Public Morals

This drama series doesn’t break any new ground in the heavily populated crime-drama genre, but it does put some appealing new faces out there for fans. The show's best asset is its very capable cast, led by writer-director Burns and boasting the likes of Brian Dennehy, Kevin Corrigan, and Wass Stevens. Although the story devotes most of its time to Terry's work life, the scenes of him at home are unexpected gems, showing a softer side to the hardened character and inviting some believable back-and-forth with his decidedly unstereotypical-for-the-era wife, Christine (Elizabeth Masucci). The downside? With so many characters vying for screen time, the story feels rushed and muddled at times.  

Clearly Public Morals is intended for an older audience, making its ambiguous morality much less a concern than it otherwise would be. Even so, the content raises some quandaries that might give you pause, particularly when it comes to the relationship between what's wrong and what's illegal. As the so-called law enforcers monitor what they call the city's "victimless crimes," you're left to ponder whether that claim is true.