Republic of Doyle premiere

Back in November, I blogged about an upcoming show on Canada's CBC channel, called REPUBLIC OF DOYLE. Well, it premiered last night and was everything I hoped it would be. Smart, funny, fast-paced, with likable actors and a great setting -- St. John's, Newfoundland. The show follows a father-son PI team, and as the CBC's website describes, "REPUBLIC OF DOYLE combines the retro cool crime vibe of classic investigative shows like THE ROCKFORD FILES with the contemporary dramatic/comedic edge of RESCUE ME and CALIFORNICATION, producing a blend of intriguing episodic mysteries woven with the always evolving (and sometimes regressing) relationship turmoil and dynamics of the fiery Doyle clan."

I think that's a pretty apt description, although I think it has even more in common with USA's slate of character-driven shows. In fact, if the people at USA Network were smart, they'd snatch this show up. It would fit in perfectly alongside WHITE COLLAR, BURN NOTICE, IN PLAIN SIGHT, and the rest of their line-up.

I realize most of the people reading this won't have access to CBC, but the channel's getting better about releasing their shows on DVD, so if/when that happens, I'll be sure to post another heads-up.