The Good Guys (2010 TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Good Guys is an American action
-comedy
series about an old-school cop and a modern-day detective that premiered with a preview episode on Fox
on May 19, 2010, and began airing regularly on June 7. The series stars Bradley Whitford
as Dan Stark, a mustachioed, former big-shot detective with the Dallas Police Department, and Colin Hanks
as Jack Bailey, a young, ambitious, by-the-book detective who has been assigned as Dan's partner because of his snarky attitude. On December 15, 2010, The Good Guys was cancelled by Fox Television Studios
.
) is a former big-shot detective who once saved Governor
Sanford Davis' son Andy, but is now all but washed up and spends most of his time reliving his glory days. However his hunches about the "bigger picture" of crimes and odd ways of doing his job still seem to get the job done. He is shown to have a friendly relationship with the criminals he has arrested. Series creator Matt Nix
describes Dan Stark as being "actually a fantastic 1981 cop. He just hasn't moved along with the time. CSI
stuff is like black magic." Stuck in the past, he has a difficult time adjusting to new technologies, such as "computer machines" and "smarty phones," also known to him as "cellular testicle shrinkers." Dan lives in a trailer located "in the shadow of" the Texas Star
Ferris Wheel in Fair Park
. He often retells stories to Jack of the old days with his former partner Frank Savage (Gary Cole
), with whom he had a close buddy-cop relationship. These stories sometimes seep in, and Jack sometimes finds use of them to save lives of victims. He is reckless and unpredictable, and does not hesitate to use his handgun for any trivial matter, such as "using his service revolver to open a mayonnaise
jar" and shooting a radio
because of the loud noise, or even running through a $300 window to stop a dine and dash
er. His overzealousness on a prior case cost him any chance of ever being promoted past detective. He enjoys eating peanuts with the shell on, listening to Foghat
, and chewing gum.
Jack Bailey (Colin Hanks
) is an ambitious by-the-book detective whose attitude has made him few friends on the police force. He was assigned to "baby-sit" Dan on the Property Crimes desk after correcting the captain's grammar in front of the chief. He still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend Liz Traynor, whom he usually musters up the courage to talk to, and finds useful to obtain stuff such as warrants. Jack is usually calm-headed, preferring not to get his hands dirty at times when it is unnecessary. He admits to having attempted to grow a mustache to look tougher, but, because only the middle part grew, it looked like a "Hitler mustache." He gradually learns from Dan about the importance of a partner.
Liz Traynor (Jenny Wade
) is an assistant district attorney and former girlfriend of Jack. She apparently broke up with him because "she didn't want to date a cop", though it is quite obvious that the two of them are not over each other and continue to harbor romantic leanings, leading to rather awkward conversations and situations. After Liz realizes that her boyfriend Kyle was involved in a crime in "The Whistleblower", she breaks up with Kyle and decides to give another shot to a relationship with Jack.
Lieutenant Ana Ruiz (Diana Maria Riva
) is Jack and Dan's boss, who sees to it that they keep themselves and the police department out of trouble by investigating seemingly minor crimes. She is Dan's ex-partner and they had a one-time fling. She starts out being somewhat cold to Jack and Dan, but she helps the two out, and starts to rekindle a friendship with the two.
Julius Grant (RonReaco Lee
) is a petty criminal who used to run a pawn shop but is now a bartender
. He is constantly getting in trouble, which Dan usually takes advantage of with a bribe in order to get him to play the role of a snitch. Dan believes that their relationship as detective and snitch is "a sacred bond", and does not hesitate to call on him when his criminal abilities are needed, whether for information or to act as a human tracking device. Though reluctant to help Jack and Dan with their dangerous and unorthodox plans, he often goes above their expectations to save them in times of need. Overall, he sees Dan as a true friend.
Samantha Evans (Angela Sarafyan
) is an offbeat and socially awkward assistant crime scene investigator. Though assigned to lab work, Samantha has a desire to do field work and jumps at the chance to help Jack and Dan with their cases, often without them asking for her assistance and doing some things illegally. Due to not following procedures, the evidence collected by Samantha often cannot be used in court, but it does lead Jack and Dan to the bad guys. Samantha has a romantic interest in Jack which he is completely blind to until a kiss in the Series finale. Jack does not feel the same way towards Samantha, but still considers her a good friend.
Elton Hodges (Joel Spence) is a somewhat inept rival detective who holds a dim opinion of Dan's police methods. He was the first to jump at the chance to name Dan a criminal when he was framed. Despite the fact that he is next in command when Lt. Ruiz is unable to perform, no one seems to respect him. He also has a more "evidence before hunches" personality, which is why he does not like Dan's style of work, and often will insult others the first chance he can when what he believes he is right. He also seems to be a poor judge of character; he openly distrusted Julius despite him being a CI while unable to believe someone like a doctor could be a criminal. Though he often tries to insult Dan and the others, most of the times his insults will make him look stupid.
Frank Savage (Gary Cole
) is Dan Stark's partner during their "glory days". He left the force after having a nervous breakdown. In the pilot episode, this breakdown is blamed on Dan, who persuaded Frank to leap from Dan's car when they were in pursuit of a car driven by the people who kidnapped the Governor of Texas's son. This same stunt was the reason Frank and Dan were "famous" compliments of a made-for-TV movie Savage & Stark, hence Dan's "glory days". Frank now teaches Art at a Special Ed school and married to a domineering wife, Cynthia (Rachael Harris
), though he, like Dan, still loves to "bust some punks." He'd named his oversized revolver
"Stella."
area as much as possible for its diverse shooting locations and so as not to disturb the residents. The show was originally planned to be set in Los Angeles until Dallas city officials convinced creator Matt Nix to set the show in Dallas. Nix said of Dallas, "It’s a great city to jump on the hood of a car." Initially, the protagonists' mode of transportation is a mid-nineties Chevrolet Lumina
, but during the course of the first episode, Dan Stark acquires a 1980 Pontiac Trans Am and uses it to great dramatic effect during the rescue of a hostage. By the end of the pilot episode, the new car has won the grudging respect of the uptight Bailey, and become the team's new vehicle. After the Lumina gets totaled in "Bait & Switch", it is replaced with a mid-2000s Ford Taurus
, but Dan and Jack rarely use it as the team vehicle. Production work on the series began in January 2010 and principal photography of the pilot wrapped in early February 2010. Cast members spent time shadowing their real-life Dallas counterparts to prepare for their roles.
The title sequence uses the song "Slink (A Hymn)" by the group Locksley
as the show's theme.
The Good Guys was originally known by the working title Jack and Dan. For several months the series was to be known as Code 58, the Dallas Police Department code for "routine investigation", and then briefly as The Five Eight before producers settled on The Good Guys title. During the January 2010 Television Critics Association
press tour, Colin Hanks
jokingly suggested "Opposite Buddy Cop Show".
In May 2010, Fox announced that an additional seven episodes had been ordered for the show's first season, extending the initial run to 20 episodes. The show's summer run on Monday nights at 9:00 PM ET/PT ended on August 2, 2010. The Good Guys moved to Friday nights at 9:00 PM ET/PT along with reruns of House, M.D. (Human Target was originally planned as the show's lead-in, but was put on Wednesdays after Lone Star was canceled), with new episodes resuming starting on September 24, 2010.
The show struggled with low ratings, regularly ranking in fourth place for its timeslot during the summer and then fifth place from October onward; hence, renewal prospects - despite the show's low production costs - were uncertain. Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said that although the network would not be immediately ordering new episodes of the show it had not been cancelled. The final episode was broadcast December 10, 2010 on Fox. On December 15, 2010 Robert Wilonsky
of the Dallas Observer
reported that Fox Television Studios
, a production company for the show, informed the Dallas Film Commission that the show would not be renewed for a second season.
Starting on January 1, 2011, the entire series was being rerun on Fox on Saturday nights at 11:00 PM ET/PT. However, the repeats were pulled on January 13th, in favor of Fringe
.
