New Harlem-Set Crime Drama “NY 22″ (video)

There’s a new cop drama series coming to CBS titled NY 22, which “follows 6 diverse NYPD rookies as they patrol the gritty streets of upper Manhattan (Harlem)” …… – which, for those of you who don’t live in NY, translates to the black Mecca known as Harlem.

Here’s more detail from CBS:

The new trainees include Jennifer “White House” Perry, a former college volleyball star and Marine MP in Iraq with a take-charge attitude; Ray “Lazarus” Harper, the oldest rookie and a former police news reporter with better sources than most seasoned cops; Tonya Sanchez, who comes from a family with a criminal history; Ahmad Kahn, an Afghani native who fought his way to freedom; Kenny McClaren, a fourth-generation police officer with great instincts but qualms about joining the force; and Jayson “Jackpot” Toney, a young basketball legend who squandered his opportunity in the NBA. Their demanding Field Training Officer, Daniel “Yoda” Dean, is a case-hardened, unsentimental veteran of the force who emphasizes basics and holds each cop accountable for their actions. Rounding out the team is Sergeant Terry Howard, a no-nonsense plainclothes officer from the Gang Intel Unit, who trains the rookies on how to keep the gangbangers at bay. With unique backgrounds, personalities and reasons for being on the force, the new cops will make their share of rookie mistakes while they figure out how to relate to their boss, each other and the people they swore to protect.

Comparisons to The Wire are probably going to happen, if they haven’t happened already. And that shouldn’t surprise since the creator of this new series, author/screenwriter Richard Price, wrote for The Wire, and also penned Clockers.

Somewhat to his credit, Mr. Price lives in the rapidly-changing Harlem, which maybe can’t quite be considered the black Mecca it once was known to be, especially starting around the Harlem Renaissance. In an interview with the NY Times about the new show, it’s noted that Price made Harlem “an important element of the show, drawing creative fuel from its churning mix of longtime residents and gentrifiers, families and hoodlums, cultural landmarks and upstart bistros.“

“The juxtapositions are just so wild around here,” Price said.

Robert De Niro and his Tribeca Productions are executive producing the series, along with Ken Sanzel, a former detective with the New York Transit Police.

Ny 22 premieres on Sunday April 15th on CBS at 10/9c; amongst its ensemble cast are Harold House Moore (Single Ladies, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne) who looks to be the only African American in the starring cast; Adam Goldberg, Leelee Sobieski, Stark Sands, Judy Marte, Terry Kinney and Felix Solis round things up.

Watch a preview of the series below: