Dick Wolf is well-known for a number of profitable procedural dramas that proceed to dominate the 2025 TV schedule, just like the Legislation & Order franchise and the One Chicago exhibits. For his newest creation — On Name, which is on the market to stream January 9 with an Amazon Prime Video subscription — he’ll be tackling that style in half-hour episodes for the primary time. Will Wolf’s first foray into the streaming world be pretty much as good to him as community tv has been? Critics have some fairly harsh reactions after seeing all eight episodes of On Name Season 1, however I do not essentially assume that is sufficient to cease the Dick Wolf Leisure practice.
On Name stars Troian Bellisario as Lengthy Seaside PD coaching officer Traci Harmon, who’s grieving the lack of a fellow officer as she trains recruits together with her new associate Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente). Followers of different Dick Wolf tasks is perhaps excited to see a well-recognized face, because the trailer confirmed a shock look from Chicago Fireplace star Monica Raymund. As for what else to anticipate from the brand new present, The Wrap’s Thelma Adams says viewers shouldn’t search for an enormous shift away from the acquainted components, writing:
The brand new On Name characters have loads of runway to make robust impressions, however they pale compared to [Law & Order’s best] standouts… The writing, too, is deliberately spare, missing the wit and barbed one-liners of the older one-hour exhibits… These aren’t notably dangerous cops, however they’re not as compelling as they must be to interrupt by way of in a flooded market. Whereas the Wolf pack named the collection On Name, don’t really feel the duty to place it on velocity dial.
THR’s Angie Han is simply glad the episodes clock in at underneath half-hour, as a result of “at no level” does On Name justify the longer runtime of different procedurals. The writing exhibits little curiosity — even in spite of everything eight episodes — in regards to the characters or the world they inhabit. The critic says:
On Name’s unwillingness to have interaction too deeply with something we’re seeing onscreen makes it laborious to ever develop into completely engrossed by it. However then, not each present needs you to look that intently. Some are content material buzzing alongside as background noise. For those who’re searching for a wealthy and bold exploration of policing in fashionable America — to cite one among Diaz’s go-to phrases, ‘this ain’t it.’ If all you need is the expertise of channel browsing to the center of a Legislation & Order episode with out worrying that you just’re lacking an excessive amount of of the plot, this could go well with simply wonderful.
Isabella Soares of Collider offers the collection a 6 out of 10, writing that the chemistry between Harmon and Diaz is gratifying, and the usage of bodycam footage and different distinctive camerawork make for exhilarating motion sequences. Nevertheless, as different critics have stated, the present fails to go deep sufficient to encourage potential bingers to click on on the following episode. In Soares’ phrases:
Regardless that the primary duo has a recent dynamic and the filming type is exclusive, this police drama lacks the stamina of a present made for streaming. Except for the primary characters’ private dilemmas, Wolf’s newest mission does not match the binge mannequin. Sure, the episodes are comparatively brief, however the narrative is so surface-level that it will not compel somebody to look at the whole lot in a single sitting. It could’ve been far more becoming to launch episodes on a week-by-week foundation and retain viewership that approach than having all of them drop on the platform directly, hoping viewers stick round.
Alistair Ryder of Looper’s response to On Name is a bit harsher, because the critic charges the collection simply 3 out of 10. Ryder calls watching the collection “much less enjoyable than getting arrested” and says with its cliche-ridden storytelling and uninteresting characters, the one optimistic to this present is that it’ll encourage you to revisit higher cop exhibits. Ryder continues:
No one might accuse On Name of getting equally attention-grabbing protagonists, each of whom are devoid of any character past what their job description entails. And as for a way they strategy the job itself, nicely, the stress between taking part in by the ebook and breaking the principles has been achieved to dying in cop dramas for years now — perhaps a spark of persona might have helped the trope go down simpler. The one standout quirk the collection boasts is the abundance of awkward mid-scene zooms, which shatters the phantasm of realism and can seemingly go away viewers questioning in the event that they unintentionally turned movement smoothing on.
Aramide Tinubu of Selection blames the half-hour runtime for why the characters — each primary and supporting — should not developed and lack strong dialogue. Whereas the physique camerawork appears distinctive at first, it turns into overused because the collection goes on and by no means serves to push the narrative ahead. Tinubu concludes:
General, On Name will get into the each day minutia and routine of police work. The calls and the paperwork are fixed, as are the hundreds of choices and unpredictable situations one should make and encounter each day whereas attempting to remain alive. However, in locking its characters and, in flip, its viewers inside this particular patrolling time, the drama doesn’t attain its full potential. As a substitute of providing a compelling viewpoint, the collection is demanding and infrequently mechanical. Viewers are by no means let off the job, so there may be restricted motivation to clock in for the following episode.
It appears like On Name may need been in a position to make use of that further half-hour as a way to develop the characters extra or dig deeper into a few of the points portrayed, however with the way in which Dick Wolf’s collection have related with viewers so nicely through the years, I wouldn’t be stunned to seek out that there’s an viewers for these fast bites of fictionalized police work.
If you wish to take a look at On Name, all eight episodes will be streamed now on Amazon Prime Video, one of many greatest streaming providers to subscribe to.