). Alessandra Stanley
of The New York Times
called the show "fresh" as well as a "buddy act" that is "silly in a clever and engaging way". John Crook of the Sudbury Star
found the series "a refreshing blast of laughter and almost nonstop action" that "combines a sharp visual style with a time-jumping narrative". Nancy deWolf Smith
of The Wall Street Journal
enjoyed the show's "Lazarus effect
" of an old-school cop in modern policing that successfully does the impossible by referencing "one of the most culturally lame eras in modern memory and making it seem shiny and new." deWolf Smith went on to say "its standout achievement may be originality." Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
said, "It's not often that dramatic actors are asked -- no, required -- to ham it up, and Whitford does so with relish (ham and relish? Would it be going too far to call The Good Guys cheesy too?)." Ryan went on to say that the show that came to mind when she was watching the first episode was the late night satirical news
show The Colbert Report.
Deseret News television critic Scott D. Pierce did not like the series, calling it "Very disappointing. Massively disappointing." Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
wished the series worked because there is "so much proven talent involved" however he felt "the hour drags." Jim McFarlin of Detroit's Metro Times
did not find what he was looking for in the show. "With the economy still on the critical list and crime on the upsurge, the notion of funny, drunk cops just doesn't play well these days." McFarlin compared the show to the American version of Life on Mars
, an unconventional police drama which was cancelled after one season, and said, "If you're expecting another Burn Notice
with The Good Guys, prepare to get burned." Hank Stuever
of The Washington Post
found that, "Like our own society, The Good Guys doesn't know when it is." Stuever went on to call the show "a throwback to the days when the car chase was more important than the lab analysis" and that it has "the tiniest whiff of satirical potential".
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
-comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
series about an old-school cop and a modern-day detective that premiered with a preview episode on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on May 19, 2010, and began airing regularly on June 7. The series stars Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, as Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, as...
as Dan Stark, a mustachioed, former big-shot detective with the Dallas Police Department, and Colin Hanks
Colin Hanks
Colin Lewes Hanks is an American actor who is best known for his work as Shaun Brumder in the film Orange County and as Alex Whitman in Roswell. He also portrayed the role of Henry Jones in Band of Brothers and is currently on the sixth season of the Showtime crime drama Dexter...
as Jack Bailey, a young, ambitious, by-the-book detective who has been assigned as Dan's partner because of his snarky attitude. On December 15, 2010, The Good Guys was cancelled by Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios, Inc. is the TV production arm of the News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, as well as being the production arm of Fox and a production arm of 20th Century Fox Television, Inc., itself a division of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation...
.
Cast
Dan Stark (Bradley WhitfordBradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, as Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, as...
) is a former big-shot detective who once saved Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Sanford Davis' son Andy, but is now all but washed up and spends most of his time reliving his glory days. However his hunches about the "bigger picture" of crimes and odd ways of doing his job still seem to get the job done. He is shown to have a friendly relationship with the criminals he has arrested. Series creator Matt Nix
Matt Nix
Matthew E. "Matt" Nix is an American writer, producer, and director. He is best known for creating the USA Network television series Burn Notice and the now defunct cult favorite Fox series The Good Guys.-Biography:...
describes Dan Stark as being "actually a fantastic 1981 cop. He just hasn't moved along with the time. CSI
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
stuff is like black magic." Stuck in the past, he has a difficult time adjusting to new technologies, such as "computer machines" and "smarty phones," also known to him as "cellular testicle shrinkers." Dan lives in a trailer located "in the shadow of" the Texas Star
Texas Star
Texas Star is the tallest Ferris wheel in North America. It is located at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, and operates during the annual State Fair of Texas, where it is the most popular ride....
Ferris Wheel in Fair Park
Fair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
. He often retells stories to Jack of the old days with his former partner Frank Savage (Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
), with whom he had a close buddy-cop relationship. These stories sometimes seep in, and Jack sometimes finds use of them to save lives of victims. He is reckless and unpredictable, and does not hesitate to use his handgun for any trivial matter, such as "using his service revolver to open a mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
jar" and shooting a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
because of the loud noise, or even running through a $300 window to stop a dine and dash
Dine and dash
A dine and dash is a form of theft by fraud, in which a patron orders and consumes food from a restaurant or similar establishment with no intent to pay, then leaves without...
er. His overzealousness on a prior case cost him any chance of ever being promoted past detective. He enjoys eating peanuts with the shell on, listening to Foghat
Foghat
Foghat are a British rock band that had their peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. Their style can be described as "blues-rock," or boogie-rock dominated by electric and electric slide guitar. The band has achieved five gold records...
