Kat with a K

Pilot Review: Terriers

I'll admit that Terriers wasn't a show that really jumped out at me when I read about it, but enough critics were raving that I decided to give it a try. And it was pretty good! The premise: A blue collar ex-cop and his pal do unlicensed PI-type stuff in San Diego. In this first episode, at least, the mystery itself wasn't particularly surprising or compelling, but the tone of the show was what grabbed me. It was very slow, but by the end of the episode I decided that was actually a plus. The relaxed pacing fit perfectly with the somewhat aimless characters, and I liked those characters more than I expected. This is obviously something of a buddy show, but the female supporting characters - a girlfriend, an ex-wife - were a lot stronger and more interesting than they often are in guy shows. There have been a lot of Veronica Mars comparisons being thrown around, but other than the obvious similarity of PIs in San Diego, I really didn't see the similarity. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Terriers is its own show, and after the pilot, I'm intrigued in spite of myself. I'll be tuning in.