cover story
Urban cowboy
There’s a new sheriff in town in ‘Deputy’
By Francis Babin
TV Media
A
fter weeks of looking back
at the year’s best movies,
television shows and all things
entertainment, it’s time to
look at what 2020 will bring
us. Once again, superheroes
and comic book adaptions are
poised to dominate the big and
small screen alike. This is noth-
ing new, of course — we are
currently living in a superhero
world and have been for well
over a decade, but that has not
always been the case. There
was a period not long ago when
the majority of these kinds of
movies and shows were neither
remarkable nor very successful.
Long before our favorite Mar-
vel and DC friends dominated
Hollywood, it was the western
that ruled the world. From the
advent of the moving picture
to the 1960s, the western was
without a doubt the most popu-
lar genre before it slowly started
to fade away. There were some
memorable westerns released
in the intervening decades, but
they were few and far between.
However, the western genre
is resilient and tough like its
cowboy protagonists, so it never
truly went away. Over the years,
the elements that made the
genre so popular have been
incorporated into other genres.
From the cult-classic series “Fire-
fly” and the critically acclaimed
blockbuster “Logan” (2017) to
FX’s “Justified” and Disney’s
“The Mandalorian,” the western
is still going strong, just in a
more subtle way than before. On
Thursday, Jan. 2, travel to Los An-
geles as the Old West meets the
big city in the premiere of the
modern-day western “Deputy,”
on Fox.
After years of obscurity fol-
lowing a fruitful early career,
Stephen Dorff bounced back in a
big way in 2019 with his leading
performance opposite Academy
Award winner Mahershala Ali
(“Green Book,” 2018) in the
2 | Screentime
well-received third season of
the HBO anthology “True Detec-
tive.” Now, Dorff dons a badge
and gun for a second year in a
row to portray Bill Hollister in
“Deputy,” a gruff, fifth-genera-
tion lawman who must come to
terms with his new position as
the Los Angeles County Sheriff
after his predecessor dies unex-
pectedly.
If that sounds like a generic
procedural, you’re not wrong.
But there is definitely more to
this story. In this gritty, modern-
day western, Deputy Bill Hol-
lister is not at all an ambitious
man, and he certainly has no as-
pirations of climbing the ladder
at work. He is a career lawman
who is very comfortable kicking
down doors and taking down
bad guys but is utterly lost in a
staff meeting or navigating the
sea of politics.
How, then, does Hollister end
up in the coveted position of the
Los Angeles County Sheriff in
this western tale? Pure chance.
The deputy who does not play by
the rules ends up as the top cop,
thanks to an arcane rule written
way back in the days of the Wild
West. If that sounds like an out-
rageous premise, again, you are
not wrong, but just think about
how many wildly out-of-date
laws are still on the books be-
cause the time was never taken
to repeal them. In short, becom-
ing sheriff by chance is unlikely
but not implausible. And it’s very
entertaining.
We have all been in a situa-
tion where we did not feel com-
fortable or felt like an imposter.
We have all found ourselves in a
situation where we did not feel
at ease or in control, but most of
us were not thrust into the high-
stakes world of law enforcement
where lives are constantly on
the line. How will the newly ap-
pointed sheriff fare in this brave
new world of politics and red
tape? Only time will tell.
Beyond having to deal with
the countless new responsibili-
ties, the new sheriff in town has
January 1, 2020 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
Brian Van Holt costars in “Deputy”
to learn how to lead and be part
trust. Accompanying the pair
of a team, a prospect that is
will be Joseph Blair (Shane Paul
assuredly not appealing to the
McGhie, “What Men Want,”
lawman. Luckily for our protago- 2019), a bright-eyed go-getter
nist, his new colleagues all share and son of Hollister’s old partner.
his passion, devotion and dedi-
Rounding out the crew is Bre-
cation for law and justice.
anna Bishop (Bex Taylor-Klaus,
Joining Hollister will be Dep-
“13 Reasons Why”), a young,
uty Cade Walker (Brian Van Holt, eager and sarcastic driver who
“Cougar Town”), a tough as
is in charge of Bill’s security de-
nails former Marine who served
tail, and Genevieve (Karrueche
in Afghanistan and one of the
Tran, “Claws”), a quick-witted
few that our sheriff can truly
deputy who is always keeping
things light with her fun loving
attitude.
Acting as the thorn in the
sheriff’s side will be Jerry London
(Mark Moses, “Desperate House-
wives”), the typical overbearing
bureaucrat who is not at all in
favor of Hollister and is looking
for any reason to rid him from the
force. Standing by Hollister’s side
through it all is Dr. Paula Reyes
(Yara Martinez, “Jane the Vir-
gin”), a trauma surgeon and Bill’s
supportive and strong-willed
wife, who perfectly balances out
her husband’s intensity.
Uncomfortable with his new
position and unsure of his new
responsibilities, newly appoint-
ed Los Angeles County Sheriff
Bill Hollister will need to rely on
his new team and instincts in
order to succeed in the modern-
day Old West. Catch the action
with the premiere of “Deputy”
Thursday, Jan. 2, on Fox.