, and chewing gum.
Jack Bailey (Colin Hanks
Colin Hanks
Colin Lewes Hanks is an American actor who is best known for his work as Shaun Brumder in the film Orange County and as Alex Whitman in Roswell. He also portrayed the role of Henry Jones in Band of Brothers and is currently on the sixth season of the Showtime crime drama Dexter...
) is an ambitious by-the-book detective whose attitude has made him few friends on the police force. He was assigned to "baby-sit" Dan on the Property Crimes desk after correcting the captain's grammar in front of the chief. He still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend Liz Traynor, whom he usually musters up the courage to talk to, and finds useful to obtain stuff such as warrants. Jack is usually calm-headed, preferring not to get his hands dirty at times when it is unnecessary. He admits to having attempted to grow a mustache to look tougher, but, because only the middle part grew, it looked like a "Hitler mustache." He gradually learns from Dan about the importance of a partner.
Liz Traynor (Jenny Wade
Jenny Wade (actress)
Jennifer "Jenny" Wade is an American actress best known for playing "Liz Traynor" on the Fox television series The Good Guys, "Nina" in TV series Reaper and "Honey Pie", in the Feast trilogy.-Life and career:...
) is an assistant district attorney and former girlfriend of Jack. She apparently broke up with him because "she didn't want to date a cop", though it is quite obvious that the two of them are not over each other and continue to harbor romantic leanings, leading to rather awkward conversations and situations. After Liz realizes that her boyfriend Kyle was involved in a crime in "The Whistleblower", she breaks up with Kyle and decides to give another shot to a relationship with Jack.
Lieutenant Ana Ruiz (Diana Maria Riva
Diana-Maria Riva
Diana-Maria Riva is an American actress.-Early life:Riva was born Diana-Maria Uhlenbrock in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Maria and Christopher Uhlenbrock, a dentist.-Career:...
) is Jack and Dan's boss, who sees to it that they keep themselves and the police department out of trouble by investigating seemingly minor crimes. She is Dan's ex-partner and they had a one-time fling. She starts out being somewhat cold to Jack and Dan, but she helps the two out, and starts to rekindle a friendship with the two.
Julius Grant (RonReaco Lee
RonReaco Lee
RonReaco Lee is an American television and film actor.-Television:Lee began his acting career in 1983 as the host of the short-lived television show Kids Beat...
) is a petty criminal who used to run a pawn shop but is now a bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
. He is constantly getting in trouble, which Dan usually takes advantage of with a bribe in order to get him to play the role of a snitch. Dan believes that their relationship as detective and snitch is "a sacred bond", and does not hesitate to call on him when his criminal abilities are needed, whether for information or to act as a human tracking device. Though reluctant to help Jack and Dan with their dangerous and unorthodox plans, he often goes above their expectations to save them in times of need. Overall, he sees Dan as a true friend.
Samantha Evans (Angela Sarafyan
Angela Sarafyan
Angela Sarafyan is an American actress. She is sometimes credited as Angela Sarafian.-Early life:Angela Sarafyan was born in Armenia and moved with her parents to the United States at the age of four.-Career:...
) is an offbeat and socially awkward assistant crime scene investigator. Though assigned to lab work, Samantha has a desire to do field work and jumps at the chance to help Jack and Dan with their cases, often without them asking for her assistance and doing some things illegally. Due to not following procedures, the evidence collected by Samantha often cannot be used in court, but it does lead Jack and Dan to the bad guys. Samantha has a romantic interest in Jack which he is completely blind to until a kiss in the Series finale. Jack does not feel the same way towards Samantha, but still considers her a good friend.
Elton Hodges (Joel Spence) is a somewhat inept rival detective who holds a dim opinion of Dan's police methods. He was the first to jump at the chance to name Dan a criminal when he was framed. Despite the fact that he is next in command when Lt. Ruiz is unable to perform, no one seems to respect him. He also has a more "evidence before hunches" personality, which is why he does not like Dan's style of work, and often will insult others the first chance he can when what he believes he is right. He also seems to be a poor judge of character; he openly distrusted Julius despite him being a CI while unable to believe someone like a doctor could be a criminal. Though he often tries to insult Dan and the others, most of the times his insults will make him look stupid.
