Motive

After a successful run on CTV in Canada, ABC has decided to import the first season of the police procedural drama Motive for the 2013 summer schedule.  Much like the television classic Columbo, Motive reveals the killers and victims at the onset of the program.  Viewers are then able to focus on the more interesting aspects of the story like the reason behind the crime and how the investigators were able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.  This exciting and refreshing change of pace make Motive stand out amongst the plethora of crime procedurals flooding the television landscape.

The premiere episode entitled "Creeping Tom" can be seen this coming Monday, May 20, 2013 on ABC at 10 PM ET/9 PM CT.  The killer is revealed to be a member of the high school band while the victim is a drunken man singing karaoke at a bar with friends.  That’s all I’ll reveal about the storyline; figuring out the how and why is the fun of the show.  Taking place in Vancouver, Motive closely follows the life of Detective Angela Flynn (Kristin Lehman, AMC’s The Killing).  Flynn has an entertaining partnership with Detective Oscar Vega (Louis Ferreira, Saw IV) – the sort of hardened relationship forged by years of hunting down criminals.  Rounding out the cast is Lauren Holly (Dumb & Dumber) as medical examiner Dr. Betty Rogers and Roger Cross (FOX’s 24) as the leader of the team – Staff Sergeant Boyd Bloom.

Effective editing is the unsung hero of Motive.  Viewers are transported from the current investigation to scenes from the past seamlessly without confusion.  Although I wouldn’t classify the style of the show as a simple paint by numbers type of approach, the storylines are not convoluted enough to lose the audience’s attention.  To put it simply, Motive is entertaining without overworking your noggin.  Although only one episode into the series, Lauren Holly as the medical examiner will undoubtedly become the most popular character.  Dr. Rogers is an oddball of sorts who is great at her job, yet unafraid to haze rookie detectives or make flirtatious remarks at officers.
 
The only snag with the series thus far are the performances of the teenage characters on the show.  Unlike the majority of the main cast, the teens are superficial and lack any sort of depth.  The worst offense occurred when a teen delinquent was talking about obtaining “the chronic” in such a way that it must have been written by someone out of touch and middle-aged.  Thankfully, the teens aren’t the main focus of the show and can be easily overlooked.  Recommended for fans of investigative procedurals and anyone looking for a fresh spin on a tired genre.