Review by C.J. Bunce

A new cop show has landed on the CW you’ll probably want to check out.  Wild Cards is as formulaic as any network cop series you’ve seen, but it’s the way the series twists the formula, the series stars, and the guy behind the curtain that will keep you coming back for more.  Wild Cards stars Riverdale and The Shannara Chronicles’ Vanessa Morgan as Max Mitchell, a thief and grifter given the opportunity to avoid jail time if she helps a cop with his cases.  The cop is Cole Ellis, played by Murdoch Mysteries and Grey’s Anatomy’s Giacomo Gianniotti, who has been banished to maritime duty for a foible in his recent past.  If he plays along, he may earn his detective badge back.  Like the series Castle, Chuck, and White Collar, the series returns to the trope of the “cop and a tagalong,” here with Morgan bringing the charisma and driving the action.  The first two episodes jump right in with that “will they or won’t they” of Castle, Moonlighting, The X-Files, Bones, Private Eyes, and Whiskey Cavalier.  It’s more action and fun than drama–a good thing that works for this offbeat new series.

Morgan’s quick-talking thief steals every scene.  Gianniotti is relegated to the straight guy role, although he seems to actually like his new partner, something new for the trope.  He’s another cop who lives on a boat a la Harrow, Quincy, Van Der Valk, Foul Play, Detective Forst, etc.  Wild Cards is led by one of the best TV execs in the business: Shawn Piller of Haven, The Dead Zone, and more on point, the similar-in-tone Canadian series Private Eyes.  It shows in the production quality and scripts, with Michael Konyves (Law & Order: Organized Crime) as showrunner.  It’s all filmed in Canada, but like many shows it appears to be doubling for some unnamed U.S. city.  One reference is made to New England and Maine.

The first two episodes establish this is a crime-of-the-week show, one that will be familiar to fans of recent mystery series with a tall, dark, and handsome male cop and an intelligent woman who isn’t, but has deep understanding and interest in mystery solving.  If you like Hallmark Channel shows Murder 101, Crossword Mysteries, and Murder She Baked, this is for you.

But Morgan lays it all out there, as much as Shawn the zany psychic of the Psych series, able to swap personas at the drop of a dime like Fletch.  She’s expressive, stylish, and clever, a lot like the leads of L.A.’s Finest–she really owns the show.  Look for Private Eyes’ Jason Priestley as Max’s curiously sweet and supportive father, who is in jail and somehow can call her via cell phone and maintain his great hair, with Terry Chen (Jessica Jones, Kung Fu, The Expanse) as the police chief, and Karin Konoval (Planet of the Apes movie trilogy, The Dead Zone, The X-Files, Snowpiercer) as the police commissioner.  Also look for a recurring, fantastic cat named Marc, played by a Devon Rex named Jonesy, who lives with Ellis on his boat.

So will this be another short-lived effort, or the next Castle? 

If you’re looking for the next upbeat, light-touch action series to add to your weekly viewing line-up, with the fun of Leverage, White Collar, Burn Notice, and yes, Castle and Psych, this may be for you.  Wild Cards airs Wednesdays on the CW, streaming next day on the CW app, where you can catch up on the first two episodes now.