‘Heatwave’ Boils Over With Infighting

Sat., Jan. 11, 1997

Faye Zuckerman New York Times Syndicate

Everyone seems to be hot under the collar in NBC’s TV movie “Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct: Heatwave,” Sunday at 9.

This third in a series, based on the gritty police novels, is an urban drama set during a heat wave.

Almost all of the characters walk around looking physically hot and acting hot with anger. Most of them spend the two hours yelling and screaming at each other as they try to catch a serial rapist.

The rapist, as you might guess, outsmarts the police of the 87th precinct continually until the final showdown. The police, you might say, sweat the whole thing out until they give the rapist his just desserts.

Before the expected finale occurs, the tale has a few surprises.

A police decoy (Erika Eleniak) is raped in a frightening scene. In the wake of her trauma, she is forced to cope with emotional issues as well as her fear of possibly being ridiculed by co-workers.

Eleniak does a decent job of conveying her character’s conflicts.

Dale Midkiff and Michael Gross play two of the cops who bicker and argue most of the time. It would have been nice if the bickering could have cooled down a bit.

Highlights

“Relativity,” ABC tonight at 10: Leo (David Conrad) and Isabel (Kimberly Williams) contemplate marriage in this romantic series that begs to have depth. Haven’t you become bored with Leo and Isabel gossiping about family and friends each week?

“Saturday Night Live,” NBC tonight at 11:30: Kevin Spacey hosts; Beck performs.

“The Simpsons,” FOX Sunday at 8: Homer encounters an alien, which prompts an investigation by “The X-Files”’ Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson). Worth the wait is a clever spoof of Budweiser commercials. Leonard Nimoy lends his voice as narrator.

“King of the Hill,” FOX Sunday at 8:30: “Beavis and Butt-head” creator Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, former executive producer of “The Simpsons,” teamed up for this sitcom about the life of a redneck family.

The patriarch, Hank Hill (voiced by Judge), is just a tad smarter than Homer Simpson and a lot less vulgar than Beavis and Butt-head.

Hank’s slightly offbeat view of the world seems to get him into trouble. This week his child-rearing skills come under fire when a social worker is led to believe Hank beats his son. Unavailable for review.

“Masterpiece Theatre,” KSPS Sunday at 8: To watch “A Royal Scandal” one must firmly plant tongue in cheek. This sarcastic, campy satire recalls the stormy marriage between George IV (Richard E. Grant) and Princess Caroline of Brunswick (Susan Lynch).

“People’s Choice Awards,” CBS Sunday at 9: With the new year, so comes new editions of old favorite award shows. These accolades are determined by the buying public.

Don Johnson and Roma Downey act as masters of ceremonies. Nominees include Tim Allen, George Clooney, Jerry Seinfeld, Sandra Bullock, Helen Hunt, Demi Moore, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.