TV: 'DEA' is arresting television

By Paul Lane
NIAGARA GAZETTE (NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.)

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. March 27, 2008 01:38 pm

— When you order steak at a restaurant, you have certain expectations. The flavor, aroma and preparation should all be a certain way.
At most places you’ll visit, you know exactly what you’re getting — a solid meal that will keep you coming back.
Once in a while, though, you’re wowed by an establishment that went above and beyond on the details, delivering a full-blown party for your month.
What the amazing steak is to dining, “DEA” is to reality television.
Like the godfather of reality shows, “Cops,” and its copycats, this Spike TV offering takes you inside the workings of the force, in this case the Detroit office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. From planning to execution and incarceration, the series follows a team charged with taking down the city’s toughest drug dealers.
After a brief introduction of the officers, “DEA” dives right into the police work as the team looks to bring down a heroin operation. The show does a good job of getting you involved with the characters without detracting from the pace of the action.
Helping the viewer are detailed breakdowns of police terms, among them the “buy walk” (when an officer goes undercover to buy drugs, which are then used as evidence against the dealer). The term is defined simply, and the worst-case scenarios concerning each aspect of the operation are also given.
Most interesting was when the team prepared to raid the house of a heroin peddler. After breaking down each officer’s role in the raid and what weapon they use (including gun/equipment specifications), the cameras followed as they caught the armed suspect and had to deal with a house full of used syringes; the danger was magnified as someone who lived there was discovered to have AIDS.
Produced by Al Roker of “The Today Show,” the hour-long show will air for six weeks beginning Wednesday. Maintaining an authentic feel to the show was important, he said, which is part of the reason the show has such a late air time (11 p.m.); rough language is used throughout the pilot episode, although much of it is edited out.
“This series is the real deal, exposing elements of illegal drug trade that you could not imagine,” he said in a release. “When you watch ‘DEA,’ you will feel like you have gone undercover.”
Indeed you do. The danger that’s conveyed feels authentic, while the moments officers spend waiting for the raid to start provide subtle comic relief (cooped up in a van for some 90 minutes, the officers spend the time discussing how much of their job involves waiting).
Where so many series grow increasingly outrageous to attract viewers, Spike TV has trimmed the fat to deliver a compelling, well-done cop series.

Paul Lane writes for the Niagara (N.Y.) Gazette.

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IF YOU WATCH
• WHAT: Police reality series “DEA”
• WHEN: 11 p.m. Wednesday
• CHANNEL: Spike TV
• RATING: Three and a half stars out of four