Prime Suspect (U.S. TV series)
Encyclopedia
Prime Suspect is an American police procedural television drama series that premiered on NBC
on September 22, 2011. It stars Maria Bello
as Detective Jane Timoney. The series is a "re-imagining" of the British series by the same name. The series was created by Lynda La Plante
and was redeveloped by Alexandra Cunningham
who also serves as executive producer and writer. Peter Berg
serves as executive producer and director. Sarah Aubrey
, Julie Meldal-Johnson, Paul Buccieri, Lynda La Plante
and John McNamara all serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios, ITV Studios America and Film 44.
On November 14, 2011 NBC announced it would replace Prime Suspect in the Thursday night line-up with The Firm, beginning January 12, 2012.
and Alexandra Cunningham
, the crime drama Prime Suspect takes a look inside a New York City homicide department. The series stars Maria Bello
as tough-as-nails NYPD homicide Detective Jane Timoney, an outsider who has just transferred to a new squad where her new colleagues already dislike her. Jane is confident and focused—and also rude, abrupt and occasionally reckless. She has her vices, and rumors about how she got the job follow her everywhere—but at the end of the day, she is an instinctively brilliant cop who can not be distracted from the only important thing: the prime suspect. The series allows us to plunge into the life of Jane Timoney as we also investigate New York crimes and uncover intriguing mysteries.
Note: Elizabeth Rodriguez
appeared as Det. Carolina Rivera in three episodes, where she was listed in the credits as main cast.
series, was set to write and executive produce the two-hour pilot. In early 2010, Erwin Stoff
and Paul Buccieri were to also serve as executive producers – for ITV Studios
and Universal Media Studios – and Mick Jackson was on board to direct. By late February, the project was put on hold because reportedly an actress couldn't be found to play the lead character. In July of 2010, Universal Media Studios signed a new deal with Film 44, the production company of Peter Berg
and Sarah Aubrey
. As part of the agreement, they took over the development of Prime Suspect. "We are proud to continue our productive creative relationship with Peter and Sarah in developing Prime Suspect, among others… They have immense talent and passion".
In early 2011, NBC gave the greenlight to produce a pilot script. In late May, NBC announced that Prime Suspect would premiere on Thursday September 22, 2011.
It was announced in early August that Maria Bello
would star as the main character of Det. Jane Timoney. The series is filmed in Los Angeles
although the series is based in New York
.
Based on the critically acclaimed British television series of the same name, Prime Suspect has been redeveloped for American audiences by Cunningham
and Berg
. Prime Suspect is produced by Universal Media Studios, ITV Studios America and Film 44. Alexandra Cunningham
is the executive producer/writer along with executive producer/director Peter Berg
and executive producers Sarah Aubrey
, Julie Meldal-Johnson, Paul Buccieri, Lynda La Plante
and John McNamara.
indicating the series as generally favourable. Most critics found Maria Bello's performance the strongest factor of the series praising her excellent and intriguing portrayal of Det. Jane Timoney. Mo Fathelbab of BuzzFocus said, "I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the American version of Prime Suspect is my favorite new hour-long show on network television. It may very well be the best new show premiering this fall. It’s a smart, un-condescending cop show that is anchored by a fantastic performance by Maria Bello". Eric Blattberg said, "What makes Prime Suspect compelling enough to see where this show goes is its remarkable cast. This show is not actually bad at all; it's an enjoyable hour, but it's going to need a lot of work to avoid being lost in the shuffle amongst other established police shows. Not to mention the fact that it's up against Thursday heavyweights".
On October 4, 2011, NBC announced that the show's first three episodes will be rerun on Monday nights for the month of October, following the cancellation of The Playboy Club
.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on September 22, 2011. It stars Maria Bello
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
as Detective Jane Timoney. The series is a "re-imagining" of the British series by the same name. The series was created by Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series....
and was redeveloped by Alexandra Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham is an American screenwriter and television producer, most known as a writer and producer for ABC Studios' dramedy Desperate Housewives, having written more episodes of the show than any other writer besides showrunner Marc Cherry....
who also serves as executive producer and writer. Peter Berg
Peter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
serves as executive producer and director. Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey is an English-Australian actress. She has had guest roles in episodes of All Saints, Water Rats, and Above the Law, along with numerous TV commercials...
