Television Hall of Fame inductee and Emmy-winner David E. Kelley (Nine Perfect Strangers, Big Sky, Big Shot) adapts the award-winning international best-seller The Missing File by Dror A Mishani into a new Peacock original series called The Calling, premiering November 10th. Adding to the show’s clout is Oscar and Emmy-winner Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Good Morning Vietnam, Dopesick), who directs several episodes and serves as executive producer. And the series includes a score by Disney Legend and Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl). If you love crime dramas, you’re not going to be able to resist the gravitational pull of The Calling.
(Peacock)
NYPD Detective Avraham Avraham (Jeff Wilbusch, Unorthodox) has an uncanny ability to connect with people. When his boss Captain Kathleen Davies (Karen Robinson, Schitt’s Creek) assigns Janine Harris (Juliana Canfield, Succession) to learn from him, the closed-off detective is forced to let someone else into his methods. And it just so happens to come at the same time as a particularly complicated missing persons case, that of a teenage boy named Vincent (Charlie Besso).
Fans of David E. Kelley know that the prolific writer and producer is able to weave a tantalizing mystery and drama. The Calling is no exception, introducing a host of suspects and giving viewers glimpses into their lives. There are Vincent’s parents (Stephanie Szostak and Steven Pasquale), who weren’t seeing eye-to-eye. Their neighbors, an aspiring writer named Zack (Noel Fisher) who was tutoring Vincent, and his wife Dania (Annabelle Dexter-Jones), who starts to suspect her husband of horrible acts. And then there are Vincent’s peers – a girl he had an upcoming date with, her jealous ex-boyfriend, and cyberbullies. Or perhaps it’s a completely random presence. Avraham’s colleague Earl Malzone (Michael Mosley) seems to suspect a suspicious-looking man (Tony Curran) seen approaching Vincent on a store’s security camera.
The Calling is gritty and compelling, set in New York City in the dead of winter. The cinematography uses muted colors to add to the feelings of unease, with grey skies and an overabundance of earth tones muting out warmer tones. Acting performances are great across the board. If there’s one downside, it’s that The Calling takes two episodes to really hook you into wanting to binge all eight episodes.
(Heidi Gutman/Peacock)
If you’re a fan of crime dramas, you won’t want to sleep on The Calling. This contemporary detective mystery sets itself apart with a Jewish lead character who seems like he has his own secrets to keep. The dynamic between the insular Avraham and his unwanted protégé Janine’s quest to learn his methods adds an intriguing layer on top of an already gripping mystery.
The Calling premieres Thursday, November 10th on Peacock.
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