Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Bulletproof’ On The CW, A Buddy Cop Dramedy That Feels Like A British ‘Bad Boys’

We like shows that are pure entertainment. Despite all the shows about odd fetishes, antiheroes, people just trying to get by, and other topics, sometimes you just want chases and shoot ’em ups. But what do those shows need to be successful on TV nowadays? And does the CW’s newest British import, Bulletproof, have those things? Read on for more…

BULLETPROOF: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Two friends are sparring at a boxing gym, and one is being more aggressive than the other.

The Gist: Aaron Bishop (Noel Clarke) and Ronnie Pike (Ashley Walters) are detectives in the National Crime Agency, working tough cases in East London. They’re not just partners, but also friends. In fact, they’re so close that they consider each other brothers. That doesn’t prevent one from screaming at the other to stop driving like a maniac, even during a chase. Despite the fact that they’re so close, the two men are very different; Pike is a family man who wants to ascend the ranks of the police department like his father Ronald (Clarke Peters) did, but put his own stamp on the job. Bishop is single and loving it, and grew up in foster care and on the streets.

But both are savvy, sometimes reckless, but their boss, Sarah Tanner (Lindsey Coulson) usually has them leading on some tough cases involving organized crime and other hardened criminals. The two of them are called by one of their best informants and she tells them she”s fearing for her safety. As soon as she separates from them, though, she’s hit by a speeding car. After trying to chase the car down, they look into the case, and find she was going to blow the lid off a car theft ring.

Investigating that ring involves stakeouts, shootouts, chases, and an officer getting hurt. That officer, Jonsey (David Elliot), also happens to be who he thinks his girlfriend might be having an affair with, though she says the “Jonsey” on her phone was an old friend.

Our Take: Clarke and Walters created Bulletproof with Nick Love (The Sweeney); the two of them have said in interviews that they wanted to have a similar vibe to Bad Boys or Lethal Weapon, and that’s what they pretty much achieved here. Two buddies, fighting crime and having each other’s backs, while bantering and joking with each other, especially during the most stressful situations.

Bulletproof, first broadcast on Sky One in the UK in 2018 (a second season is on the way), is one of those shows that’s a big shrug. It’s mostly a case-of-the-week format, with the backstories of Bishop and Pike edging into the show when needed. There’s lots of fun car chases — the two of them drive a Mini after putting their BMW out of commission — shootouts that makes little sense in the real world, and lots of joking around.

It’s one of those shows that you let wash over you when you’re not thinking too hard, and the chemistry between Clarke and Walters will keep our interest. But there isn’t a ton about this show that distinguishes it from any other procedural out there.

Sex and Skin: Pike and his wife Arjana (Lashana Lynch) take a bath together, but that’s about it.

Parting Shot: Bishop, feeling guilty about getting Joney shot, goes to his hospital room and sees his girlfriend at the side of the bed.

Sleeper Star: We love Coulson just for her entrance. She arrives at the crime scene with her dog; when Bishop asks her what that is, she dryly replies, “It’s a dog, Bishop. I’m old and I’m lonely. It’s what happens.”

Most Pilot-y Line: Nothing stands out, about this pilot. At all.

Our Call: SKIP IT. While Bulletproof is fine, there are other shows just like it all over network, cable and streaming.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, VanityFair.com, Playboy.com, Fast Company’s Co.Create and elsewhere.

Stream Bulletproof on The CW