, Julie Meldal-Johnson, Paul Buccieri, Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series....
and John McNamara all serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Universal Media Studios, ITV Studios America and Film 44.
On November 14, 2011 NBC announced it would replace Prime Suspect in the Thursday night line-up with The Firm, beginning January 12, 2012.
Synopsis
Produced by Peter BergPeter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
and Alexandra Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham is an American screenwriter and television producer, most known as a writer and producer for ABC Studios' dramedy Desperate Housewives, having written more episodes of the show than any other writer besides showrunner Marc Cherry....
, the crime drama Prime Suspect takes a look inside a New York City homicide department. The series stars Maria Bello
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
as tough-as-nails NYPD homicide Detective Jane Timoney, an outsider who has just transferred to a new squad where her new colleagues already dislike her. Jane is confident and focused—and also rude, abrupt and occasionally reckless. She has her vices, and rumors about how she got the job follow her everywhere—but at the end of the day, she is an instinctively brilliant cop who can not be distracted from the only important thing: the prime suspect. The series allows us to plunge into the life of Jane Timoney as we also investigate New York crimes and uncover intriguing mysteries.
Cast
- Maria BelloMaria BelloMaria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
as Det. Jane Timoney - Brian O'ByrneBrían F. O'ByrneBrían Francis O'Byrne is an Irish actor who works mostly in the United States. He was born in Mullagh, County Cavan.O'Byrne first attracted notice for his performances in the Martin McDonagh plays The Beauty Queen of Leenane as Pato Dooley and The Lonesome West...
as Det. Reg Duffy - Kirk AcevedoKirk AcevedoKirk Acevedo is an American actor. He is primarily known for his portrayals of Miguel Alvarez in the HBO series Oz, Joe Toye in Band of Brothers and FBI Agent Charlie Francis in the science-fiction series Fringe....
as Det. Luisito Calderon - Peter GeretyPeter GeretyPeter Gerety is an American actor.Gerety began acting while a student at Boston University, participating in productions at the Charles Playhouse. In 1965, he joined the Trinity Square Repertory Company, a resident theater company in Providence, Rhode Island where he appeared in over 125...
as Desmond Timoney, Jane's father. - Tim Griffin as Det. Augie Blando
- Damon Gupton as Det. Evrard Velerio
- Kenny JohnsonKenny JohnsonKenneth "Kenny" Johnson is an American actor well known for his portrayal of Detective Curtis Lemansky on the American drama The Shield and Detective "Ham" Dewey on Saving Grace.- Early career :...
as Matt Webb - Aidan QuinnAidan Quinn-Early life:Quinn was born in Chicago, Illinois to Irish parents. He was brought up as a Roman Catholic and raised in Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, as well as in Dublin and Birr, County Offaly in Ireland. His mother, Teresa, was a homemaker, and his father, Michael Quinn, was a professor of...
as Lt. Kevin Sweeney
Note: Elizabeth Rodriguez
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Elizabeth Rodriguez is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Carmen Morales on All My Children .-Filmography:-External links:...
appeared as Det. Carolina Rivera in three episodes, where she was listed in the credits as main cast.
Development and production
An American remake of the UK series was previously ordered by NBC in September of 2009 as part of two-year, three pilot deal with ITV Studios. Hank Steinberg, the creator of the CBS Without a TraceWithout a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
series, was set to write and executive produce the two-hour pilot. In early 2010, Erwin Stoff
Erwin Stoff
Erwin Stoff is an American movie producer. He is best known for being the manager of Keanu Reeves and a producing credit for The Matrix. In 2007, he co-produced I Am Legend, starring Will Smith....
and Paul Buccieri were to also serve as executive producers – for ITV Studios
ITV Studios
ITV Studios is a television production company owned by the British television network ITV. It not only makes programmes primarily for its parent company, but also for other networks...
and Universal Media Studios – and Mick Jackson was on board to direct. By late February, the project was put on hold because reportedly an actress couldn't be found to play the lead character. In July of 2010, Universal Media Studios signed a new deal with Film 44, the production company of Peter Berg
Peter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
and Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey is an English-Australian actress. She has had guest roles in episodes of All Saints, Water Rats, and Above the Law, along with numerous TV commercials...
