# The Good Guys (2010)

> A washed-up, hard-drinking Dallas detective is saddled with a snarky, by-the-book young partner to solve petty crimes.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/29537

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, crime, drama
- Created by: Matt Nix
- Network: FOX
- Cast: Bradley Whitford, Colin Hanks, Jenny Wade, Diana Maria Riva, Lee Thompson Young, Dan Castellaneta, Mike Starr, Alex Fernandez
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1567254/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: irreverent, breezy, witty, sardonic

## What critics say

Critics found the buddy chemistry between the leads appealing but considered the case-of-the-week format familiar, and the single season drew mixed reviews before cancellation.

## Synopsis

The Good Guys (2010) is an American crime comedy series created by Matt Nix for FOX. Bradley Whitford plays Dan Stark, a washed-up Dallas detective who once was celebrated as a hero and now spends most of his time drunk and dwelling on past glory. Colin Hanks plays Jack Bailey, an ambitious, by-the-book officer whose snarky mouth has stalled his career and who is stuck babysitting Dan. Jenny Wade and Diana Maria Riva round out the principal cast. The engine of the show is the uneasy partnership: Jack wants to climb the department, but he keeps getting handed petty theft cases that nobody else wants, while Dan's past keeps interfering with the present. Each episode is a self-contained case of the week, with the crime investigations giving way to banter and character friction. The series runs for a single 20-episode season, and it is a buddy cop show that blends the wit of a workplace comedy with the procedural machinery of a standard police drama. Its tone is breezy and irreverent, with warmth under the sarcasm. Fans of Lethal Weapon, Psych, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine will find resonance in its odd couple chemistry and comic crime investigations.

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