“Pretty Hard Cases: Season 3” – TV Review

I must open with the disclaimer that I hadn’t seen the first two seasons of this Canadian cop/buddy comedy, “Pretty Hard Cases: Season 3” though I did watch several episodes to have some sense of ongoing character and plot backgrounds in these 10 hour-long episodes. I got much of it but would have understood everyone and everything better had I seen more from before. I recommend starting from the beginning for that reason. This show is right in the wheelhouse of those who enjoyed series like “Frankie Drake” or “Miss Fischer’s Murder Mysteries.” This one emphasizes the comic side even more than those others.

Meredith MacNeill and Adrienne C. Moore star as Toronto police detectives who follow genre tradition by hating each other at first, before bonding over time as partners and then becoming besties. MacNeill’s Sam is uptight and by-the-book; Moore’s Kelly is more street-savvy and less constricted by “the rules.” A distaff Murtaugh and Riggs, respectively. Their cases run mostly in the drugs arena but a number of other felonies – including murders – pop up along the way.

I suspended my usual policy of not reviewing a series I haven’t seen from the get-go specifically because of MacNeill, who was so brilliant as co-creator and co-star of another favored series from our northern neighbor, the “Baroness von Sketch Show.” She brings the neurotic energy that defined many of her roles in those skits, but doesn’t get to deploy as much of her considerable gifts for physical comedy that shone so brightly in the other. Sam’s nervous chattering goes a bit over-the-top at times but mostly imbues her character with a solidly comedic quirkiness. Some scenes get rather frenetic but the comedy never seems forced into the plot lines.

The scripts include more romantic and familial sidebars than many, some of which overlap organically with their cases. They also flesh out a large supporting cast with distinct personalities among the cops, lovers, friends and perps to bring comedy and suspense from many sources in addition to the two stars. Much of the dialog and plot progressions are fast-paced. The on-screen gory stuff is fairly mild, but there’s a healthy amount of action and suspense to keep the pot stirred. The faint of heart need not fear gross-outs.

This is, apparently, the finale for the series. Unlike “Frankie Drake,” which ended on a sour note of betrayal with several major cliffhangers (producers presumably shocked by non-renewal after wrapping the season), this one leaves the characters in a good enough place for closure, while teasing a basis for further outings if the “Gods of Financing” smile upon them. If they do, I would join in the smiling.

“Pretty Hard Cases: Season 3,” starts streaming on Wednesday, Nov. 29 on FreeVee.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars