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Cape Town - Showtime’s impressive new crime drama is the brainchild of high-profile executive producers (and passionate Bostonians) Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, but it's worth noting that the showrunners behind this project are Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, the creative power behind hit crime shows like prison drama Oz and Homicide – Life on the Street.
City on a Hill quickly settles in as a solid tale of urban crime and corruption, according to Rolling Stone magazine. The early 90s were a turbulent time for the city, with corruption, racial tension and widespread violence rampant in the city of the Red Sox. Though set against actual events and police scandals of the time, the show is ultimately a fictional story with fictional characters – think Law & Order, but with that Boston twang.
Bacon on a Hill
Snagging acting legend Kevin Bacon to star as the bigoted and moustachioed corrupt FBI agent Jackie Rohr was key in bringing to life a character that audiences could love and actively dislike at the same time. He might be a drug user who cheats on his wife, but he’s good at what he does, is always two steps ahead of everyone else, and loves every minute of it. Bacon’s played countless nice guys as well as utter villains, making him a shoo-in for prime antihero-bad-cop material like this.
The Boston Miracle
The arrival of straight-arrow Assistant District Attorney Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge), a black man on a crusade against corrupt cops and racism in any shape or form, sets events off as the series opens. His ethical views clash with the lax methods that local law enforcement has grown comfortable with, and being a black man as well makes him even more of an outcast and threat.
When fate throws these polar opposite lawmen together, they form an unlikely alliance and ultimately, a tentative friendship, joining forces to change the system from within. The real-life backdrop for this highly ambitious intervention was known as Operation Ceasefire, publically referred to as The Boston Miracle. The program was initiated in the late 90s and saw in impressive drop of 65% in gun violence in the city.
Watch City on a Hill starting Tuesday 23 July on M-Net (101) at 22:00
