Tony Danza (left) and Josh Groban play father and son in “The Good Cop”
Last year, we saw Josh Groban acquit himself well as an actor on Broadway in the stage musical “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,” David Malloy’s rousing adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.”
But, Josh’s latest foray into acting “The Good Cop,” the 10-episode comedy series that premieres on Netflix on Friday, provides neither music nor choreography to help put the multiplatinum-selling singer through his thespic paces in an out-of-the-box acting gig.
Singing circles around colleagues with less-than-exceptional musicality is one thing, but Josh has got his work cut out for him when he’s tasked to trade gags and wisecracks with 67-year-old TV veteran Tony Danza, who had cut his comedic teeth in well-loved ‘80s sitcoms, like “Who’s the Boss?” and “Taxi.” It’s a challenge that demands focus, performing grit and inspired improvisation.
In “The Good Cop,” Josh plays TJ Caruso, a squeaky clean, obsessively honest, sharp-shooting police officer who’s expected to keep his father Tony Sr. (Tony Danza), a disgraced former NYPD detective who’s out on parole after a couple of years in the slammer, toe the line to avoid getting in any more trouble.
Groban (right) with Monica Barbaro
Yes, it takes Josh some time to warm up to the shift in performing genre, but at least the hit-and-miss “mission” isn’t the type of “baby steps” that sees the singer-actor embarrassing himself while grasping at comedic straws.
Even the show itself, which plays out like an old-fashioned sitcom, is tonally and comedically uneven, as Josh and Tony struggle to make their odd-couple chemistry dazzle than fizzle out.
To be fair, Josh’s overcautious son character occasionally benefits from his easygoing dad’s blunt, streetwise advice—like when, in the first episode, TJ realizes just how difficult it is for the sins of his ex-con father to wash off easily, or when Belinda Mannix (Emma Ishta), a Victoria’s Secret supermodel, unexpectedly takes interest in Tony and begins dating the kooky former cop.
Some episodes are loonier than others, however: In episode 4, Tony and TJ’s partner Cora Vasquez (Monica Barbaro) can’t hide their exasperation when success starts getting into the erstwhile unathletic TJ’s head. The young Caruso even considers quitting the police force to pursue a career in bowling when he begins to win “rigged” matches.
In the seventh episode, TJ becomes a “lovestruck cowboy determined to protect the dignity and good name” of beleaguered Macy Clark (Rebecca Rittenhouse), a lovely damsel in distress—who turns out to have an ax to grind against playboy cops!
Danza (right) and Groban team up in Netflix’s odd-couple pairing.
The series amps up the elements of intrigue and danger when Tony is suddenly forced to testify against spiteful drug lord Remy Derosa. Unfortunately, the episode is weighed down by Tony’s clowning excesses, which make the show more annoying than engrossing.
“The Good Cop’s” first season saves the best for last, especially in episodes that feature guest stars C. Thomas Howell and Bob Saget. In the former, C. Thomas portrays hedge fund manager Chuck Everett who donates $800,000 to keep Tony and TJ’s cash-strapped new restaurant running.
In the latter, Bob plays well-loved but secretive talk show host Richie Knight, who makes Tony’s performing dreams come true, by making him sing and dance in his program—before he embarrasses the aging performer wannabe on national TV!
In the penultimate episode, TJ realizes “how hard it is to be wise and in love at the same time” when Cora crosses paths with dashing gym instructor Warren (Josh Segara). To his surprise, he finds himself getting jealous when it dawns on him that his pretty partner has fallen in love with another guy! But, there’s something about Warren that rubs TJ the wrong way.
For the series’ season finale, TJ and Cora get distracted by a string of gruesome “accidents” that leads the duo to a 20-year murder mystery, while Tony unravels a grim secret about the man responsible for the unsolved hit-and-run case of his wife, Connie, that eventually led to her death four years ago!