Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 24, 1994 TAG: 9403240284
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Tom Shales
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
``Maybe little by little, we can put it back the way it was,'' says Grandson the Cop in episode two.
These are men with a mission, not just to bring order out of chaos and put things back the way they were, but to give CBS good ratings on Thursday nights. ``Traps,'' premiering on the network March 31, may or may not be a hit, but it's a better than average cop show and one with plenty of heart. Maybe too much heart - or can there be too much?
The traps of the title are not the speed kind or the booby kind; ``Trap'' is a nickname for Trapchek; grandpa Joe Trapchek and his grandson Chris are the two Traps teamed to solve cases on a big city police force.
What makes the show unusual is, among other things, its star, George C. Scott, returning to TV's urban battleground 30 years after CBS canceled his great series ``East Side, West Side,'' a trailblazing drama about Manhattan social workers. Scott, always an intimidating presence, has now become a huge hulking specter, with a girth to rival that of the late Raymond Burr.
Dan Cortese plays grandson Chris to Scott's grandpa Joe. In between the two generations was another cop, Dan, Chris' father, who died in 1979 in the line of duty. To complicate matters further, Joe's wife Cora, played by the wonderful Piper Laurie, is afflicted with Alzheimer's, a disease that seems to show up on television considerably more often than in real life. Although Joe is officially retired, he works for the force as a consultant.
The series was created, and the premiere episode written, by Stephen J. Cannell, a veteran of TV crime shows who here shows a very mellow, sentimental side. Perhaps this was forced on him by the new crackdown on TV violence; there is very little of it in ``Traps.'' Or perhaps he is reacting to the cynicism and coldbloodedness of ABC's popular ``NYPD Blue'' with a show that is determinedly kinder and gentler.
Whatever, it jells, as Cannell juggles the home lives of the cops with the rigors of their perilous careers. In the premiere, in addition to tons of exposition about who's who, we follow the two Traps as they investigate the murder of a newspaper publisher's daughter. Midway through the show, they still don't have a clue, partly because they've been bickering so much.
Chris doesn't like Gramps breathing down his neck. Gramps feels he's a valuable resource that the kid ought to use. By the second week, some of this conflict has cooled. Gramps analyzes their situation: ``Maybe it's the generations between us or MTV or God-knows-what.''
MTV, as it happens, is where Cortese first got noticed, hosting a so-called sports show. Later he starred in commercials for a fast-food chain that were so irritating, David Letterman used to rail against them on his show, at one point proposing that Cortese be ``neutered'' as punishment.
Then Cortese turned up again last summer in an NBC attempt to revive the old buddy series ``Route 66.'' It lasted two episodes. But Cortese seemed to be evolving from a frantic manic nuisance into a tolerable pro. On an episode of ``Seinfeld,'' he played The Face, a handsome fellow on whom Julia Louis-Dreyfus developed a crush. He does have a nice pair of peepers, a good set of choppers, and a chin that just won't quit.
Maybe he'll be a star after all. If not, it won't be for lack of persistence.
Gramps as played by Scott is of course the soul of seasoned wisdom, suspicious of modern methods and quick fixes. Chris is a hotshot and a tyro who keeps resenting Grandpa's help. They're the artful codger and the doubtful dodger, and though the contrasts are anything but subtle, Scott and Cortese make it work.
The premiere ends with them forging an alliance while a crooner in a nightclub sings ``As Time Goes By.'' You may expect them to repeat the famous line that ended ``Casablanca'' - but they don't. That's OK. This may turn out to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship anyway.
Washington Post Writers Group
by CNB