SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Season 1, Episode 1.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is the next Law & Order remake, finally bringing its unwieldy title and a solid pedigree to American viewers a year after its Canadian debut. This version of Law & Order: Criminal Intent hails from Tassie Cameron, who created one of the most underrated police dramas ever in Rookie Blue. But within the Law & Order framework, Cameron and her colleagues don’t quite shine so brightly… yet.

Anyone who watched Law & Order: Criminal Intent knows that there was an element of performance and melodrama to the spinoff. The stated gimmick was that it focused on the criminals as much as the pollice, but the real hook of the show was Vincent D’Onofrio’s theatrical work as quirky Detective Robert Goren. D’Onofrio chewed every bit of scenery as Goren and the show was built around the character’s eccentricities, observations and complicated past. Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is very much the same, with Aden Young filling the Goren role as Detective Sergeant Henry Graff.

Young was brilliant in Rectify, yet here he has to wrangle numerous awkward lines as Graff throws out random facts and makes acerbic observations. Kathleen Munroe—a veteran of numerous TV procedurals, including a recurring role on Dick Wolf’s FBI—is Graff’s partner Frankie Bateman. Cameron is a brilliant writer whose pilot script feels like it’s sticking too closely to the formula. Graff and Bateman are initially quite similar to Goren and Alexandra Eames.

Their boss Vivienne Holness (played by Karen Robertson) stands out more, but it’s because she speaks about the people involved in an almost condescending way. In one scene she refers to the murder victim as “that nerd” while prejudging his widow because she’s had four last names. It borders on unprofessional even though she’s only speaking to her detectives. First episodes are almost always uneven, but “The Key to the Castle” never stops feeling like it isn’t reaching its full potential because of moments like that which stick out.

The good news is that makes the show’s path to success blatantly obvious. Cameron knows how to create great, memorable characters and she has a solid lead duo in Young and Munroe; she and her writers just have to figure out how to interject their talents into the Law & Order mold. Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent is standing in the shadow of Law & Order: Los Angeles—the incredible Blake Masters was brought on to develop the show and wrote the teleplay for the pilot, but it was clear that his voice never fully came through. Cameron and her team have plenty of time to avoid that fate; the second season of this show has already aired in Canada, and a third is in production.

“The Key to the Castle” does benefit from one other Rookie Blue connection: Peter Mooney, who starred as Nick Collins, portrays the villain in Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent. It works because Mooney has been so good as blue-collar, charming heroes in both Rookie Blue and Burden of Truth. The audience knows him and loves him, so even though it’s quickly obvious that his character here is the ultimate bad guy, it doesn’t matter. Mooney even nails the obligatory moment where the suspect cracks after being dramatically confronted with the truth. There are enough twists in the hour to keep viewers interested, even if none of them are new. The audience will likely beat Graff and Bateman to the punch. They just don’t know how the cops will do it, and that’s the actual payoff.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent follows the blueprint of its American predecessor well—in fact, too well. It’s so focused on sounding and feeling like the US series that it forgets to show off what makes it worth watching. Obviously, there are certain limitations to the storytelling because of both the Law & Order brand and the Criminal Intent format. But this show would be wise to take a page from the undervalued Law & Order: UK instead. Even though that show adapted entire scripts from the original Law & Order, the writers were able to make their characters and storylines distinct not just from that show but from any other crime drama. This one has the same opportunity. It’s just not there quite yet.

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent airs Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. on The CW. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Citytv.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.