*The new police drama series “On Call” explores the morality of protecting and serving a community through a gripping storyline and innovative storytelling. The series follows a rookie and veteran officer duo on patrol in Long Beach, California, incorporating a mixture of bodycam, dash-camera, and cellphone footage to create a cinema verité effect.
Eriq La Salle, known for his iconic roles in “ER” and “Logan,” plays Sergeant Lasman and serves as an executive producer for the series, which debuted on Prime Video globally on January 9.
“This show is neither pro-cop or anti-cop,” La Salle told EUR exclusively. “We’re not trying to make any statements. We’re not trying to make any stands and we’re not trying to glorify cops and we’re not trying to demonize cops. We’re just telling stories,” he explained.
“One thing that we do in our storytelling is show how integrated community is with the people that’s charged with the responsibility of protecting and policing,” the actor said.
The series stars Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars) as Officer “Traci Harmon,” a seasoned twelve-year veteran and training officer with a strong moral compass that has defined her approach to policing, even if that puts her at odds with new law enforcement policies. Brandon Larracuente (The Good Doctor) stars as “Alex Diaz,” an ambitious rookie who grapples with holding onto his optimistic outlook as he realizes the challenges he’ll face in today’s climate. Watch the trailer below.
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The city of Long Beach serves as another character in the series. The narrative seamlessly incorporates real-life footage from police body cameras, car dashes, and cell phones to enhance the realism of the action. La Salle and the cast even rode along with actual Long Beach police officers and the real PD calls were an inspiration for the show.
“I walked away from that situation understanding how difficult it is and how impactful, good or bad,” La Salle said of policing.
“We went to Long Beach and I did my ride-along with this badass woman. I think we did a 10-hour shift. There were so many calls in that 10-hour shift that by the end of the day, I forgot some of the things that we did…some were super small, some medium, some big, gun draw. I had the gamut. It helps to inform your point of view because it shows the highs, lows, the ups and downs,” he continued.
“We get these glimpses and these glimpses help inform our accuracy in trying to depict these men and women of law enforcement.”
“On Call” is Wolf Entertainment’s first scripted streaming series co-created by Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, with La Salle executive producing with Dick Wolf and Peter Jankowski. In the clip below, Eriq shared more insights into the series’ exploration of the complexities of policing in contemporary America.
You can now watch all eight episodes of “On Call” on Prime Video.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: Troian Bellisario and Brandon Larracuente Team Up for Prime Video’s New Police Drama Series ‘On Call’ | EUR Video Exclusive