. As part of the agreement, they took over the development of Prime Suspect. "We are proud to continue our productive creative relationship with Peter and Sarah in developing Prime Suspect, among others… They have immense talent and passion".
In early 2011, NBC gave the greenlight to produce a pilot script. In late May, NBC announced that Prime Suspect would premiere on Thursday September 22, 2011.
It was announced in early August that Maria Bello
Maria Bello
Maria Elena Bello is an American actress and singer known for her appearances in the movies Coyote Ugly, The Jane Austen Book Club, Permanent Midnight, Thank You for Smoking, A History of Violence, Payback, and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. For television she is known for her role as Dr...
would star as the main character of Det. Jane Timoney. The series is filmed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
although the series is based in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Based on the critically acclaimed British television series of the same name, Prime Suspect has been redeveloped for American audiences by Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham is an American screenwriter and television producer, most known as a writer and producer for ABC Studios' dramedy Desperate Housewives, having written more episodes of the show than any other writer besides showrunner Marc Cherry....
and Berg
Peter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
. Prime Suspect is produced by Universal Media Studios, ITV Studios America and Film 44. Alexandra Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham
Alexandra Cunningham is an American screenwriter and television producer, most known as a writer and producer for ABC Studios' dramedy Desperate Housewives, having written more episodes of the show than any other writer besides showrunner Marc Cherry....
is the executive producer/writer along with executive producer/director Peter Berg
Peter Berg
Peter Berg is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is known for directing films such as Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, The Rundown, Hancock and Battleship. He also developed the television series Friday Night Lights, which was adapted from the film he directed. As an actor...
and executive producers Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey
Sarah Aubrey is an English-Australian actress. She has had guest roles in episodes of All Saints, Water Rats, and Above the Law, along with numerous TV commercials...
, Julie Meldal-Johnson, Paul Buccieri, Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series....
and John McNamara.
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air Date | 18–49 Rating | U.S. Viewers (in millions) | Timeslot Rank | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | 1.8 | 6.05 | #3 | ||
| 2 | "Carnivorous Sheep" | 1.5 | 5.69 | #3 | ||
| 3 | "Bitch" | 1.5 | 5.04 | #3 | ||
| 4 | "Great Guy, Yet Dead" | 1.3 | 4.50 | #3 | ||
| 5 | "Regrets, I've Had a Few" | 1.1 | 4.03 | #3 | ||
| 6 | "Shame" | 1.2 | 4.51 | #3 | ||
| 7 | "Wednesday's Child" | 1.3 | 4.86 | #3 | ||
| 8 | "Underwater" | 1.1 | 4.39 | #3 |
Reception
The series premiere was viewed by 6.05 million viewers with a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics and viewers. The series received 66/100 based upon 26 reviews on the website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
indicating the series as generally favourable. Most critics found Maria Bello's performance the strongest factor of the series praising her excellent and intriguing portrayal of Det. Jane Timoney. Mo Fathelbab of BuzzFocus said, "I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the American version of Prime Suspect is my favorite new hour-long show on network television. It may very well be the best new show premiering this fall. It’s a smart, un-condescending cop show that is anchored by a fantastic performance by Maria Bello". Eric Blattberg said, "What makes Prime Suspect compelling enough to see where this show goes is its remarkable cast. This show is not actually bad at all; it's an enjoyable hour, but it's going to need a lot of work to avoid being lost in the shuffle amongst other established police shows. Not to mention the fact that it's up against Thursday heavyweights".
On October 4, 2011, NBC announced that the show's first three episodes will be rerun on Monday nights for the month of October, following the cancellation of The Playboy Club
The Playboy Club
The Playboy Club is an American television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 2011 to October 3, 2011. Set in 1961, the series centers around the employees of the original Playboy Club operating in Chicago....
.
International distribution
| Country | Channel | Premiere date |
|---|---|---|
 AustraliaAustralia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Nine Network Nine Network The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia... |
28 September 2011 |
 CanadaCanada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Global TV Global Television Network Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division... |
22 September 2011 |
 New ZealandNew Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
TV One | Autumn 2011 |