According to Beth Heyn at Heavy, the new Fox show “Deputy” premiered January 2, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET. The show’s star is Stephen Dorff who plays L.A. sheriff Bill Hollister. He’s kind of a modern-day Wyatt Earp who cares a lot more about catching lots of bad guys than he does about playing departmental politics. His style leans more toward driving a vintage Ford Bronco than traveling around the L.A. city streets in a new sheriff’s car or a Fed-style black Suburban. He’s just a cowboy boot-wearing kick-ass cop with an attitude and a no-nonsense approach to everything related to the law and his tireless pursuit of justice.
1. What is “Deputy” All About?
According to Jessie Mendoza at StarTattle, “Deputy” is a new and exciting TV drama that is the creation of Will Beall. This modern-day police drama is a well-crafted blend modern-day attitude, classic Western spirit, and gritty authenticity. When the top-dog L.A. County Sheriff passes away quite suddenly, a mostly forgotten rule from way back in the days of the Wild West, a very unlikely candidate by the name of Bill Hollister inherits that job. He’s a fifth-generation lawman and ends up leading a highly-skilled (and much more modernized and tech-savvy) team of complicated and very ambitious people who work under him. The one thing that they all have in common is that none of them will ever rest until justice has been served.
2. When Did the “Deputy” Project Development Start?
This project began development in October 2018 but the saga really began when Fox greenlighted the pilot in January 2019, then ordering the series in May 2019. The pilot was written by executive producers Ayer and Beall, as well as by Barry Schindel and Chris Long.
3. Where Does “Deputy” Take Place?
It takes place in Los Angeles, CA. There are, of course, many shots of the wild wild streets of L.A. Interiors include Sheriff Hollister’s home and theSheriff’s station among others.
4. Who is Stephen Dorff?
Dorff is probably best known for playing:
- The HBO crime drama series “True Detective” (Season 3) (character-Roland West)
- “The Power of One” (character-PK)
- “Backbeat” (character- Stuart Sutcliffe)
- “Somewhere” (character-Johnny Marco)
- “Blade” ( character-Deacon Frost)
- “Immortals” (character-Stavros)
He also had featured roles in S.F.W., The Motel Life, Space Truckers, and Cecil B. DeMented.
5. Who Else is in the Cast?
The other cast members, who Fox announced in March 2019, include:
- Shane Paul McGhie plays Deputy Joseph Harris (rookie deputy and Bill’s late partner’ son)
- Siena Goines as Deputy Rachel Delgado (Ward’s partner)
- Mark Moses playing Undersheriff Jerry London (who views Bill with contempt because he refuses to follow police procedures and has no respect for bureaucratic rules)
- Yara Martinez playing Dr. Paula Reyes (trauma surgeon and supportive wife)
- Bex Taylor-Klaus as Deputy Brianna Bishop (a seasoned Sheriff’s office investigator assigned to Bill Hollister’s personal security detail)
- Brian Van Holt playing Deputy Cade Ward (ex-Marine and now sheriff’s deputy)
6. Who is the Director of Episode #1?
David Ayer directed episode #1. Further, the production companies involved in “Deputy” include Fox Entertainment, Carcharodon Films, Cedar Park Entertainment, and Entertainment One. The distributor of the show is Entertainment One. Episode #1 had a running time of 44 minutes and was shot using a single camera setup.
7. When Was the Trailer Released?
On May 13, 2019, Fox released the first official trailer for the series. On October 22, 2019, Fox also released a preview clip that confirmed the show’s January premiere.
8. What Happens in the First Episode?
The first episode entitled “Graduation Day”, written by Will Beall and directed by David Ayer chronicles the sudden death of Hollister’s superior in the L.A. Sheriff Department. As per longstanding statutes, Bill is appointed sheriff for the time-being until the next election because he’s the deceased Sheriff’s longest-standing deputy. At that point, Bill has to balance chasing bad guys with playing police politics. He can be seen defying protocol at every turn but gets into a bit of hot water when he participates in a raid on a gangbanger hideout where a local gangster is shot down and dies right in front of his kids. Always having a common sense answer to every situation, Bill end up encouraging his good friend Cade to think about adopting them because he and his spouse are facing difficulties in conceiving. Meanwhile, Bill has a godson named Joseph who is just graduating from the academy and becoming a deputy. His mother begs Bill to fire him before he end up like his father who was killed in the line of duty but Bill doesn’t comply with her wishes. Then, Joseph is brutally attacked at the county jail while he’s on-duty. Following the shutting down of an ICE operation, Bill, Bishop, and Cade are involved in a mounted assault (very old West style) where they end up rescuing a young girl who had been kidnapped. She’s the daughter of a money launderer for the cartel. At the end of the show, Cade talks to his newly adopted son about revenge and Bill keeps Joseph from quitting the department, however he does refuse to expose him further by putting him on the front lines.
9. How Was it Rated by Critics?
Rotten Tomatoes gave “Deputy” a 30 percent approval rating and a 5/10 average rating. This was based on ten reviews. Metacritic gave it a 72 out of 100 average score. That was based on eight critics and this indicates that the show received “generally favorable reviews”.
10. What About Future Episodes?
According to Wikipedia, the following three episodes have been announced:
- Episode # 2- January 9, 2020: “10-8 Outlaws”
- Episode #3- January 16, 2020: “Deputy Down”
- Episode #4- January 23, 2020: “10-8 Firestone”
So, in closing, why take our word for it? Tune in yourself to Fox at 8 p.m. ET. on January, 9, 16, 23, and in the following months as well. You’re sure to enjoy “Deputy” as much as we did!
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