“I think each of our characters has a little bit of Sipowicz in them that we're going to slowly reveal over the course of the season,” East New York co-creator Mike Flynn said during a TCA press conference. From the producorial team behind NYPD: Blue, this new CBS drama takes a more multifaceted approach to your typical cop drama, set in Brooklyn. “There're certain disparities or certain characteristics that, depending on the decisions that they make and the cases that they solve and work, may not have the exact results that they may be looking for.“ At its core, East New York is a series about a police force trying to do right by the people they serve.
(CBS)
“We're telling stories about a community and the cops who are in the middle of that,” shared co-creator William Finkelstein, revealing that one of the characters in the show actually moves into the neighborhood they protect. “How much does it change if they are of the place that they are serving as opposed to coming into it and leaving it every day? There's enough that that generates in terms of story and character. What we're trying to do is extrapolate it out from there and see what does this change. How do we change the perception of cops looking at the people who live in this community? How do we change the perception of the people looking at cops? That's the business of the series. And we hope that we'll be judged on the kinds of possibilities that that sets into motion.”
Among the characters in the series is ambitious patrol officer Brandy Quinlan, played by Olivia Luccardi, who accepts her job with the caveat that she lives in the neighborhood. “I am so fortunate that I had a friend open up his home to me while I'm here filming for a bit,” Olivia said of the challenge of finding affordable housing in the city. “The apartment situation in New York is the craziest I've ever seen it, and I'm from here, so it's pretty insane. I think Quinlan was smart about taking it and being part of the community and getting to explore those ties.”
East New York is centered around Deputy Inspector Regina Haywood, the newly promoted boss of the 74th Precinct in East New York, played by Amanda Warren. “It's a lot of work, but it's been the best time ever,” the Gossip Girl actress explained about playing the lead, revealing that she started waking up at 3:00 am to do physical training in preparation for the role. “Going to work every single day is what I dreamed of, so it's a good type of exhaustion. We all come to work, and then we all leave with nothing left in the tank. We all give it our all, and we are just very excited for all of you to get to see it.”
“People get into law enforcement to be, as President Obama said, a guardian, not a warrior,” quoted Jimmy Smits, an actor who’s no stranger to playing law enforcement and who worked with the creative team before on NYPD: Blue. “Those are the stories that Mike and Billy and our group of writers are really wanting to tell, that dynamic that happens when you encounter law enforcement, usually at times when you need help the most, and what happens there. And I think the stories that we've been going through in the past couple of weeks in terms of filming touch on all of those and how there has to be a shift in the paradigm in the way law enforcement perceives the people they're supposed to be helping. All of our actors have been dealing in those particular scenes for weeks right now.”
“This is one of the greatest gifts I've been given ever,” boasted Richard Kind, famous for roles on sitcoms like Mad About You and Spin City. “Because of my resume, I'm primarily known for comedy. This show has allowed me to do what I think I can do, what I hope I'm doing well, and I couldn't be prouder. I couldn't be prouder to represent a police department, to represent this show, the city of New York, the policemen of New York, and policemen in general. I am as proud as can be.”
“It changes in front of you, and yet the soul of New York is there,” Elizabeth Rodriguez said of the city’s ever-changing state, playing detective Crystal Morales in the series. “The people that are born and raised in New York, you can't take that away. They're there still, even if you see buildings and neighborhoods shift, I feel like you know who they are if you're from there. You walk down that street and you know who they are. I didn't spend much time in Brooklyn, but you go to these neighborhoods, which I think is part of the reason why choosing East New York feels like it's the least changed neighborhood of maybe a handful. It's on character, and it feels right. Shooting in the streets was amazing and seeing the people from the neighborhood. We have an actor that was born and raised just a few blocks away and it's just so exciting. It feels more authentic than filming anywhere else.”
East New York premieres Sunday, October 2nd, at 9:30/8:30c on CBS and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.