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Series Captures Life As A Rookie Tampa Cop

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By WALT BELCHER

wbelcher@tampatrib.com

Published: October 14, 2008

On the opening episode of "The Rookies," a young Tampa cop gets fingerprint dust all over his face and another gets a lesson in how to use handcuffs.

One also encounters his first dead body.

This new reality series, debuting Oct. 21 on A&E, will follow eight rookies who joined the Tampa police force last year.

Among those profiled from Tampa are former schoolteacher Hugh Herndon and former restaurant manager A.J. Cafaro. Both are featured on the first episode.

Viewers will see that police work is demanding, especially when learning how to use a taser. Also, not all of the rookies stay with the job.

Producer Leslie Greif says the goal of the series is to show what law enforcement faces and why we should respect and appreciate the cops who work the streets.

Cameras follow the rookies as they go out on the street for the first time. They encounter drunks, hostage situations, drug users, dead bodies and other types of crime.

Each half-hour episode is divided between Tampa and Jefferson Parish, La.

Production on the series began last fall and carried over into 2008.

Tampa Police Department spokesperson Laura McElroy says the production company contacted the department last year about participating in "The Rookies," and "what we liked about the series was it shows that the police are people, too."

"It shows the human side as well as the difficulties of the job," she says. "You can see what it takes to be a cop."

ELI'S COMING: ABC's quirky, musical fantasy drama, "Eli Stone," returns at 10 tonight with Sigourney Weaver in a guest role as Eli's new therapist.

Eli lost his license and can't practice law until his sanity is established.

Eli (Jonny Lee Miller) is a decent lawyer who started having "visions" that involved musical numbers and prophecies.

Is he getting messages from God? And, if so, why is Eli's muse singer George Michael?

Probably because Michael's biggest hit was "Faith." And faith is what Eli has even though science says his visions were caused by a brain aneurysm.

Last season's cliffhanger had Eli undergoing brain surgery that left him in a coma. He came out of it but may not have his special "gift."

His brother Nate (Matt Letscher) starts getting the visions and sees danger at a bank where Eli's boss, Jordan Wethersby (Victor Garber), is taking on a sleazy banker who has been swindling people with subprime mortgages.

Next week, Katie Holmes (Mrs. Tom Cruise) gets to sing and dance in a fantasy sequence.

HEROES: Let's just say that "Heroes" has jumped the shark. It's not dead yet. But it's going to die, probably by the end of this season.

The ratings are down and continuing to drop.

The NBC drama is doomed in its present cumbersome and confounding form.

Last season was dreadfully dull with the various "Heroes" characters scattered through time and space on various adventures.

Before this season started, the producers and cast said the writers strike helped focus attention on bringing back the original sizzle of the first season.

Not so.

This third season is actually worse than the last. There's too much time travel. Characters who were heroes are becoming villains, and the villains are now heroes.

And there's no focus at all. Characters from the past and the future keep rolling in and out. It's confusing for all but the devoted cultist. And there's no way it's going to pick up any new viewers.

TUNE IN TONIGHT

Frontline: The Choice 2008,

9 p.m., WEDU, Channel 3

The veteran PBS documentary series profiles Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama. It should be the most comprehensive look at them so far.

Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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