Murder police in Detroit

I finally saw the pilot for "Detroit 187," which airs its second episode tonight. I thought I would offer a late grade/review for those thinking about tuning in.

Detroit 187 (C) — This show tries too hard to be gritty. Of course, it's hard to judge too harshly as the original premise for the show — a documentary crew follows homicide detectives in Detroit — had to be scrapped due to a real life incident. The pilot obviously bears the marks of the original premise, so it will be interesting to see how it changes. This show wants to be a more serious, gritty police drama. That fits with Detroit, one of the most economically depressed major cities in the United States. There were elements of the pilot that worked well, and the premise has potential. But the first case(s) were too obvious and I felt like the show was trying too hard to be edgy most of the time. You either are a gritty crime drama or you aren't, it can't be forced. Michael Imperioli is working pretty hard to make us forget "The Sopranos." The show has potential, or it could careen into an embankment. We'll have a better idea tonight.

"Detroit 187" airs on ABC at 10 p.m. ABC launches another new show tonight, "No Ordinary Family," which seeks to fill the "Heroes" void. We shall see. My new pilot/second episode grades will be added on Saturday.