Chicago P.D.: Season Two

As a down-and-dirty cop saga with sharp edges all around, Chicago P.D. illustrates how scripted network dramas are bulging at the traditional seams—i.e., it's not quite premium pay TV material, but the full-bore second season sports enough action and rich characterization to satisfy aficionados of serious crime drama. Plenty of villainy is on hand to keep steely-eyed sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) angry and his crack intelligence squad hopping, starting with the unsolved murder of one of their own (last season's finale). Tasked with battling gangs, terrorism, and unseen street threats, the unit faces off with an array of dangerous hombres (teeth gritted and guns blazing). Bombings and drug trafficking vie with pedophilia and grisly sexual violence for their attention. As part of maestro Dick Wolf's TV show family, they receive help from heroes on other series, including Chicago Fire and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, in crossover episodes. The ensemble cast is first-rate, with standouts including Elias Koteas and John Seda as hard-ass investigators, Amy Morton as a lovably gruff desk sergeant, and Brian Geraghty as a uniformed officer who runs a personal protection security business on the side. Compiling all 23 episodes from the 2014-15 second season, extras include crossover episodes, and a behind-the-scenes featurette. Recommended. (T. Fry)