TV Review - Whiskey Cavalier

In my review of The Enemy Within, I pointed out the over-abundance of TV shows about FBI agents in police procedural shows. This had the potential of being yet another one. This series isn't as deadly serious as The Enemy Within. This series has a more comedic tone. In addition to having crime-fighting aspects to it, it's pulled along by writer-producer David Hemingson who has a comedic background. Hemingson has worked on sitcoms like Just Shoot Me and How I Met Your Mother. He's trying to utilize those funny sensibilities into action capers not unlike Out of Sight (1998) or even buddy cop films like Lethal Weapon (1987), Rush Hour (1998) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). Hemingson's series does nail those sensibilities quite well here.

Scott Foley (Scandal and Felicity) stars as Will Chase, a FBI agent who gets assignments all over the world. If you've seen Foley in Scandal, you can see that he's not doing much more here than he did in that previous series. He is able to play more on his humorous side. He's tall, dark and handsome. He's smooth, suave and also very action-oriented, trained in martial arts and marksmanship. He's a super spy like his Jake Ballard from Scandal. Since Hemingson worked on American Dad!, co-created by Seth MacFarlane, Will Chase could also be considered what MacFarlane would imagine Ethan Hunt from Mission: Impossible or what James Bond from Casino Royale would be. Or else, he's a more modern version of Captain America, as referenced in the first episode.

It's not that Will is a caricature of a spy but he is a tad ridiculous at times. He's too good at his job and he mostly breezes through what would be really serious, life-or-death situations. What anchors him a bit is his emotional side. Apparently, he's a bad-ass assassin with a heart of gold. This emotional side seems to be extended only to beautiful women, especially beautiful women with whom he has some romantic interest. It seems to be something that's going to interfere with his job but so far Hemingson hasn't made that much of a hitch or Achilles' heel out of it. It seems to be only used as a punchline more than anything else.

Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead and The Vampire Diaries) co-stars as Frankie Trowbridge, a CIA agent who is the female equivalent to James Bond or Ethan Hunt. She is in fact equal in abilities to Will, if not slightly better. She crosses paths with Will during a mission involving a hacker who stole international secrets that were very valuable. She isn't as emotional as Will. She's colder and more about doing the mission and doing it well. She's arguably more cynical.

The first episode really pitted Will against Frankie in what could have been dubbed a live-action version of Spy Vs. Spy, the comical story in Mad magazine. However, the two are teamed up and have to work together. Seeing their personality clashes is part of the fun so far. There are quips, jokes and snappy one-liners that go back and forth, which aid in the fun and enjoyment. The mixing of the cool personalities of the supporting characters also aids in the fun and enjoyment.

Tyler James Williams (Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Everybody Hates Chris) also co-stars as Edgar Standish, the aforementioned hacker whom Will and Frankie meet in the first episode. Like with many skilled hackers, he's incorporated into the team. He's like Ennis Esmer's character in the TV series Blindspot. Williams also feels much like his character in Dear White People, but not as anxious or timid. He's a hacker but he doesn't come across as the stereotypical nerd. He's confident and even sexy in that he can smooth talk women. His conflict comes with him having to break free of that stereotype, which everyone puts on him.

Vir Das is a standup comedian from India. He plays Jai Datta. If this were a James Bond film like Skyfall (2012), Jai would be the equivalent of Q. Jai provides all the gadgets and hardware for the missions. The gadgets are similar to those that Bond uses. Despite being into tech, he doesn't come across as a nerd-type either. He's smooth and handsome like Will is. He comes across as being a kind of Indian James Bond himself.

Ana Ortiz (Devious Maids and Ugly Betty) plays Susan Sampson, a FBI agent who is a member of the team but is more in a supervising or advisory role. She goes out into the field with Will and Frankie, but she acts more as moral support or as a counselor than just another gun-wielding or punch-throwing agent.

What helps the show is that it isn't limited to one city. The series is set in international locations and the show seems to shoot in those actual locations, whether it's Paris, London, Prague or Rome. Blindspot has been doing the same thing to a lesser extent. This seems to be set in a different, foreign city in every episode. It gives the show some color, some flavor and an extra kick that makes you want to look at all the interesting vistas and sights. It's not just stock footage from aerial drones. No, the actors really are in those locations and utilizing them in most cases, which gives the series a bit more authenticity.

Rated TV-14-LV.
Running Time: 1 hr.
Wednesdays at 10PM on ABC.