[caption id="attachment_67675" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Brian O'Byrne. "]
Aidan Quinn and Brian O'Byrne say they want their Americanized version of "Prime Suspect" to tip its hat to the much-loved British police drama on which it is based, while standing on its own merits and winning a fresh new audience.
"I remember seeing [the original show starring Helen Mirren] when it first came out and loving it," Quinn told The Irish Echo in a recent phone interview.
"Ours has certain overlapping things, but it is so radically different, I don't know how to compare the two," said the 52-year-old Chicago native, who has spent extensive time working and living in Ireland. "I think you have a strong female lead who is encountering a lot of prejudice and sexism. That's certainly the same, but other than that, it's New York now as opposed to [England] in 1991. It's very different. I love the writing. I love the dialogue. I love our head writer, Alexandra Cunningham . . . [and] how they see these characters. It was very enticing."
"I remember being very impressed with the original. I didn't go back and revisit it because they're just different animals," O'Byrne, a 44-year-old actor from Mullagh, Co. Cavan, said in a separate conversation.
He went on to say when he heard who was involved in the new version, accepting a role in it "was a no-brainer."
"It's good that it's so very different than the English version and we kind of have our own take on it. I met with [the writers and producers] Alexandra Cunningham and Peter Berg and they told me their ideas and it sounded great. And the part is a fun part to play," O'Byrne added. "[You have] pretty good characters reacting to situations. It's character-driven, not just driven by the plot. We're not just all talking suits. As you get to know the characters, you see they're all unique individuals and they all react very differently to events."
The 2011 "Prime Suspect" re-boot features Maria Bello as Irish-American New York homicide detective Jane Timoney. Quinn plays Timoney's fair, but no-nonsense boss, Lt. Kevin Sweeney, and O'Byrne plays Det. Reg Duffy, an old-school cop suspicious of how Timoney got her job. Rounding out the cast are Kirk Acevedo as her reluctant partner Det. Luisito Calderon and Peter Gerety as her father Desmond.
Quinn and O'Byrne both noted how pleased they were to find the creative team behind their new series every bit as interested in establishing believable relationships between the cops and exploring the goings-on in the squad-room as they are in coming up with fascinating crimes for the investigators to solve.
In the pilot episode, Timoney ends up taking the lead on a high-profile case after another detective dies, a career move that makes her even less popular with her co-workers than when she first arrived. The episode gives Bello the chance to demonstrate Timoney's brass, intelligence and humor, while showcasing nicely Sweeney's grief over losing one of his men and Duffy's anger that his friend is gone while Timoney remains.
"There is kind of an overwhelming element in cop shows in America . . . that they need to be absolutely focused on the case and the evidence. Hopefully, we're not that. We're not just focused on the case. It's as much about what's going on between the cops and the precinct and the politics and busting on each other," Quinn observed.
Best known for his work in Broadway's "The Beauty Queen of Leenane," "Doubt," "Frozen" and "Shining City," O'Byrne also starred in ABC's "FlashForward," a science-fiction series canceled after one season. In short, he knows a little something about how important pilots are and how essential it is that a show be given a chance to gain traction with viewers.
"Pilots are difficult," said O'Byrne. "In the case of 'Prime Suspect,' the people who respond to it initially are journalists and they are probably the toughest critics because [many of them are fans of] the old 'Prime Suspect' and will either be rooting for or against us, and then the network starts feeling around for what they want to do.
"It's a funny dance with pilots and TV. And it's unfortunate in that nowadays, shows are really hard to grow. They're not given time to grow, but I think we have NBC behind us," said O'Byrne, who also appeared on TV's Brotherhood" and "Oz," as well as in the films "Disco Pigs," "Intermission," "The International" and "Million Dollar Baby."
Quinn said he feels NBC is supporting "Prime Suspect" by promoting it and airing re-runs of Thursday night episodes on Monday evenings to introduce the series to even more viewers.
"We're very thrilled [that NBC Chairman] Bob Greenblatt [is] giving us the financial support and the advertising and the chance for this," emphasized Quinn, whose edgy "The Book of Daniel" drama series was swiftly canceled five years ago after Christian groups called for boycotts of NBC and its sponsors.
"[It's] like in the old days when executives would give a show the chance to grow an audience and establish itself. 'Hill Street Blues' would have been canceled in the beginning because of low ratings or 'Seinfeld' would have been canceled. They were great shows that had plenty of time to develop their niches and find their audiences, so we're very, very grateful and appreciative that [Greenblatt's] given us this time," Quinn said.
In "The Book of Daniel," Quinn played a minister addicted to painkillers, who talks to Jesus who, in turn, questions the modern interpretations of his teachings. The actor said he thinks the show might have had a longer life if it aired on a cable network or even NBC just a few years later than it was.
"It was just a little bit early," he reflected.
So does the star of "Michael Collins," "This Is My Father," "Evelyn," "Desperately Seeking Susan," and "Practical Magic" like being part of an ensemble for "Prime Suspect?"
"Yeah, absolutely," Quinn said. "I like doing good work. [and] having a steady gig. I love working with Brian and Maria and Tim and Kirk and Damon [Gupton], a wonderful cast. I'm hoping to do a film in Ireland when we're done shooting, so I hope that never stops either, doing leading roles . . . I feel very blessed and lucky."
"Prime Suspect" airs Thursday nights on NBC.
