‘Line of Fire’ Season 1 Review: Your Typical Network Drama With An Engaging Mystery

You have to wonder why network television still sticks to the tried-and-true formula—which isn’t exactly tried-and-true anymore. Take NBC’s Line of Fire, for example: your typical mainstream drama held together by an engaging mystery. The problem is that, if you know anything about network television—which certainly isn’t a sure thing nowadays—shows like this tend to have a short shelf life.

So, unlike streaming, it’s hard to review a series when you’re only given a handful of episodes. However, the one thing Line of Fire has going for it is a strong cast, from longtime television veterans to a magnetic young ensemble, along with a backdrop of limitless power and corruption that should keep viewers hooked. The writing also utilizes the cast’s talents, including comic relief and mindful intensity.

While the new series will undoubtedly lean into the story-of-the-week cliché, the likable performances and central story are enough to keep it appointment television until the serialized storyline concludes or is stretched beyond its limits.

The story follows Agent Claire Hollingsworth (American Hostage‘s Kat Cunning), who is called into what seems like a straightforward case by her mother, Jane (Emmy nominee Hope Davis), Deputy Marshal of the United States Marshals Service. A government agent has tracked down a fugitive, and both men are later found dead in the same field. The initial assumption is simple: they shot each other.

But the scene quickly raises questions that suggest something far more complicated. Not nearly as complex, however, is Claire’s father, Mike (Peter Krause of Six Feet Under fame), a Special Agent in the Secret Service who is being pushed toward retirement and the proverbial gold watch—very much against his will. Determined to stay on the job, he tries to use his son, Russ (Taylor Bloom), who has just started a position with the CIA.

How? He uses well-performed passive-aggressive guilt to get the young man to gather information and find a way to stay in the field. Meanwhile, his youngest son, Micah (Watson‘s Tommy O’Brien), is with the Secret Service, assigned to the President’s daughter (Cruel Intentions’s Savannah Lee Smith), who manages to have a secret affair with the coed despite probably having more Flock cameras in one room than any establishment in America.

Line of Fire is from Joshua Safran, who previously served as a writer and executive producer of Gossip Girl. The central mystery revolves around a dead son named Jack, which we won’t touch on here to avoid spoilers from the pilot. This is the most interesting part of the series: a tragedy occurs. Then, the elders of the Hollingsworth clan begin to outflank government agencies investigating their family.

The case-of-the-week mystery in the first episode is creative, while the second episode is a cardboard cutout of almost any episode of Law & Order you can think of, only not nearly as smart, with some eye-rolling blunders. The subplot involving O’Brien’s relationship with “Sparrow,” the chemistry between Davis and Krause, and the comic friction that Krause has with his youngest son keep the chapters fresh, fun, and engaging.

Cunning is the series’ strongest turn. The writers would be wise to center the mystery around her. However, the key is the supporting subplots and family dynamic, which clash with a compelling web of power, corruption, and family secrets. That gives the first episodes of the series its juice, by borrowing from the best of several genres, including spy thriller, soapy drama, and family comedy. All that makes Line of Fire a tangled family mystery worth unraveling.

You can watch Line of Fire on NBC Monday Nights at 10 pm EST/7 pm PST!