▪
Arts & Entertainment

Detroit 1-8-7

Executive Producer David Zabel gives readers an
inside look at the new, locally filmed TV cop series.

Damon Washington, Shaun Majumder
Special to the Jewish News
as Detective Vikram Mahajan, Natalie
Martinez as Detective Ariana Sanchez and
etroit 1-8-7 — a fast-paced homi- Erin Cummings as Dr. Abbey Ward.
cide detective series actually shot
The series, the first to be filmed entirely
in the city where the drama is
in Detroit, is bringing millions of pro-
driven — brings today's gritty action to
duction dollars to the area as it gets tax
the small screen with one segment of eth-
incentives from the state. While the "1-8-7"
nic throwback.
refers to the penal code for homicide in Los
A November episode will recall the
Angeles, the programs are strictly Motown.
Purple Gang, a group of
Executive producer
notorious 1920s Jewish
David Zabel, 44, has
criminals.
been spending lots
The series debuts 10
of time in the Metro
p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21,
Detroit area preparing
on ABC and includes an
for the show with many
ensemble cast featuring
local hires and more
two crime-show veterans.
promised. Joining him
Michael Imperioli,
as executive producers
perhaps best known
on the series are Jason
for his role as gangster
Richman (Swing Vote),
Christopher Moltisanti
Kevin Hooks (Prison
on HBO's The Sopranos,
Break), David Hoberman
appeared in Law &
(The Proposal) and
Order as Detective Nick
Todd Lieberman (The
Falco and on Life on
Proposal).
Detroit 1-8-7 Executive
Mars as Detective Ray
Zabel recently took
Producer David Zabel
Carling. Now, he is cast
a brief break to answer
as Detective Louis Fitch,
questions about the series
and James McDaniel, who appeared in
and himself for the Detroit Jewish News:
NYPD Blue as Lt. Arthur Fancy, has the
role of Sgt. Jesse Longford.
IN: Now that the series is taking
Joining them are Aisha Hinds as Lt.
shape, what do you like about it?
Maureen Mason, D.J. Cotrona as Detective
DZ: What I most love is that it has the
John Stone, Jon Michael Hill as Detective
authentic feel and atmosphere of Detroit —

Suzanne Chessler

D

e w s

i imo I Nate Bloom
e ms Special to the Jewish News

42 Easy To Watch

Opening this weekend, Easy A already
a) has the buzz of a teen flick way above
—
norm. Emma Stone plays a high-school
(1) girl whom few notice. But, to help a
gay male friend, she helps start a false
rumor that she's lost her virginity
to him. The rumor mill is stoked by
the school's No.1
"Christian" teen,
played by Amanda
Bynes, 24. Based
loosely on The
Scarlet Letter, the
film's cast includes
Patricia Clarkson
Amanda
and Stanley Tucci
Bynes
as Stone's parents

U

52

September 16 • 2010

and Lisa Kudrow, 47, as a concerned
guidance counselor.

New To The Tube
New at 10 p.m. Thursdays on NBC
is the drama Outlaws. Jimmy Smits
stars as a U.S. Supreme Court jus-
tice who resigns his seat, returns
to the practice of law and puts
together a small law firm to seek
justice for the "little guy." One
of the firm's lawyers is named Al
Druzinsky (David Ramsey). Ramsey,
an African-American who was born
and grew up in Detroit, is best known
for playing informant Anton Briggs
on Showtime's Dexter. He told Jet
magazine that Druzinsky is supposed
to have been adopted by a Jewish
couple, who will be seen in a later
episode.

D.J. Cotrona, Jon Michael Hill, Aisha Hinds, Michael Imperioli,

helping to tell the
James McDaniel, Shaun Majumder and Natalie Martinez star as
story of a great and
members of an inner-city homicide unit on Detroit 1-8-7.
often misunder-
stood city in a way
that gives the show a unique and precise
JN: Was finding workers in Detroit a
appeal.
comfortable process?
DZ: Overall, the crew from Detroit has
JN: Besides being set in Detroit, what
been great. Some jobs we hired out of Los
gives this series signature?
Angeles, but that was only because the
DZ: While it is most obviously a crime
demands of a big primetime show require
procedural, it brings big doses of charac-
people with wide experience and not locally
ter, action and humor that make the show
available in some positions. As the series
a combination that feels very dynamic and continues, there will be even more and
fresh.
more local hires as people get experienced
and the show takes hold.
IN: How did the idea for the series
come about?
JN: What goes into the writing to
DZ: Jason Richman, who created the
make these realistic Detroit stories?
series, had visited Detroit a number of
DZ: A lot of research. A lot of talking to
times and became quite enamored of the
people.
city. When he set out to create a new show
for ABC, he wanted to set it there — in part
IN: Are there any Jewish characters?
because it was a fascinating place and in
DZ: There are no specifically Jewish
part because it was so underrepresented in
characters at the moment, although there
popular culture.
may be. Not all have been identified as to
their religious persuasions.
JN: What have you learned about
Detroit's police officers since working on
IN: Did choosing the cast have any-
the series and how has that knowledge
thing to do with the ways they might be
affected the development of episodes?
a reflection of Detroit?
DZ: The police officers are a very dedi-
DZ: Yes. We tried to reflect the diversity
cated group under challenging circum-
of Detroit while fairly representing the
stances. Their input is constantly solicited
largely African-American presence in the
and utilized to keep the series accurate and
police force. We have three main police
contemporary.
characters who are black. We also have a

Scott Caan, 33,
the son of actor
James Caan, co-
stars in a remake
of Hawaii Five 0,
the classic CBS
'60s police show.
The title, network
Scott Caan
and character
names remain the same. Caan plays
Detective Danny "Dano" Williams,
the sidekick of the new lead detec-
tive (Alex McLoughlin), the son of the
original Detective Steve McGarrett
(Jack Lord). The series premieres 10
p.m. Monday, Sept. 20.
Starting the same night, at 8
p.m., is the 11th season of ABC's
Dancing with the Stars. Two Jewish
celebs compete: Jennifer Grey (Dirty
Dancing), 50, and soft-rock singer

-

Michael Bolton, 57.
On Wednesday,
Sept. 22, at 10 p.m.,
ABC's The Whole
Truth, co-starring
Maura Tierney and
Rob Morrow, 47,
Jennifer Grey
premieres. Tierney
and Morrow play for-
mer Yale Law School classmates who
are now facing off in criminal court.
Tierney is a Manhattan district attor-
ney, and Morrow is
a defense lawyer.
The series' gimmick
is that we see each
case from both per-
spectives, and guilt
or innocence is only
revealed at episode's
Rob Morrow
end. 0