Steven Seagal Lawman: The Complete Season One

For those who've wondered whether Fox's long-running series COPS would be improved by the addition of a movie star, welcome to the A&E “reality” show Steven Seagal Lawman. It may come as a surprise to many that Seagal, the beefy actor who put his martial arts skills to use in what might be called a meteoric film career (initially soaring and then swiftly sputtering), has for years been a deputy in the sheriff's department of Louisiana's Jefferson Parish, which includes New Orleans. The 13 half-hour episodes from the 2009–10 first season mostly a cinema vérité style as Seagal goes on rounds with his partners, interacts with fellow officers on and off duty, and assists rookies on the firing range. The cops handle the usual run of calls, from domestic disturbances to homicides, but the focus remains on Seagal, who frequently bemoans the mistakes people make, and remarks—with a world-weary sigh—how he hopes they'll change their ways. Occasional digressions also capture Seagal off duty (practicing his guitar and even jamming onstage, for instance), and the series ends with him preparing to go off to California to shoot a movie but promising to return for more “bad guys.” While this is clearly a vanity project of sorts, viewers interested in either Seagal or the nitty-gritty of police work may enjoy it. DVD extras include additional footage. Optional. (F. Swietek)