detective of Indian descent meant to
represent that group's large presence in
the area.

JN: Do you have any connections to
the city — professional or personal
— other than this show?
DZ: I do not, although four mem-
bers of my family have a connection to
Michigan, having all lived and attended
university in Ann Arbor.

JN: About how much time are you
spending in the area?
DZ: I spent a lot of time in June and
July in Detroit. Now I go back and forth
between Los Angeles and Detroit as
needed. Currently, that is averaging out
to seven-10 days a month.

JN: Have you found any favorite
spots?
DZ: I have had little time to enjoy the
social life there. I like the barbecue at
Slow's. I like driving around neighbor-
hoods and seeing the amazing architec-
ture. We filmed at the Michigan Central
Depot, which was quite amazing both
from the outside and within. I hope
to get to the Fox Theatre, the Motown
Museum, a Tigers game, a Red Wings
game and a bunch of other tourist sites
before too long.

JN: What other series have you
worked on, and how do you feel your
career prepared you for this project?
DZ: Before spending nine years writ-
ing and showrunning for ER, I wrote
for JAG, Star Trek: Voyager and James
Cameron's Dark Angel. For ER, we shot
partially in Chicago so I feel that in some
ways that was helpful preparation for
shooting in Detroit — another major,
impressive, Midwestern city. We tried to
make sure the feel of Chicago imbued
ER, but because we are shooting entirely
on location for this show, the city and its
people are even more a part of the fabric.
That is more exciting.

JN: How does working on a crime
show compare to working on a medi-
cal show?
DZ: It's a relief to be out on the street
and not locked up in an ER. There's a
much bigger range to the stories you can
tell and the places you can go in a police
show. I also enjoy writing characters who
are more relatable than doctors.

JN: Does your Jewish heritage
affect the way you work?
DZ: I don't know how much it affects
my work except that I am neurotic and
insecure; and when faced with a quan-

dary, I find myself in search of a minyan.

JN: Does your personal back-
ground give you any perspective
toward city crime?
DZ: I grew up in New York City during
some pretty challenging times for that
city. As a boy and a young man, I was a
victim of urban crime on a number of
occasions so I have been in the prox-
imity of this kind of crisis. I have also
been lucky enough to see how a city can
heroically dig itself out of a hole — both
in terms of crime and financial hard-
ship — which I believe Detroit is in the
process of doing. I hope in some small
way that the influx of energy and income
from our production will be helpful
toward this end.

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JN: Are there any police officers in

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your own family?
DZ: There are no police officers, but
there are a judge and a federal prosecu-
tor so I have a fair amount of inside
knowledge on law enforcement.

JN: Have you been spending more
time watching other crime series to
prepare for this one?
DZ: Not really. I mostly refer to the
shows I loved while growing up and
in young adulthood, some of which
made me want to work in this business:
Dragnet, Hill Street Blues, Homicide, Law
& Order, NYPD Blue. Shows like The
Shield, The Wire and Southland are all
good programs, though I am less famil-
iar with them. And to be honest, as a kid,
I was a huge fan of Baretta, Mannix and
the Mod Squad!

JN: What impressions of Detroit do
you hope viewers in other parts of the
country take away from the series?
DZ: There is a rich history to this
city and a much bigger picture than the
impression left by quick snapshots on
the news. I hope while being real to the
difficulties and challenges facing Detroit,
we also will illuminate viewers as to the
spirit of the people and the grandeur of
the place. We recently filmed one night
on the riverfront, near Hart Plaza, and it
was one of the most beautiful locations
I've ever filmed. The people who came
up to speak to me were remarkably
warm and helpful.

JN: Is there anything else you'd like
to tell our readers?
DZ: I am a big fan of gefilte fish.

Detroit 1-8-7 debuts 10 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 21, on ABC.

"SAL RICHARDS
IS TERRIFIC,
PERFECT TIMING,
GREAT DELIVERY"

Ira

Clive Barnes
New York Post

While his talented singing, acting, directing and
writing have given him an outlet for his creativity,
comedy remains Sal Richard's first love. He
performs at venues across the nation, giving
hilarious performance after performance, bringing
laughter into the lives of his countless fans. Sal
Richards plans to keep working until his audiences
stop laughing—which won't be anytime soon!

42705 Grand River Ave.
Novi, MI 48375 , 248.348.4448

andiamonovitheatrescom

September 16 • 2010

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