Against the Wall (TV series) explained

Creator:Annie Brunner
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:13
Runtime:43 minutes
Network:Lifetime

Against the Wall is an American police drama television series created by Annie Brunner. The series stars Rachael Carpani as Abby Kowalski, a police detective who recently joined the Internal Affairs division of the Chicago Police Department.

The series was broadcast in the United States on the cable channel Lifetime, and is a production of Universal Cable Productions. It premiered on July 31, 2011, following Drop Dead Diva.[1] [2]

Overview

The series follows Abby Kowalski, a five-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, who in order to pursue her dream career as a detective takes the only opening available—in the Internal Affairs Division. Abby's decision to join the department's internal affairs division puts her at odds with members of her own family, themselves members of the Chicago Police Department. Now Abby must find a way to do her job as an IAD detective without tearing her family apart.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Development and production

On June 23, 2010, Lifetime placed a pilot order for Against the Wall.[9] Annie Brunner wrote the pilot, Dean Parisot was attached to the project as the director, with Nancy Miller serving as executive producer and Annie Brunner as supervising producer.[10] [11] However, Dean Parisot was forced to pull out of directing the pilot due to the death of his wife; he was replaced by Michael Fresco.[12]

Casting announcements began in September 2010, with Rachael Carpani first to be cast, Carpani was cast as Abby Kowalski, "a policewoman who causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department's Internal Affairs Division."[13] Next to join the series was Treat Williams as Don Kowalski, Abby's father, "an old-school career Chicago cop who is rough around the edges but has a real soft spot for his only daughter" until she tells him of her new job.[14] Kathy Baker was next to be cast as Sheila Kowalski, Abby's mother, a Chicago cop's wife.[12] Marisa Ramirez, Brandon Quinn, and Chris Johnson, were the last actors to be cast, with Ramirez playing Lina Flores, Abby's new partner at Internal Affairs, Quinn playing Richie Kowalski, Abby's younger brother, a Chicago Patrol Officer, and Johnson playing Danny Mitchell, Abby's longtime friend, who is also a lawyer.[15]

The network green lighted the series on February 7, 2011, with an order of 13 hour-long episodes.[11] The series is produced by Universal Cable Productions.

Reception

Critical reception

Against the Wall has received mixed or average reviews, earning a score of 59 on Metacritic.[16] The New York Daily News said of the series: "Lifetime's new Against the Wall turns out to be first-rate drama. In fact, it's one of the best new shows of the year."[17] The Los Angeles Times gave a positive review: "There's much here to suggest that, if everyone relaxes a little, good things will come."[18] The Hollywood Reporter also gave the pilot a positive review:

But mostly Against the Wall is a pleasant surprise, with Carpani being a much bigger surprise. If Against the Wall can make its disparate parts work, it will be plenty more intriguing than a number of network procedurals. And in the cable game, that's already a victory.[19]

Ratings

The pilot episode premiered with 1.8 million total viewers, scoring 0.9 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic and 0.6 million in the 25–54 demographic.[20] [21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lifetime Launches New Scripted Series "Against the Wall" on July 31. https://web.archive.org/web/20110703033341/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/29/lifetime-launches-new-scripted-series-against-the-wall-on-july-31/96888/. dead. July 3, 2011. June 29, 2011. Seidman. Robert. TV by the Numbers. August 13, 2011.
  2. https://deadline.com/2011/12/lifetime-cancels-against-the-wall-203611/ Lifetime Cancels Drama 'Against The Wall'
  3. Baby, Did a Bad Thing .
    1. Season 1 (2011)
    . Against the Wall . . August 28, 2011 . 1 . 5 . 2 minutes (great grandfather and (implied) grandfather); c. 38 minutes (grandfather).
  4. Web site: Meet the Kowalskis: Family Album . 4 (Richie Kowalski) . Against the Wall . . September 17, 2011 . As the youngest Kowalski siblings, Richie and Abby have always been tight[...] .
  5. Countdown to Meltdown .
    1. Season 1 (2011)
    . Against the Wall . . September 18, 2011 . 1 . 7 . opening ("eldest"); 3 minutes (eldest is Donnie); c. halfway (30 minutes including commercial breaks—adoption, name, and birth date); c. two-thirds point (40 minutes including commercial breaks—circumstances). Donnie's adoption papers say "Donald Kowalski" and give his date of birth as May 21, 1974.
  6. Web site: Meet the Kowalskis: Family Album . 5 (Donnie Kowalski) . Against the Wall . . September 17, 2011 . Outspoken and confident, divorced patrol officer Donnie is the classic first child. .
  7. Memories We Fear .
    1. Season 1 (2011)
    . Against the Wall . . September 25, 2011 . 1 . 8.
  8. Web site: Meet the Kowalskis: Family Album . 6 (Steve Kowalski) . Against the Wall . . September 17, 2011 . He might be quick with a smart-alack remark, but middle child Steve is most often the Kowalski family peacemaker. .
  9. Web site: Lifetime Television Orders Three Drama Pilots for 2011. June 23, 2010. The Futon Critic. August 13, 2011.
  10. Web site: Development Update: Monday, September 20. September 20, 2010. The Futon Critic. August 13, 2011.
  11. Web site: Lifetime Greenlights 2 New Scripted Series. February 7, 2011. Andreeva . Nellie . Deadline. August 13, 2011.
  12. Web site: Lifetime HBO Movie 'Too Big To Fail' & Lifetime Pilot 'Against the Wall' Add To Casts. October 14, 2010. Andreeva . Nellie . Deadline. August 13, 2011.
  13. Web site: USA And Lifetime Pilots Find Their Leads. September 20, 2010. Andreeva . Nellie . Deadline. August 13, 2011.
  14. Web site: Treat Williams To Star In Lifetime Pilot. September 27, 2010. Andreeva . Nellie . Deadline. August 13, 2011.
  15. Web site: Pilot Castings: Mehcad Brooks Joins USA's 'Roughness', Trio Added To Lifetime's 'Wall'. October 28, 2010. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. January 24, 2011.
  16. Web site: Against The Wall: Season 1 . . August 13, 2011.
  17. News: 'Against the Wall' review: Lifetime's latest cop show about family turns out to be best of season . Hinckley . David . July 27, 2011 . . New York . August 13, 2011.
  18. News: Television review: 'Against the Wall' . Lloyd . Robert . July 30, 2011 . Los Angeles Times . August 13, 2011.
  19. News: Against the Wall: TV Review . Goodman . Tim . July 31, 2011 . . August 13, 2011.
  20. Web site: Seidman . Robert . Lifetime's 'Against the Wall' Slow Out of the Gate . https://web.archive.org/web/20110929205250/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/08/01/lifetimes-against-the-wall-slow-out-of-the-gate/99395/ . dead . September 29, 2011 . TVbytheNumbers . August 13, 2011.
  21. Web site: Seidman . Robert . Sunday Cable Ratings: 'True Blood,' Shark Week, 'Falling Skies,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Breaking Bad,' 'Leverage,' & Much More . https://web.archive.org/web/20110910053526/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/08/02/sunday-cable-ratings-true-blood-shark-week-falling-skies-in-plain-sight-breaking-bad-leverage-much-more/99356/ . dead . September 10, 2011 . TVbytheNumbers . August 13, 2011.
  22. Web site: Shows A-Z – Against the Wall on Lifetime . The Futon Critic . August 13, 2011.

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