Frank Savage (Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
) is Dan Stark's partner during their "glory days". He left the force after having a nervous breakdown. In the pilot episode, this breakdown is blamed on Dan, who persuaded Frank to leap from Dan's car when they were in pursuit of a car driven by the people who kidnapped the Governor of Texas's son. This same stunt was the reason Frank and Dan were "famous" compliments of a made-for-TV movie Savage & Stark, hence Dan's "glory days". Frank now teaches Art at a Special Ed school and married to a domineering wife, Cynthia (Rachael Harris
Rachael Harris
Rachael Elaine Harris is an American actress and comedian.-Early life:Harris was born in Worthington, Ohio. She graduated from Worthington High School...
), though he, like Dan, still loves to "bust some punks." He'd named his oversized revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
"Stella."
Production history
The first season was filmed primarily in Dallas, Texas, and made use of the Fair ParkFair Park
Dallas Fair Park is a recreational and educational complex located in Dallas, Texas . The complex is registered as a Dallas Landmark, National Historic Landmark and is home to nine museums, six performance facilities, a lagoon, and the largest Ferris wheel in North America...
area as much as possible for its diverse shooting locations and so as not to disturb the residents. The show was originally planned to be set in Los Angeles until Dallas city officials convinced creator Matt Nix to set the show in Dallas. Nix said of Dallas, "It’s a great city to jump on the hood of a car." Initially, the protagonists' mode of transportation is a mid-nineties Chevrolet Lumina
Chevrolet Lumina
The North American Chevrolet Lumina sedan , coupe and minivan were first introduced in 1989 for the 1990 model year as a new range of vehicles from the Chevrolet brand of General Motors to replace the Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Celebrity sedan, and the Monte Carlo coupe. The Lumina was an answer...
, but during the course of the first episode, Dan Stark acquires a 1980 Pontiac Trans Am and uses it to great dramatic effect during the rescue of a hostage. By the end of the pilot episode, the new car has won the grudging respect of the uptight Bailey, and become the team's new vehicle. After the Lumina gets totaled in "Bait & Switch", it is replaced with a mid-2000s Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
, but Dan and Jack rarely use it as the team vehicle. Production work on the series began in January 2010 and principal photography of the pilot wrapped in early February 2010. Cast members spent time shadowing their real-life Dallas counterparts to prepare for their roles.
The title sequence uses the song "Slink (A Hymn)" by the group Locksley
Locksley (band)
Locksley is an indie four-piece pop rock/power pop band from Madison, Wisconsin. They are self-released on their own Feature Records label. Their songwriting is heavily influenced by early British Invasion bands with an instrumental style based more on early American punk bands and modern garage...
as the show's theme.
The Good Guys was originally known by the working title Jack and Dan. For several months the series was to be known as Code 58, the Dallas Police Department code for "routine investigation", and then briefly as The Five Eight before producers settled on The Good Guys title. During the January 2010 Television Critics Association
Television Critics Association
The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
press tour, Colin Hanks
Colin Hanks
Colin Lewes Hanks is an American actor who is best known for his work as Shaun Brumder in the film Orange County and as Alex Whitman in Roswell. He also portrayed the role of Henry Jones in Band of Brothers and is currently on the sixth season of the Showtime crime drama Dexter...
jokingly suggested "Opposite Buddy Cop Show".
In May 2010, Fox announced that an additional seven episodes had been ordered for the show's first season, extending the initial run to 20 episodes. The show's summer run on Monday nights at 9:00 PM ET/PT ended on August 2, 2010. The Good Guys moved to Friday nights at 9:00 PM ET/PT along with reruns of House, M.D. (Human Target was originally planned as the show's lead-in, but was put on Wednesdays after Lone Star was canceled), with new episodes resuming starting on September 24, 2010.
