The Job

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The Job is a single-camera television comedy about a New York City police officer named Mike McNeil (Denis Leary) -- who indulges in adultery, alcohol, cigarettes and prescription drug abuse—and his fellow 'bumbling detective' pals. The show, which appeared to borrow the tone and look of NYPD Blue for semi-satirical purposes, was built around the Mike McNeil character, but relied on a strong ensemble cast. The show filmed entirely on location in New York City.

It aired in the U.S. on ABC from 2001 until its cancellation in 2002. ABC heavily promoted the formula-defying show in the beginning, but its ratings plunged very soon after its debut. The show was respected by many TV critics anyway, due to its 'real life'-like dialogue, multi-dimensional characters, and understated-yet-sharp wit. Episodes often produced hysterical laughs at unexpected points in the plot, and succeeded in making its amoral protagonist appealing to viewers who would never want to know such a person in their real lives. The series debuted in the spring of 2001 with 6 episodes, and was renewed for the following season. However, in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the show's second season premiere was pulled, and the second season did not air until the spring of 2002. At the time, the ABC network was trying to modify its schedule to reflect the more family-friendly programming its parent corporation, Disney, was known for.

The complete series (19 episodes) was released on DVD in the U.S. in May 2005. Although the series' approach was rather novel for its time, aspects of it parallel (at times) other offbeat series like Seinfeld, Nip/Tuck, and Arrested Development. Other cast members include Bill Nunn, Lenny Clarke, Diane Farr, Adam Ferrara, John Ortiz, Julian Acosta, Keith David, Wendy Makkena and Karyn Parsons. Many of the principal actors went on to either star or guest star in the FX network's Denis Leary-produced Rescue Me. In Rescue Me, the lead character (played by Leary) is very similar to Mike McNeil, but is a fireman. The 2009 dramedy The Unusuals was crafted very much like The Job in style and tone. Much like The Job it had a unseen wise cracking police dispatcher commenting on the various police calls in the beginning of each act in the episodes.

External links

• The Job at the Internet Movie Database
• The Job at TV.com

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