TV Jots

Network’s Got Soul

Memphis Beat, the totally entertaining new George Clooney-produced TNT original crime series, hits the airwaves for the first time at 10pm ET tonight, June 22.

The show stars My Name Is Earl alum Jason Lee as proud Memphis, Tennessee, resident Dwight Hendricks. A dedicated and effective police detective, Dwight lives with his lively mother Paula Ann (Celia Weston of Alice) and moonlights as an accomplished singer of Elvis Presley tunes (which Lee doesn’t actually sing himself, by the way).

Lee and Weston’s fellow cast members include Academy Award nominee Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives) as Dwight’s new boss Lieutenant Tanya Rice, Sam Hennings (Saving Grace) as Dwight’s partner Charlie White, and DJ Qualls (My Name Is Earl, Hustle & Flow) and Abraham Benrubi (Men in Trees, ER) as instantly noticeable — for very different reasons — cops Davey Sutton and JC Lightfoot, respectively.

The first case of the series involves a mistreated elderly woman, whom Dwight admires immensely due to her legendary career as a Memphis-based disc jockey. As Dwight and his partner investigate, viewers learn about the main character and the unique places that Memphis and music hold in his heart.

The pilot episode also introduces the contradictory work styles of Dwight and his boss. Tanya prefers solving crimes in a much more conventional way, although she does eventually warm up a bit to the quirkier charms of her new colleagues and environment.

I watched “It’s Alright Mama” on my computer with headphones, and I’m glad I did because I had to pump up the volume several times. The music that accompanies the action is just as good as the acting and storylines, and it makes Memphis Beat a real winner on several levels. The show is funny, interesting, and quite possibly the next hit for TNT.

Preview a few scenes from the Memphis Beat premiere below and, whatever you do, check out the full episode when it airs.