The show struggled with low ratings, regularly ranking in fourth place for its timeslot during the summer and then fifth place from October onward; hence, renewal prospects - despite the show's low production costs - were uncertain. Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly said that although the network would not be immediately ordering new episodes of the show it had not been cancelled. The final episode was broadcast December 10, 2010 on Fox. On December 15, 2010 Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Elliott Wilonsky is an American journalist and the former host of Higher Definition, an interview program on the cable television network HDNet.-Early life:Wilonsky was born in Dallas, Texas to Margaret and Herschel Wilonsky...
of the Dallas Observer
Dallas Observer
The Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
reported that Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios
Fox Television Studios, Inc. is the TV production arm of the News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, as well as being the production arm of Fox and a production arm of 20th Century Fox Television, Inc., itself a division of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation...
, a production company for the show, informed the Dallas Film Commission that the show would not be renewed for a second season.
Starting on January 1, 2011, the entire series was being rerun on Fox on Saturday nights at 11:00 PM ET/PT. However, the repeats were pulled on January 13th, in favor of Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
.
Critical reception
The Good Guys has an average critic score of 61/100 based on 20 reviews from television critics, yet it possesses a 8.3/10 user score, on the same site (MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
). Alessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley
Alessandra Stanley is an American journalist. In 2003 she became the television critic for The New York Times. Stanley was previously co-chief of the paper's Moscow bureau, Rome bureau chief, and as a correspondent for Time. She is the daughter of defense expert Timothy W...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called the show "fresh" as well as a "buddy act" that is "silly in a clever and engaging way". John Crook of the Sudbury Star
Sudbury Star
The Sudbury Star is a Canadian daily regional newspaper, published in Sudbury, Ontario. It is run by the media conglomerate Sun Media, which is controlled by Quebecor....
found the series "a refreshing blast of laughter and almost nonstop action" that "combines a sharp visual style with a time-jumping narrative". Nancy deWolf Smith
Nancy deWolf Smith
Nancy deWolf Smith is an editor and member of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board since 1999.- Biography :Between 1995 and 1999, Smith was editorial page editor for the Asian Wall Street Journal. Previously she was senior editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and has worked at National...
of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
enjoyed the show's "Lazarus effect
Lazarus taxon
In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon is a taxon that disappears from one or more periods of the fossil record, only to appear again later. The term refers to the account in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead...
" of an old-school cop in modern policing that successfully does the impossible by referencing "one of the most culturally lame eras in modern memory and making it seem shiny and new." deWolf Smith went on to say "its standout achievement may be originality." Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
said, "It's not often that dramatic actors are asked -- no, required -- to ham it up, and Whitford does so with relish (ham and relish? Would it be going too far to call The Good Guys cheesy too?)." Ryan went on to say that the show that came to mind when she was watching the first episode was the late night satirical news
News satire
thumb|right|220px|[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]] is a news satire program.News satire, also called fake news , is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content...
show The Colbert Report.
Deseret News television critic Scott D. Pierce did not like the series, calling it "Very disappointing. Massively disappointing." Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
wished the series worked because there is "so much proven talent involved" however he felt "the hour drags." Jim McFarlin of Detroit's Metro Times
Metro Times
The Metro Times is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. Supported entirely by advertising, it is distributed free of charge every Wednesday in newsstands in businesses and libraries around the city and suburbs...
did not find what he was looking for in the show. "With the economy still on the critical list and crime on the upsurge, the notion of funny, drunk cops just doesn't play well these days." McFarlin compared the show to the American version of Life on Mars
Life on Mars (U.S. TV series)
Life on Mars was a science fiction crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the BAFTA-winning original UK series of the same name produced by the BBC...
, an unconventional police drama which was cancelled after one season, and said, "If you're expecting another Burn Notice
Burn notice
A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
with The Good Guys, prepare to get burned." Hank Stuever
Hank Stuever
Hank Stuever is an American journalist who writes about popular culture for the Style section of the Washington Post. In 2009, he became one of the paper's TV critics. He is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, in 1993 and 1996...
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
found that, "Like our own society, The Good Guys doesn't know when it is." Stuever went on to call the show "a throwback to the days when the car chase was more important than the lab analysis" and that it has "the tiniest whiff of satirical potential".