Golden Boy: The Complete Series

A most promising and different police drama was prematurely aborted by CBS due to declining ratings (translation: it didn't have a gazillion viewers and wasn't winning its timeslot). With an excellent cast comprising Theo James (Divergent, Underworld), Chi McBride (Boston Public), and Kevin Alejandro (True Blood) among others, an unfolding story told in "future flashforwards" and present time, followed the exploits of a young policeman who ultimately becomes the youngest city Police Commissioner. Produced by Berlanti and Wooton, two highly successful TV show creators, wasn't even enough to keep this show on the air. (CBS could learn a lesson from NBC which has kept various incarnations of Law and Order (save one) on TV regardless of their ratings.) The interaction between McBride as the de facto veteran mentor and James as his novice student, suddenly elevated by chance circumstance, was classic. The conflict between James and Alejandro for future primacy in the dept. was also well done and credible. The show did so well initially in its trial timeslot (Tuesday at 10PM) that CBS decided to leave it there and moved Hawaii 50 to Friday instead (where GB was originally intended to be). In addition to glimpses of the future, we were also shown past events in the life of McBride which explained his current behavior and attitude. (Ironicallly, McBride is now on Hawaii 50.)The characters were all highly 3-dimensional. James, as the attractive, competent, and personable titular character was especially appealing. His relationship with his sister and his romantic involvement with the ex of a jealous attorney added more drama to his story and this show. There were even some humorous moments thanks to McBride who had his own story to tell. As the show built towards its season ending climax which also involved a few cliff hangers as well as a tease about the future state of particular characters, CBS suddenly pulled the plug. GB was only second in its timeslot thanks to the return of Body of Proof on ABC and that wasn't good enough for Les Moonves & Co. To add insult to injury, shortly afterwards ABC (which wasn't going to be outdone by CBS's stupidity) cancelled Body of Proof!Despite the fact that this is the only season of Golden Boy that we will ever have, it is first rate and highly recommended. The stories are varied, hold your attention, and give excellent insight into police matters and politics. It would have made an excellent pairing with Blue Bloods if it had been continued and moved to Fridays just before BB. But TV programmers don't think of their viewers. (Look at the recent cancellation of Dallas on TNT because the ratings dropped without Larry Hagman - big surprise - leaving its audience to wonder about the outcome of several cliffhangers.)

It sucks that this is it. There is no more...I really like everyone in the series because you've seen them in other Cop Dramas as background or lesser character. They finally get their time to shine, and well they do. I really like the time jumps especially since the "Seven Years from Now" is 2018/19 so... anyways take the time watch it and love it for what it is.Does it have flaws? Of course, the "opening" looks like someone did it up in Microsoft Movie Maker and said, "oh it will be fixed in post." Every cliche is played out to a T, and the fact that most of the "future" look like someone put a blue filter over the camera leans to make it "gritty" can be a bit distracting.The good in it though is that it has the Cop drama cliches and plays them like a well formed game of Chess. You have characters that are actually human and have lives that are all to close to home for some, despite the fact that most of them look like they came from a GQ magazine. There are issues such as addiction, adultery, and death that are hard pills for anyone to swallow just put out on display to show the form and shaping of the character and the world around them. I say it's worth the time to watch and just take it in.

If you are a fan of Theo James, you will love the crime series Golden Boy. He is a young detective in New York City on the way up. Conflicts with a rival detective, as well as a troubling family history, sets up some of the drama. Loved the interaction between Walter Clark (Theo) and Don Owen (Chi McBride) his partner. I only gave it 4 stars, because the series was not continued and left some stories hanging.I purchased this series on Amazon after watching Theo James in Sanditon, an adaptation of Jane Austen's last novel. He is a wonderful actor and makes you want to see more of his performances. Check it out on PBS Masterpiece subscription on Prime Video.

This is another show that was cancelled before it's time despite it greatness. I have no idea why CBS cancelled it but it deserved better treatment. Not every new show can have ratings like CSI. The cast was great and full of great actors from many other great shows, but I was very impressed with Theo James character. He did a great job of portraying a generally good person who was willing to do questionable things to do the right thing, and if he got ahead in the process, it only justified the means. His interactions with the other characters on the show is one of the best parts of the show. He has a almost father son relationship with his partner played by Chi McBride, and a very antagonistic relationship with officer played by Kevin Alejandro, who may have been a good or bad guy but was always left in question. In the middle between them was Alejandro's partner played by Bonnie Sommerville who was constantly stuck between them. I wish this show had been given more of a chance to have the story that was being developed more time to play out. Overall very entertaining, an I am very glad that it is finally available since I could never find it on DVD or digital.

My favorite new show--no longer on the air! I never saw this show during the one season it was on, but I'm always looking for a TV 'gem' I might have missed that is now on DVD. I love cop shows, and I love Chi McBride so I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised and found a 'gem'. The story of the youngest NYC Police Commissioner talking to a reporter about the rise of his career in 'flash back'. The episodes are great, with action, corruption, intrigue and always Chi bringing the calm, veteran cop presence to Theo James who becomes the Commissioner 10 yrs later. Is it a bummer the show got cancelled and we don't see any loose ends 'tied up'? Ya, kinda. But what you 'get' is a nearly 10 hour cop show/movie with great characters you'll really enjoy and then its over. It 'ends' just like every other great show, so just enjoy it and don't go in expecting more, and you'll be totally satisfied like I was.

The show was great. The acting was great. The story from the beginning was getting better as the story was being built between the characters. The second last scene leaves a question. Which would have been great to been able to have seen the next series. To bad that the story was cut short. There could have been many different directions that could have continued the story.

Lo unico malo es que no tiene el idioma español, ya sea en audio o en subtitulos, por lo demas es muy bueno, una serie intrigante, con grandes actores y si eres fan de Theo James, debes tenerla sin duda.

I'm so happy with this TV series. I love Theo James.

Looking forward to watching the "Golden" boy!

Great show, way better then expected!