Why You Should Be Watching NBC's 'Taxi Brooklyn'

Every summer over the past five years or so manages to bring the same predictably sad scenario. NBC premieres a bunch of new programs in July and August and no one seems to notice. Which is a tragedy, since at least one of them every year deserves a much kinder fate.

I could write thousands of words about why this happens, but it really gets down to a couple of factors. Absent a breakout summer scripted series, viewers still think of NBC as being the summer home of reality shows and reruns. And since many of these new programs are either acquired from overseas producers (or Canada), there always seems to be less motivation at the network to make sure these shows get the same attention they would if they were produced by Universal Television and premiering in October.

Which brings us to this summer's cannon fodder, a new procedural drama that in a better world would be at least a modest hit. Instead, "Taxi Brooklyn" has generally been trailing reruns of "Criminal Minds" in the ratings, which is a sad fate for any series.

"Taxi Brooklyn" is very loosely based on the 1988 Luc Besson French film "Taxi." But honestly, that doesn't matter since it's unlikely that many viewers have seen the source material. But the premise of the show will probably be familiar to anyone who watches ABC's long-running cop show "Castle." Although instead of a determined/obsessed cop teaming up with a novelist as she tries to solve her mother's murder, it's a female cop named Caitlyn "Cat" Sullivan (Chyler Leigh, "Grey's Anatomy") teaming up with a mysterious French taxi driver as she tries to solve her father's murder.

I mention these similarities between the two shows not as a criticism of "Taxi Brooklyn." It's to illustrate that in another world, this NBC procedural would find itself the same audience of devoted fans enjoyed by "Castle."

Granted, the show didn't make it easy to fall in love. The first episode set up the relationship between Sullivan and taxi driver Leo Romba (Jacky Ido, Inglourious Basterds) nicely. She arrests him after he makes a getaway from a bank robbery with the suspect in the back seat. Of course, he eventually wins her reluctant trust and he proves to be a charming and bright "consultant." But it's a difficult premise to buy into....at least initially.

It didn't help that the first couple of episodes painted Sullivan as not just driven, but more than a little unpleasant. She scowls, she barks and she certainly doesn't make it easy to form a connection with her. But by last week's episode, Cat had been seen smiling a couple of times and the writers seem to have found the balance in her and in the show that had been lacking early on. Although the one problem the writers haven't solved are the clunky bits of dialogue that manage creep into scenes a bit too frequently.

What ultimately makes "Taxi Brooklyn" a delight to watch is the chemistry between Leigh and Ido. The best actors find that common ground between them and build a chemistry that seems effortless and charming. That's certainly the case here, as the impressively charismatic Ido at first seems to overpower Leigh in every scene. It isn't until you've been watching a bit that you realize her quiet anger is a good match for him and the result is that every scene between them is an example of rock solid acting.

The show has also been helped immensely by some talented ensemble actors. The always wonderful Jennifer Esposito ("Blue Bloods") plays a police forensics expert as well as one of Cat's few friends. And an almost unrecognizable Ally Walker plays her mom Frankie, who does a bit more flirting with Leo than Cat is comfortable witnessing. The one casting misstep is the normally solid actor Bill Heck, who just doesn't seem to find the right chemistry to play Cat's ex-husband (he's also an FBI agent).

Based on the headline, you might have expected me to rave about "Taxi Brooklyn" and declare it the "best new show of the summer." I won't go that far. But "Taxi Brooklyn" is a wonderfully entertaining show that deserves a bigger audience. It's got action, a few laughs, a bit of angst and a level of acting that would make any show proud.

Now all you have to do is watch.

"Taxi Brooklyn" airs on NBC Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. Previous episodes are available on demand, on NBC.com and on Hulu Plus.