Hercules, Complete Series.

Style on 06/14/2015

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