Rather loosely based on the 1987 movie starring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin, this USA Network series limped through two seasons, never really attracting a large following but logging some reasonably engaging episodes along the way. Set—like the movie—in New Orleans, The Big Easy stars Tony Crane as Remy McSwain, a smart but casual cop with little regard for the legal niceties of his profession, and Susan Walters as Anne Osbourne, a special prosecutor attached to the local D.A.'s office to make sure that the city's seemingly lackadaisical police department doesn't bungle slam-dunk cases. Barry Corbin appeared in some episodes as Sheriff C.D. LeBlanc, lending some welcome gravitas and professionalism to the cast. Although stories of local crime and corruption were not ignored, the 22 episodes from the 1996-97 first season seemed to feature a preponderance of whodunits, some of them cleverly written to play off easily recognizable movies. “Driving Miss Money,” for example, found McSwain and Osbourne investigating the murder of a wealthy, elderly woman and fingering her chauffeur as the likely suspect. But other episodes highlighted some of the city's more colorful characters, such as “Cinderfella,” in which a transvestite is suspected of killing a groom at his own bachelor party. The series pushed the envelope somewhat with regard to violence and eroticism—there are some downright steamy sequences here—but it failed to sustain the quality of writing that distinguishes first-rate TV dramas from run-of-the-mill fodder. Optional. (E. Hulse)
The Big Easy: The Complete First Season
MPI, 4 discs, 960 min., not rated, DVD: $49.98 Volume 23, Issue 5
The Big Easy: The Complete First Season
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