By FIONA RAE
Does the world need another cop show? Depends how good it is. NYPD Blue, Homicide, Cracker and the recent Cops on TV3 all drove the genre into the 90s and beyond.
Sadly, Liverpool 1 (TV One, 8.30 pm) makes no attempts at modernisation. It's just a cop show hanging on the thin talents of its lead, Samantha Janus, who plays Detective Constable Isobel de Pauli.
Janus is hugely popular in Britain. The tabloids love her. She's a Britbabe. She's probably best known here for her roles in Imogen's Face, Game On and Babes in the Wood.
But a tough copper from London who transfers to Liverpool to show the local plod how to do things? Frankly, if she's a cop, I'm Ally McBeal.
Last week's pilot opened with de Pauli receiving a medal for bravery in the line of duty. Right, that's her sorted as smart and courageous.
Meanwhile, in Liverpool, a bloke breaks down the door of a squalid squat on a tough council housing estate. He throws the occupants' possessions over the balcony before throwing one of the junkies over, then scarpers to give evidence in court.
Right, that's Detective Constable Mark Callaghan (Mark Womack) sorted as a bit of a rebel. Naturally, he's the strong, silent type who doesn't like de Pauli on sight and doesn't want her for a partner.
He's got a junkie brother who he used as an informant, the crims are old childhood friends and at the end of last week's episode he got into big trouble when he turned his back and the suspect he was guarding threw himself off yet another balcony.
Enter de Pauli, wearing a baby T-shirt that shows off her navel nicely and somehow managing to do all the police work that her new squad is apparently too stupid to figure out.
It's not clear why she's transferred to Liverpool, but it could be something to do with her twit boyfriend who is clearly wrong for her. Enter the traditional sexual tension between the two lead characters.
Well, the show had to have something going for it. So far, Liverpool 1 doesn't look that flash, the office-set looks like a cast-off from Gliding On and the story is nothing to write home about. Sam Janus in her bra is probably as interesting as it's going to get.
News from Britain is that Janus quit her latest drama, The Hunt, because she's a serious actress and doesn't want to do any more of those fleshy love scenes. Bad move, Sam.
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