As cop drama, USA’s ‘Graceland’ is a rookie

As cop drama, USA’s ‘Graceland’ is a rookie

“Graceland” Series premiere tonight at 10:01 on USA Network. Grade: C While TNT and FX dramas regularly venture into the dark, USA Network shows rarely stray under even a passing cloud. “Graceland” sounds like a welcome detour from the slight scenic path. The drama is allegedly inspired by fact, a communal beachfront property shared by several FBI, U.S. Customs and DEA agents. The home is called Graceland because it was seized from a drug dealer who was a hard-core Elvis fan. To save your valuable time, skip the first half-hour or so. (The extended premiere runs until 11:14 p.m.) You’ll miss the hazing of the new guy, Mike Warren (Aaron Tveit, “Les Miserables”), an anal-retentive FBI agent who graduated No. 1 in his class and is now stationed with these grown children with guns as well as a dreary surfing montage. “Your lies are your life,” decorated FBI agent Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata, most recently seen on “Smash”) tells the newbie. Something happened in Paul’s past, some incident that changed him from a by-the-book agent to a freewheeling (seemingly lazy) operative. Whatever that trauma was, you’ll have to wait for another episode to hear it. Mike goes undercover to sell drugs to a minor dealer in a scheme that goes awry in ways not altogether believable. The agents have a running bit with their marks that they’re actually film actors pretending to be cops. It rings about as authentic as “Mission: Impossible’s” Ethan Hunt claiming to be a greeting card salesman. Sunjata is talented and charismatic and more than paid his dues in seven years working in Denis Leary’s shadow on “Rescue Me.” He deserves a show that will cement his status as a leading man. This isn’t it. Tveit buckles under the script shifts, in one scene a dweeb, in the next, a canny agent. As housemates and law agents, supporting players­ Brandon Jay McLaren (“Falling Skies”), Serinda Swan (“Breakout Kings”) and Manny Montana have mastered the art of surli­ness. Vanessa Ferlito’s (“CSI: NY”) Charlie adds warmth to a chilly show. For a luxury home, the set looks like something that the amateurs of HGTV’s “Design Stars” might have cobbled together after an all-night bender. There’s a bit of a plot swerve at the end of the episode — one that already has been spoiled by USA Network’s relentless promotion of the show. I won’t mention it for those who haven’t seen it, but it suggests that with time, “Graceland” might venture into some ambiguous territory. Right now, it’s looking as stuck in the past as Elvis’ estate.


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