“On Call” producers Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf describe the new police series, which premiered all of Season 1 Thursday on Prime Video, as “‘Adam 12’ on meth.’”
The latest project from Wolf Entertainment harkens back to the classic 1960s series about a pair of patrolmen not only in subject matter, but in length: Unlike most contemporary dramas, it’s only 30 minutes.
“Attention has never been more valuable of a commodity in this day and age and the half-hour format was really enticing for us. Looking at the 1950s and 1960 primetime schedule, they’re all half-hour procedural dramas. Those don’t really exist today,” Wolf, who is the son of “Law & Order” mega-producer Dick Wolf, told TheWrap.
“I would not call our show a traditional procedural, but it was inspired by looking at yesteryear to take something that’s old and make it new again,” he added.
Unlike the cop shows of old, however, “On Call” uses bodycams, dash cams and cell phone footage to tell the story of its two main characters: Troian Bellisario as veteran Officer Traci Harmon and Brandon Larracuente as her trainee, Alex Diaz.
“We take a lot of pride in our experimentation. Hopefully, it lends a level of immersion that you don’t see on your typical TV show. We want you to feel like you’re taking the ride with these characters,” Wolf said.
Read on for more of TheWrap’s conversation with Wolf and Walsh:
Is there any other show doing this kind of thing right now, with bodycam and dash cam footage?
Elliot Wolf: We don’t think so
Tim Walsh: Not as good as we’re doing it. [Laughs]
What do you think the viewers will take away?
T.W.: I hope they’re just entertained. We’re not looking to message anybody. This has no political leanings anyway, whatsoever. This was made by people who love movies and cinema, for people who love movies, cinema and TV, and we would love to win that audience back.
E.W.: Amen. Our fondest hope is that folks can sit down and watch the series and have different points of view. We can set the table for conversation, but we are by no means trying to tell you how to feel.
You were talking about shows from the ’50s and ’60s. Were there any particular shows you were thinking of?
T.W.: Yeah, we describe this as “Adam 12” on meth.
I love it. And were you influenced by any more recent cop shows set in Los Angeles, like “The Shield” or “Southland”?
T.W.: “The Shield,” 100%. “The Shield” is why I got into writing television, quite honestly. Groundbreaking. As well as John Carpenter’s “Assault on Precinct 13,” the movie “Colors” with Robert Duvall, and Michael Mann’s stuff was very influential.
E.W.: Looking at the spectrum of police dramas that have been created before, we took it all in, and politely said there’s things that we love, things that we don’t love. How do we now make this our own?
From a production standpoint, what are the challenges of using bodycams and dash cams to tell the story?
E.W.: [It needs a] super wide angle, which from a staging standpoint, is a headache.
T.W.: Yeah, on the body cams, you would see craft service. You would see people watching, so it was incredibly challenging.
E.W.: Our crew, from day one, they made this series what it is — their willingness to be experimental and help us find this visual language. And then the cast was actually wearing these body cameras. So on top of everything that you have to do as an actor or actress, they also had to calculate how the angle of their chest was while they were performing, to get the shot. So across the board, it was a huge lift and a team effort. But I think that it shows on screen that everyone took it really seriously and embraced the challenge.
Ultimately, what we want this found footage to feel like is you’re with the officers, and that means a little bit of a grittier approach.
