Pop quiz: what the heck does A&E stand for? If you read my question literally, you shouted at your computer ‘Arts and Entertainment!’, and you were right! If you read it figuratively, and responded ‘Nothing, apparently!’, you’re right again!
The cable channel, which started in 1984 with a focus on on “fine” (read: boring) arts, has transformed itself recently into a cable channel pretty much indistinguishable from any other, airing such “fine” entertainments as ‘Criss Angel: Mindfreak’ and ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter.’ Now A&E is once again riding the coattails of its fellow networks, developing three original dramas, the first since 2002.
The two most recent acquisitions, ‘The Beast’ and ‘The Cleaner,’ sport radically different premises. ‘The Beast’ follows an unorthodox FBI agent who puts his new partner through training hell while under investigation himself; the script was written by Vincent Angell and William Rotko, who also wrote the similarly-themed Breach, released earlier this year. The second pilot, ‘The Cleaner,’ is written and executive produced Robert Munic ("For Life") and Jonathan Prince ("American Dreams"), according to The Hollywood Reporter. The main character is William, based on a real “interventionalist” who struck a deal with God and agreed to help others beat their own addictions after hitting rock bottom themselves.
The two newest pilots join ‘Danny Fricke,’ which was picked up by the network in July; that show stars a female detective who is sleeping with her boss while trying to be taken seriously by her sexist coworkers, all while working on her first case.
This year has been stellar for original dramas on cable, and you can’t blame A&E for wanting a slice of the pie. Still, they could use with a few, well, original ideas. ‘Danny Fricke’ sounds an awful lot like ‘The Closer,’ at least regarding tough female detectives, and ‘The Beast’ isn’t only reminiscent of the movie Breach, but of the current ‘The Company,’ which looks at the inner workings of the FBI. I’m all for new dramas on cable rather than constant ‘Law & Order’ re-runs (though won’t we all miss Fred Thompson on TV once he enters the presidential race?), but there’s only so much of a wave to ride here. If these new A&E shows are the knockoffs they have the potential to be, the network may be headed for a wipeout.
