APB: “There isn’t anything like it out there”
By Samantha Ofole Prince
“There isn’t anything like it out there,” says Ernie Hudson on his new cop show “APB”
It’s nearly impossible to scroll through your television channels without coming across a cop show. As evidence indicates, there’s a huge thirst for the genre.
“It was all about cowboys when I was a kid and suddenly it became about a lot of police,” says 71-year-old Ernie Hudson, who plays a police captain in Fox’s “APB,” the latest cop drama to air on television. “I think we are all concerned with crime and what’s going in the communities.”
A series inspired by the New York Times Magazine article “Who Runs the Streets of New Orleans” by David Amsden, “APB” follows an eccentric billionaire engineer (played by Justin Kirk) who after witnessing the murder of his best friend takes charge of the troubled Chicago Police Department with an aim to turn into the city’s most advanced district.
The cast includes Natalie Martinez, Caitlin Stasey, Taylor Handley, Tamberla Perry and Nestor Serrano.
“It’s a show about policing and about some new ideas and there isn’t anything like it out there now,” adds Hudson whose character Ned Conrad is a skeptical police captain (see below).
“He’s a guy who has been around a long time and has seen a breakdown of community policing. He is looking forward to retirement and this creative guy with all these ideas comes in,” Hudson explains. “Most of the department hates the thought of this. He is skeptical, but also sees the possibility that this could work as he knows we need change and sees this as an opportunity to make a direct difference himself.”
With high-tech tools and crime-tracking apps, it’s a series which shows how advanced technology can be applied to old-fashioned police work. For Hudson, who is well known for his role in the 1984 feature film “Ghostbusters,” and this past year’s new version of “Ghostbusters,” that sets it apart from the norm of existing cop dramas.
“Fox came to me and said ‘we like your work and we want to work with you.’ That meant a lot as that does not always happen in this business,” adds the actor who has a long list of television credits that includes “Oz,” “Law & Order,” “Modern Family,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Criminal Minds,” “Key & Peele” and “Grace & Frankie.”
“With so many grievances and so much going on within certain communities, it was important for me that a show like this be on so we can take a look at some of the stuff we are dealing with. This is a different way and a different approach to law enforcement. There are a lot of cop shows, but what I like about our show is that it’s procedural and what our show does is ask if we can try something different. What if we had the financial means and we could use that for the benefit of all people in the community. This show opens the door to have that discussion.”
“APB” airs on the U.S. based Fox Network
